Dr Martin Wanendeya: Dentistry is in its most exciting phase

Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

Fri. 27 February 2026

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Dr Martin Wanendeya is an award-winning implant dentist with a passion for restoring function, aesthetics and confidence for his patients. Alongside clinical practice, he is a key opinion leader and passionate educator. Since co-founding Ten Dental in London more than 20 years ago, he has developed his clinical practice amid significant advances and transformation within the field of dentistry. At last year’s Dentsply Sirona World Birmingham, Dr Wanendeya spoke with Dental Tribune International about his journey to running a cutting-edge digital dental clinic and the dawn of connected dentistry.

Dr Wanendeya, what inspired you to pursue a career in dentistry?
I grew up in Uganda and one of my godfathers, also named Martin—Dr Martin Aliker—was a dentist. When the time came to choose a career, I knew that I did not want an office job. My parents did those sorts of jobs, and I knew that I did not want to be stuck in an office all day. Medicine appealed to me because I liked the idea of working with people and using my hands. I remember having a closer look at some of the different jobs that were available at the time, one of which was veterinarian. My mother, very cleverly, took me to a pig farm. After one smell of the pigs, I realised that I didn’t want to be a vet. Since I was considering medicine, I went along to see Uncle Martin in his dental clinic. I liked what I saw, and I respected and admired him, so I thought, “I could do this. It has the right balance of dealing with people in a professional environment. It is something physical.” And that’s where the journey began.

Nowadays, what inspires you to go to the clinic every day?
I can trace this inspiration back to two moments. First, there was the moment when I almost gave up dentistry. I was working in an environment that was not conducive to growth. I was working with people who expected everything and were not particularly grateful for the work I did. I felt completely under-appreciated. Someone told me that I needed to get myself into a different environment and the way to do that was through education. After attending a variety of courses, I got into a better practice, and I started to see all the interesting things that were possible.

The second moment was at a party, around the time that cosmetic dentistry started to gain in popularity. Previously, I had not wanted to tell strangers that I was a dentist. People had often said, “Oh, a dentist,” and reacted negatively. Suddenly, people at this party were really interested. I realised that the public perception of dentistry had changed, because dentists were doing things that people wanted rather than things that they needed. It was a completely different kettle of fish. For me, that was the start of the change. It made me realise that attending courses, staying up to date with the latest treatments and staying connected to other professionals were huge parts of the job.

The icing on the cake is the changes that I can make as a dentist. It started off with tooth whitening, and now we can completely transform a patient’s smile and—particularly in implantology—oral function. Recently, I had just finished treating a patient who had undergone a full-mouth reconstruction, and she just looked at me and said very honestly, “Thank you very much. I really appreciate what you’ve done.” In that moment, I knew that I had changed her life. She could smile, laugh, spend time with her grandchildren, do whatever; she no longer needed to worry about her teeth. Moments like that inspire me. I want to give that feeling to more patients and help other dentists to do the same through education.

“Every part of what we do is digitised, and we’re always looking for new digital processes and tools to incorporate.”

Could you tell us about your practice?
We are two partners, me and Dr Nik Sisodia, and we have one branch in Clapham and one in Balham. We’ve been established for over 20 years. Throughout that time, we’ve always looked to adopt the latest technologies and techniques, and we’re now at the point where the practices are fully digital and, I would say, fairly cutting-edge.

For example, in our Clapham practice, we have two Primescans and an Orthophos XL, and we use digital tools such as DS Core for communicating within the practice and with laboratories and other practitioners. Our dentists have access to scanners all day, every day. We have a CBCT unit and a photography room where dentists can take before-and-after pictures of patients. In our software journey, we use artificial intelligence-powered tools to analyse, for instance, the types of patient enquiries coming in, team performance, and treatment patterns. Every part of what we do is digitised, and we’re always looking for new digital processes and tools to incorporate.

Dr Martin Wanendeya in conversation with Dr Michael Norton at DS World Birmingham 2025.

At DS World Birmingham, we heard a lot about the concept of connected dentistry. What does it mean to you?
When we first got into digital dentistry, we were so excited about the technologies; however, we were creating all these different file types: DICOM, STL, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, PDF, and video file formats. We had to store and retrieve all this data in different places. We would send a file to the laboratory on one platform, and the laboratory would send it back on another. Across the many different locations and platforms, this cost a lot of time. What connected dentistry allows us to do is to have a single platform, like DS Core, where photographs, CT scans and 2D radiographs can be uploaded and shared with whoever needs or wants them. If we pick the example of sending files to the laboratory, previously, we would send a scan via the scanner software and photographs via email. There was a lot of back-and-forth and some lost files and a lot of dropped communication. Now, on a single platform, we can click to send the STL file, and within the same window, we can add a previous version of the file, as well as photographs and radiographs. The laboratory receives the data in one bundle.

Recently, a clinician I was mentoring asked for my opinion on a case. He was not in the practice. Having this connectivity meant that he could send me the photographs, STL files and CBCT files, and I could view them all directly in DS Core. I didn’t need to leave that platform, and it was very straightforward. He’d laid it out for me, and I immediately had a sense of what was going on.

Having everything connected brings another level of advantage. For example, scanning directly to the cloud frees up clinicians because all the information is automatically uploaded and can be shared with practitioners in any location. Ultimately, it helps me diagnose, plan treatment, and deliver care more predictably, efficiently and effectively.

In your talk in Birmingham, you spoke about leveraging digital workflows. What were the key points in your presentation, and how can clinicians get started?
My talk was about implant placement and immediate loading, and it related to the advantages of connected dentistry. I showed attendees the old way of doing things, and then I showed them how it can be done now, when all the components, including planning tools, are in the cloud. It means that you can plan and have a premade prosthesis ready. It saves time chairside by combining surgical and restorative workflows, allowing clinicians to provide treatment more efficiently and with superior aesthetics.

I also talked about the next advancement of artificial intelligence and how the associated clinical benefits are only going to accelerate. Here, I think it is important to remember that a platform like DS Core provides more than storage and communication. It is the computing power within that is now at our disposal. As artificial intelligence advances, there will be another leap forward and I look forward to seeing what that computing power combined with the data already connected will enable clinicians to do.

How can young clinicians balance the pursuit of mastery and foundational skills while also incorporating these advanced technologies into their practices?
Firstly, nothing beats knowledge of the basic sciences and biology. When it comes to technology versus biology, biology will always win. Clinicians need to understand what they’re doing, as well as the reasons behind the process or procedure, and the science behind it. Once they have that knowledge, I’d say the first step is to buy a digital camera and a scanner, as these are probably the most powerful tools for daily practice. It allows you to look at what you’re doing and to see where you can improve. With just a camera, clinicians can enter the digital world.

From this point on, digital tools are just that—tools. Clinicians can use them to their advantage, but it’s no longer just about the scanner. It’s about what you can do with the files and how you can share them. Equally, it’s about having the right people in the network and the right workflows. You need something that works well, that is well-connected, and this will make clinical life a lot easier. Beyond that point, education events and self-learning are essential because they will bring clinicians to another level. Mentors are also important. I had the right people help me at the right time, and it has been important for me. Find yourself a mentor, someone a little bit ahead of you—someone you can talk to and work with. That will make it easier to see the pathway forward and to improve.

Another topic you touched on was digital smile design. Could you talk about your experiences using this tool in implantology?
I think that digital smile design has been one of the big advancements in our dental practice and in my practice of implantology. In the analogue workflow, often, the technician would only see a set of teeth. He or she would not see a face or a person. Adding that element, along with a formula and framework behind it means we can plan predictably. The patient can see what we are planning and provide input before the work takes place. Then, that same plan is sent to the laboratory and executed. What it allows is a greater degree of planning and predictability—and when I say “planning”, I mean anatomically, functionally and biologically. It’s been fundamental for us in the practice, and we use it every day. I use it on most of my patients who need replacement of multiple teeth.

“It really helps if there is one platform where everyone can connect and view the same data.”

Have you encountered challenges when it comes to cross-disciplinary planning with digital smile design?
Challenges can arise when cross-disciplinary clinicians working on a case lack a unified platform for communication and data sharing. This can mean that everyone is in their silos—a bit like it was in early digital dentistry. It really helps if there is one platform where everyone can connect and view the same data.

For example, an orthodontist using SureSmile can use CBCT scans for planning, and we’re able to use the same CBCT scans for implant planning. The orthodontist can move teeth more predictably, we are able to place implants more predictably and the laboratory is able to plan more predictably.

There are always challenges, but the technology has allowed much better and more comprehensive multidisciplinary planning. Five years ago, that conversation between the orthodontist, endodontist, restorative dentist and dental technician would not have been possible. It would have meant dozens of emails, screenshots and WhatsApp messages. That’s the power of connected dentistry. When we pair it with tools like digital smile design and an understanding of the science and the biology, that is when I think dentistry becomes very exciting.

So, back to young dentists, I would say that dentistry is in its most exciting phase since I began working. Honestly, I’m excited for the clinicians entering the field at this point—it’s only going to get better. They can leverage these tools with their understanding of biology and technology to get to where they want to be.