I am retiring soon and want to take this opportunity to say hello again and also to wish you all the best. I will be moving to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to spend more time with my extended family and friends who I left behind all those years ago. I will miss the UK but hope to visit from time to time and maybe meet up with you. Likewise, I hope you will look me up if you venture to KL. Great food, warmer weather, just nice!
It is a great feeling when you have only a few weeks to go before retirement. You get a sense of a great weight being lifted off your shoulders and get a spring in your step! Much like when you have passed your BDS! I got my BDS in late 1974, then worked in Malaysia for a few years before coming to the UK in Feb 1978 to pursue higher qualifications and hoping to become a good dentist. After two months of job searching, I joined the NHS in April 1978 as an SHO in Oral Surgery at the old Leeds Dental Hospital. I now leave it after just over 20 years as a Consultant in Restorative Dentistry in Wakefield (where ?).
I hope I was of some help to the countless patients I have seen over the years to whom I preached the ‘Zen of TMD’ (do nothing and get better?). It has been an interesting career (oral surgery, dental implants, perio, TMD, maxillofacial prosthodontics, silicone gasket dentures, setting up a charity, committee work: ADI, CCHDS, RCPSG, ACRD, etc, etc) but that chapter’s coming to a close now. I am a grandfather now to a 4 month boy and there are new adventures ahead!
Actually, I won’t be retiring to my garden just yet! I will be helping out my colleagues at the Dental Faculty at the University of Malaya whee they are setting up a Restorative Dentistry Oncology clinic for Head and Neck cancer and other special needs. I will also still be voluntary Chief Executive and Founder of the Mouth Cancer Foundation charity and busy myself with its online support group and website. I will probably have more time to dream up more ways in which support can be improved. Oh yes, my wife’s says that we will be travelling more.
Do keep in touch.
 
Best wishes
Vinod
—
 
Dr Vinod K Joshi
BDS(Singapore) DRDRCS(Edinburgh) FDSRCPS(Glasgow) FDSRCS(England)
Consultant in Restorative Dentistry
Restorative Dentistry Oncology Clinic
St Luke’s Hospital, Bradford
Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield
United Kingdom
 
Founder and Chief Executive
Mouth Cancer Foundation