I count myself as fortunate because my profession and teaching of other dentists is a passion to me. My journey began when I qualified from Guy’s Hospital in 2003 and followed with five years as a resident specialist at Harvard University USA.
It was here that I was exposed to the full time clinical and scientific teaching of the grandfather of biomimetic dentistry, Professor Urs Belser, the Swiss prosthodontist and mentor of Pascal Magne who came to Harvard for a yearlong sabbatical. It is due to Harvard faculty such as Professor Belser that my professors and mentors are regularly referred to as the best prosthodontic and cosmetic dentists in their field.
With an increased respect and knowledge of prosthodontics came a wish to teach. A I was fortunate enough to lecture dental students and residents at Harvard starting in 2004, as well as, conducting didactic and clinical classes for several years. When I moved to California, I worked in what many refer to as the finest cosmetic and implant dental practice in Beverly Hills. I ran my own office near Malibu and because of my experience as an implant and cosmetic dentist, I was chosen by Biomet 3i to lecture and teach fellow specialists, general dentists and laboratory technicians.
On returning home to London five years later, I took over a practice from a very accomplished dentist, at 40 Harley Street. My other interests include, but are not limited to, research where I have several publications in peer reviewed journals. I am also a member of the American Dental Society of London, a continuing education group that meets monthly to exchange ideas as well as teaching doctors at UCL Eastman for many years.
My sister and I both followed in the footsteps of our grandfather, father and mother by becoming dentists. It was never forced upon us, but for me personally it was the only thing I could imagine doing!
After qualifying at the European University of Madrid, I worked in my parents’ practice for a couple of years before choosing to come to England. All professional dental exams have to be written in English, so it was an exciting opportunity to experience the country and improve my communication. I came to Norwich for a month and quickly fell in love with the city. I applied for a job and initially intended to stay for a year but before I knew it, ten years had passed and I am still here!
Since arriving in England, I have gained valuable experience in both NHS and private work. I have always been keen to extend my skills and knowledge further by taking courses relating to restorative dentistry. Paul Tipton’s course ignited my passion for adhesive and restorative dentistry. I have since attended courses led by Matt Nejad and been mentored by both David and Davey Alleman.
Gaining a wealth of knowledge and skills over several years of study, I have been fortunate enough to progress to teaching. I have participated as both a student and teacher on the ‘Emulate’ course led by Fran Brelsford and Stew Beggs. Currently, I am taking part in the European program Mimetika alongside Raphael Wymann, Hugh Byrne and Filip Keulemans, three amazing clinicians and researchers devoted to improving adhesive dentistry.
I am very excited to now be a part of ‘Get Bonded and Stay Bonded’ and have the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience in adhesive and restorative dentistry in the hope of passing on my passion of this integral aspect of dentistry that can be applied to all clinicians’ everyday practice.
My name is Dr. Ashley Chung, and I graduated from the Loma Linda School of Dentistry in 2015. When I began my career, I was entirely unprepared for the demands of being a dentist. I saw many of my adhesive restorations fail over a short time, contributing to a feeling of burnout in my early career. I seriously considered quitting the profession, but my large student loan balance stopped me, and instead, I needed to find a way to find a passion for dentistry.
I started this journey determined to learn as much as possible about why I had adhesive failures. I was lucky this journey led me to biomimetic dentistry. In 2019 I took hands-on courses by Dr. Joe Willardsen and Matt Nejad. I learned how to bond better in these two-weekend courses, but I still needed to understand why these techniques would improve my restorations. In 2020 I enrolled in Dr. David and Davey Alleman’s year-long mastership program, and by reading the literature, I learned why biomimetic principles created predictable results. I went on to take Dr. Simone Deliperi’s stress-reduced direct course in 2021 and completed another year-long biomimetic program with Mimetika in 2022.
Yes, I was obsessed with learning everything there was to know about adhesion, and this obsession continues to this day. These principles have helped me find confidence in my adhesive techniques, and now it is my mission to help other dentists learn how to do better dentistry for their patients.
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