Dr. Miguel Stanley, considered one of the top 100 dentists in the world, is the founder and clinical director of the internationally-recognized White Clinic, a leading Dental Center based in Lisbon.

When I graduated from university in 1998, the internet was in its early stages and social media was in the distant future, and the yellow pages (Google it if you’re under 30) was still a place where I would go to try and find out about business contacts.

There are many challenges facing the modern dentist today. It does not really matter if you are a dentist just beginning your career or a senior practitioner with a network of clinics. These challenges all boil down to a few simple commonalities: we all have to keep our patients happy, and we all have to keep them coming back.

This was a very busy week for me, with two great trips, the opportunity to participate in exciting events, alongside networking with amazing colleagues from around the globe that share my passion for all things dentistry.

When I first heard about clear aligners in the early 2000s (the US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of clear aligners to straighten teeth in 1980), it must have sounded like science fiction. The fact that it was created in Silicon Valley by people who had nothing to do with the dental industry, in seeking solutions that do not require complicated appliances in the mouth, is really an incredible story.

Why do we need to straighten teeth? How do we do it? What is the best way? These are the big questions nowadays, and I think that the answers to these questions, as well as how we actually do these treatments, have changed over the past decades.

Data regarding oral health in Portugal is worrisome. Thirty percent of the Portuguese only go to the dentist in an emergency and 10% of the national population has no teeth.

Why do we need to straighten teeth? How do we do it? What is the best way? These are the big questions nowadays, and I think that the answers to these questions, as well as how we actually do these treatments, have changed over the past decades.

And one of them is me! WOW! I am beyond honoured to have been named one of the “32 Most Influential People in Dentistry” by Incisal Edge magazine, alongside some of the biggest CEOs and global leaders in the world of dentistry. It’s truly incredible being able to witness and be a part of all the exciting things currently happening in oral healthcare. 

One of the great pillars of healthcare, a relationship of trust between doctor and patient is crucial – while one is facing health problems, the other has the skills, knowledge and experience to minimise suffering, create a treatment plan, execute it and accompany the patient towards a solution that restores health and wellbeing. So, why is trust in healthcare eroding?