AN INTERVIEW WITH DARREN KELSEY Leave a comment

I first met Darren Kelsey while I was studying at UCLAN in Preston for a CDT qualification. He looked so young (and indeed was) that it surprised all of us in the year. Darren is a very determined young man and wanted to find a way to improve his qualification and future prospects by learning more about the craft and profession in which he worked. He had come from a background of NHS denture work in Glasgow and had felt for a long time that there had to be more for him to get involved with. He attended the regular classes by getting in his car, very early in the morning and driving to Preston. Quite a few hours for every trip. He was very friendly and very determined but was a bit awed by some of the other members of the class. We were all impressed with his determination and thirst for knowledge. I was surprised by his appearance on the regular lecture circuit and determined to sit and talk about it when I was at Reading.
Darren Qualified via a HNC from Lange side college which allowed him to register with the GDC as a Dental Technician but he was determined to find a way to better his prospects. At 26 he decided it was a good idea to try for a CDT qualification and so committed himself to find a pathway to learning. His wife and brother were attending University and he was feeling very uneducated. He recalls returning from Preston with the first assignment. Which was two to three thousand words on the muscles of mastication. With a need to use a computer he had to ask his wife to help him open it and show him how to find Word and make it work. He has come on a lot since then with a real confidence.
He thanks his time at UCLAN for giving him the skills to learn. He has pursued his learning ambition by investing a regular amount a year in attending courses and visiting laboratories in different parts of the world and has travelled over 100000 miles in order to satisfy his appetite for learning. It has certainly paid off and has produced a very confident and capable businessman and Dental professional.
He began his career as a CDT by providing the services to five practices in Glasgow but very soon found the demand far exceeded his will to devote that much time to the process. In the meantime, with his passion for learning he took on the newly emerging world of Digital technology. He looked around and decided that IVOCLAR VIVADENT offered the best package and he invested in their P7 system and machinery. He produced digital dentures and with the increased demand for full arch restorations he found himself in a very good place. He is proud of choosing the P7 system as he worked very hard to be sure. He has even said the support staff of 10 technicians almost became free employees as he used their services to the full, during his learning months. He cannot praise them enough for their ability and knowledge. He is now in the happy position of providing full arches for his clinical colleagues but also as a manufacturer for other laboratories who scan and send to him.
I asked what he wants to do in the future. He admitted to wanting to be able to say when he will stop working and spend more time with his children and family. His newfound confidence and enjoyment of the digital manufacturing system is very attractive, and he will have a tussle to draw back from it when the time comes.
I really enjoyed talking with Darren and will keep an eye on his future progress, for progress there will certainly be. If you want to listen to a real technician talking about digital techniques and progressing towards that goal, listen to Darren Kelsey. A genuine and enthusiastic professional for technical dentistry.