Celebrating Pet Dental Health Awareness Month with Andrew Perry
In celebration of Pet Dental Health Awareness Month, we’re speaking to members of our alumni community to raise awareness of the importance of oral health for our animal companions.
First up, we spoke to Andrew Perry (BVSc 2000) who worked in mixed and small animal practice before becoming a European Veterinary Specialist in Dentistry and a member of the European Veterinary Dental College in 2018.
Andrew is interested in all areas of Dentistry with a particular interest in oral and maxillo-facial surgery, pain management and endodontics. He is currently undertaking research on the effect of suture pattern on the healing of oral wounds.
Do you have any memories from your time as a vet student at Liverpool to share?
It is twenty-five years since I graduated from the School of Veterinary Science (I am old, I know...), and my memories remain extremely fond and filled with warmth and humour. Many of my memories are certainly not appropriate to recount here, but I can share that I met the love of my life on Formby Beach, made friends, laughed, cried, and somehow passed my finals!
I certainly hadn't developed an interest in dentistry during my studies. I can't really remember lectures in dentistry, although this may be my age. I do remember the amazing Evelyn Barbour-Hill providing practical instruction, but this couldn't really prepare me for my entry into general practice.
Most of my training was done during extra-mural studies (EMS). Although the clinics I did my EMS with were all amazing, it would be fair to say that dentistry was not a favoured subject of mine! Following qualification, it soon became clear just how much dentistry I was expected to perform (or attempt to avoid).
Did anyone inspire you when you were a student?
During my studies, my main interest was equine surgery. Professor Barrie Edwards was an extraordinary clinician and to receive a "Prof-wink" was the highest of accolades. Professor Derek Knottenbelt, although vastly intimidating, ably demonstrated an enthusiastic and charismatic style of teaching that influenced my own teaching preferences. I feel I should also apologise publicly to Professor Montgomery, who attempted to teach me embryology; I really didn't appreciate just how important it is!
Following graduation, my passion for dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery was inspired initially by my colleague Dr Dave Nicol, which was much to my surprise, and latterly by Dr Lisa Milella, Dr Loïc Legendre and fellow Liverpool alumnus Dr Peter Southerden (BVSc 1984). I hope that current students find inspiration that encourages them to explore the field of oral surgery, or at least not to shy away from it. Maybe one day there will be a permanent member of the academic staff who is a specialist in the discipline.
Tell us about your career. How did you become interested in dentistry?
I was enrolled in a diagnostic imaging certificate, in general practice, and my then employer invested in a dental radiography system. I was given the "opportunity" to learn how to use this new contraption which led to my visiting Dr Lisa Millela. What I witnessed with Lisa, and at subsequent specialists' clinics, appeared magical when compared to my first-hand experiences in managing oral pathologies. Until that point, I'd often felt that my clinical practice was not always as beneficial as I might have hoped. The use of dental radiography really did change my working life, and I'd like to think improved the welfare of an enormous number of patients.
I fell from blissful ignorance, rapidly, and was lucky enough to be mentored by Dr Peter Southerden as an alternate pathway resident, having worked in general practice for 10 years. Following completion of my residency I remained at Eastcott Referrals and have been a part of developing the service. I have been the Head of Department since 2018 and continue to work with an incredible team of colleagues, hopefully working to provide the highest standards of care to patients, treating simple periodontal disease through to the most complex maxillofacial trauma and oncologic cases.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
I'd recommend keeping an open mind, walking through as many metaphorical professional doors as possible, when opportunities present themselves. Take time to reflect on your success and try to learn from your mistakes but talk to yourself with kindness! You're likely to remember the failures more than the successes. We devote so much of ourselves to the profession I'd advise you to find an environment that both challenges and supports you and surround yourself with colleagues who make you want to be better (and that you want to go to the pub with!).
For those who would want to become Diplomates of the European Veterinary Dental College, I would encourage you to develop your communication skills both with peers and with clients, spend time in general practice and become a rounded clinician, participate in advanced and specific training, publish a peer reviewed paper, attend specialist conferences such as those run by the British Veterinary Dental Association and European Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry and visit specialists in their clinics so you can see what it entails.
What is your top tip for your fellow alumni this Pet Dental Health Month?
Rebrand! We don't refer to an "orthopaedic" and we shouldn't (in my opinion) use the term "a dental", or worse still, a "quick scale and polish”! Treating the myriads of oral pathologies is an act of surgery; be an oral surgeon. We should apply all the same surgical skills in the oral cavity as anywhere else. We should educate our clients about periodontitis or tooth resorption, just as we would diabetes or a cruciate rupture. Diminishing the demands and skill of treatment of oral pathologies lessens the value of that care, in the mind of both the profession and the clients. Take pride in your knowledge and skills or improve them if you feel you can't.
Thank you, Andrew, for helping us celebration Pet Dental Health Awareness Month. If you’d like to share your own veterinary career journey or professional reflections with the University of Liverpool Veterinary Alumni Association, we’d love to hear from you via ulvaa@liverpool.ac.uk.