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The Dental Head Start PodcastAuthor: Dr David Keir
The Dental Head Start podcast is made to help dental students become great dentists. You cant google the path to dental success, but you can learn from those already there. We interview dentists who have achieved what youre striving for and get the story behind the struggles, the successes and the advice they want you to hear. Get the head start you need in your dental career. Language: en-au Genres: Health & Fitness, Medicine Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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ADSA mini series 2026: From hating dental school to 40 years in Orthodontics with Dr Derek Mahony
Sunday, 1 November, 2026
Hosted by Dr Michael Shambira Recorded at the ADSA convention, specialist orthodontist Dr Derek Mahony is refreshingly honest: he hated dental school, missed out on medicine by one mark, and found general dentistry too much “drill, fill and bill”. His degree was sponsored by the Navy, so he had a job waiting when he graduated, and he kept his early clinical work simple while setting his sights on orthodontics. The turning point came during six months of travel after graduation, when he met an orthodontist in Brazil treating children’s airways and development. That meeting gave him a passion he had never felt for dentistry, and it set the course for a career of around 40 years in orthodontics. Derek also talks about burnout and rising patient expectations, why working in one lane gives him a safety net, the higher professional standard health practitioners are held to, and why finding your own niche matters more than the money. Key moments [01:31] Hating dental school and missing medicine by one mark[02:49] Reality check: a Navy-sponsored degree and life after graduation[03:31] First root canal and keeping it simple on the way to orthodontics[04:32] The decision that changed his career: an orthodontist in Brazil[05:32] Burnout, patient psychology and modern patient expectations[06:57] Interdisciplinary care and staying in his lane[08:47] What drives him: passion over money and finding your niche[10:46] The professional standard dentists are held to[11:36] Letting go of laziness[12:20] Advice to his younger self[13:13] Rapid-fire questions Dr Derek Mahony Dr Derek Mahony is a registered specialist orthodontist (BDS Sydney, MScOrth London, completed at the Eastman Dental Hospital) and the founder of Full Face Orthodontics, with clinics in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Hobart and Perth. He is a Visiting Professor of Orthodontics at the City of London Dental School, and his work focuses on interceptive and functional orthodontics, airway and dental sleep medicine. Through his teaching programs he has trained thousands of dentists, particularly in clear aligner therapy and early interceptive treatment. Connect with Dr Derek MahonyWebsite: derekmahony.comFull Face Orthodontics: fullfaceorthodontics.com.auLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drderekmahonyInstagram (Full Face Orthodontics): @fullfaceorthodonticsYouTube: youtube.com/user/DerekMahonyFacebook: facebook.com/derek.mahony The post ADSA mini series 2026: From hating dental school to 40 years in Orthodontics with Dr Derek Mahony appeared first on Dental Head Start.
