As periodontist and President of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, Dr Susan Wise is always learning new skills.
An off-the-cuff comment by her Year 7 maths teacher caused Dr Susan Wise (BDSc 1994) to consider a career in dentistry.
As a little girl, she says she wanted to be a doctor at first as her dad was a GP. “Then my maths teacher mentioned that her two daughters were studying dentistry and I had a moment when I realised that I wanted to be a dentist.”
“My dad thought I would be more suited to dentistry because it is a hands-on job. He also mentioned that, as a medical intern, you don’t get much sleep!” says Dr Wise.
Dr Wise graduated from Melbourne Dental School in 1994 — and is organising her cohort’s 30-year reunion later this year. She then completed a Master of Dental Science (Periodontics). As well as running her own periodontics practice, she has been a proactive member of the oral health profession.
She’s held a series of senior roles including the Past President of the Australian Dental Association Victorian branch, the Immediate Past President of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (RACDS) and a Board member of the Australian Dental Association Dental Health Foundation, which helps disadvantaged patients, such as the homeless and survivors of domestic violence, access dental treatment.
Continually expanding her skills, Dr Wise also graduated from the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2020. “I wanted to know more about finance, governance, risk and strategy,” she explains.
Currently, through her RACDS role, Dr Wise is working to establish a hospital-based specialist training program in New Zealand for those interested in practising special needs and paediatric dentistry in Oral Medicine, Special Needs Dentistry and Paediatric Dentistry.
Dr Wise also teaches postgraduate periodontal students, which she says is very much a two-way teaching and learning process.
“I have a 16-year-old son, so my teaching opportunities are limited, but I teach six sessions a year. We discuss the students’ patients and I provide advice on their treatment plans, but I learn from the students, too. They may have been taught things by other clinical educators that I can adapt into my practice,” she says.
Away from the office, Dr Wise enjoys travelling, walking her dog and baking — “although desserts aren't great for our teeth!
“Dentistry has changed a lot in my time,” she says. “Techniques change and technology and materials change. When I began my career there were no digital X-rays and we used a lot of amalgam, which is very rarely used now. Dentistry is evolving and anyone who works in the field needs to keep learning because graduation is just the beginning of the journey.”
Dr Wise is very excited about her upcoming 30-year dentistry reunion. “It is hard to believe that we graduated 30 years ago. It doesn’t seem that long ago. There were only about 50 students in my year level and we were a tight-knit group. We had lots of fun times as dental students at uni.”
She adds: “I love the people-related aspect of dentistry and how you can make a difference if you communicate and show empathy. I’ve seen many of my patients regularly for many years now and I’ve watched them and their families grow and that has been very rewarding.”
Learn more about MDS reunions: mdhs.unimelb.edu.au/engage/alumni/reunions-2024#dental-school