A celebration of twosomes, the Asian Power Couples Hot 100 honour is truly a win-win situation.

Praising the United Kingdom’s most influential and innovative Asian couples, the definitive list “reveals not only the names of the rich, powerful, authoritative and philanthropic, but also the industries that create the greatest number of such pairings – the restaurant and food sector, creative industries and business arena.”

In addition to these designated divisions, the organization also names promising pairs to look out for in the upcoming year. In 2014, following the launch of House of Gharats, Neishaa Gharat and her husband Pretam – a successful dental surgeon – were named among these “top 5 couples to watch in 2015.” One busy year later, the Gharats continue their stimulating work, as they plan and prepare for an exciting 2016.

By: Kelly Richman-Abdou

I have trained for my undergraduate qualifications in Mumbai. After the rigorous five years I thought to myself, “Aaha! No more studying ever again.”

And then I took the path most new graduates pursue, that of starting my own dental surgery in Mumbai. I worked and worked for five years. The five years came and went in a blink of an eye. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process, with a thought always of someday enhancing my knowledge about dentistry and learning some new skills. Alas, I was always caught in this rat race and never got onto stopping work and going on a course or a postgraduate program.

But then one day, I made up my mind to break away from the mould. I couldn’t work with my knowledge which I knew was already outdated and with no hope of further skill enhancement. Then I started looking at Masters in Australia and UK.

The whole process was not very difficult, but tricky. Some of the few things one needs to apply for any overseas Postgraduate qualification are:
Undergraduate and Postgraduate Degree transcripts
Other Academic qualification proofs (Masters, hands-on courses, other certificates)
English qualifications (IELTS or TOEFL)
Bank statements with adequate funds for tuition fees and to support yourself (and your spouse) during the course duration.
Passport

There are quite a few agents appointed by these Universities in many Indian cities. They make your application process quite easy and have their contacts here which help them coordinate things more easily, but remember that most big Universities will never have agents. Also be aware of agents asking for money. Since all these agents are funded by the universities, the cost to you is absolutely nothing.
Most overseas (UK and Australian) universities will have a website. These websites are detailed and will give you most course details. They will contain email ids of coordinators and course tutors. Email them about all your queries and which academic year you want to start. They will answer all your queries. Some popular courses get completely filled 2 academic years before they start. Most overseas courses which one can gain entry to, would be non-clinical courses e.g. Oral Pathology, Dental Public Health, Hospital Management, Health Economics, etc. This does not mean clinical courses are absolutely impossible to get into. In UK one can get entry into a clinical course with a temporary registration with the General Dental Council, UK. These courses are normally of more than two years duration, which mean added costs incurred to pursue these courses. They would conduct a telephonic interview sometimes before they offer you a place on the program.

Contrary to popular belief, not all institutions ask for two year work experience and your internship is considered as a one year experience. The complete experience of coming to UK and studying is fabulous. The resources are immense. The hardships are crushing. One has to be prepared to work and do odd jobs to survive here as costs of living are quite high. The first 3 months are critical. Many people feel homesick in these times. Good to go to a country where you have family and friend network and support.

When you come to countries like UK, you may get support from your university or there are a few government bodies who have websites guiding you onto getting your bank a/c, renting a place, registering with the GP, etc.

Summarizing the above:

1) Deciding to study abroad
2) Deciding on the Course / University
3) Email the course coordinator / admissions team
4) Send them academic papers / IELTS results
5) Telephonic Interview
6) Receiving a conditional offer
7) Apply for a VISA
8) Call for Medical check up at a UK recognized Medical centre (optional)
9) Book your tickets
10) Fly to your destination

These steps may vary according to individual circumstances.

Best of Luck

Dr. Pretam Gharat

Case study – 21 year old female patient came to me requesting correction of crooked front tooth. After thorough examination and radiographs, clear aligners was zeroed on as she is also a dancer and hence wanted to avoid fixed orthodontics.
System used – Clear Smile Aligners
6 aligners needed.
Minimal IPR needed
Time – 4 months
Bonded palatal retainer placed at end of treatment.

An Aligner is a clear removable cosmetic appliance designed to straighten your front 6-8 teeth. Clear aligners are good news for anyone who might feel self-conscious during orthodontic treatment. Made from clear plastic, they remain invisible within the mouth during the rapid treatment time.
There are various systems available such as Invisalign, ClearSmile Aligners, Smilelign. Most of these systems work on the same principles.Aligner technology can straighten teeth that are crowded, rotated, tilted forward or backwards using exact impressions taken by a dentist.
The above pictures are for a patient treated with ClearSmile Aligner.
You will be able to see the results before you start using our Archwize simulations and, once the result is approved, the custom-made ClearSmile Aligners are fabricated using the latest in 3D printing technology.

Advantages:
Invisible, very thin, and don’t impede speech
Ideal for adult patients who are reluctant to have a lengthy orthodontic treatment wearing metal brackets or bulky removable appliances
An excellent tool for final correction after orthodontic treatment, or Inman Aligner
Can realign teeth after relapse post-orthodontic treatment
Best for aligning mild crowding of anterior teeth
Most effective in labial, lingual & rotation movement with some limited intrusion and extrusion
A single posterior tooth can be moved buccally or lingually
Simple cases can be finished with only two or three aligners

The ORE (Overseas Registration Examination) was the only way non-EU overseas graduates could register and work in the UK. It was called the IQE and now since about two years has been called the ORE. It now has been a two-part exam with the first part consisting of the Theory component encompassing all five years of an undergraduate dental syllabus. The second part consists of 4 components viz. Objective Structured Clinical Exam, Dental Manikin exercise, Dental Treatment Planning and Medical Emergencies.

The LDS (Licence in Dental Surgery) is the oldest continuously existing dental qualification in the United Kingdom. It started in 1860, under a charter by HM Queen Victoria in The 1858 Medical Act.It is conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons for the purpose of testing the fitness of persons to practise as dentists and to grant certificates of such fitness.

The biggest question is if both the examinations grant you registration as a dentist in the UK, which one does one go for?
The ORE essentially just gives one a kind of conversion of their native degree to a British qualification. It is a fairly tough exam. The LDS on the other hand is a recognised qualification. That too from one of the most prestigious colleges in the UK, The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The LDS, however is supposed to be a grade lower than a standard BDS degree, but as long as one can register with the qualification who cares?

As a non-EU graduate who has done the ORE and now plans to ho ahead and do the LDS (mainly for academic reasons), my advice to aspirants trying to do the exams to get into the UK is just apply for both the exams. The only hindrance to do both should be monetary. Both the exams are tricky and no one can predict for sure when one can get through. It is the unpredictable nature of these exams that compels me to request fellow colleagues to attempt both the exams. Whichever gets done first is your way towards registration as a dentist.

I do train for ORE part one and part two. You can connect to me for any information on these exams and for any help in preparation. Hope this feedback was helpful.
Click here for my training courses.

For more information on the ORE check out the GDC website www.gdc-uk.org
and for the LDS log on to http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/exams/lds