Dr Brook Niemiec is a global expert on veterinary dentistry and co-chair of the WSAVA’s Global Dental Committee.
Could you introduce yourself briefly to WSAVA members?
My name is Brook (yes, a boy with a girl’s name). I was raised on the beach in Southern California just south of Los Angeles. After vet school I did a non-traditional private practice residency in San Diego, California.
Tell us a little about your day job
My main role is as a practicing veterinary dentist, performing 3-4 dental and oral surgical procedures daily in dogs and cats. The most common procedures are root canals, crowns and periodontal therapy/extractions. We also offer major maxillofacial surgery, crowns and advanced oral and maxillofacial diagnostics and therapies. As Chief of Staff of Veterinary Dental Specialties and Oral Surgery, I am also chief medical officer for 14 practices and nine veterinarians across the USA.
Dr Brook Niemiec
In my ‘spare’ time I run the San Diego Veterinary Dental Training . In addition, to teaching locally, I lecture around the world. I am the owner and director of Practical Veterinary Publishing, vetdentalrad.com (veterinary dental telemedicine) and Veterinary Dental Sharpening Service.
Where did your interest in veterinary dentistry come from?
I wanted to be a vet from the age of three when I watched my grandfather’s vet treat the animals at his dairy. What cemented it was a case of milk fever when I watched a cow on the edge of death get up and walk away as if nothing had happened.
My uncle is a human periodontist and, as gum disease is rampant in my family, I had to have periodontal work from him while I was in high school. He said: “If you’re going to be a vet, you have to do dentistry”. I said he was crazy and that no-one did dentistry on their pets. He replied: “They don’t now…….but they WILL”.
15 years later I was in veterinary school and veterinary dentistry was just taking off but it was still not offered at my university so I did a month’s internship with one of the founders of veterinary dentistry, Dr Michael Floyd. It was an amazing experience and I started my career wanting to do good dentistry. I did two years in general practice learning veterinary medicine before starting my residency.
You’re co-chair of the WSAVA Global Dental Committee – why did you want to get involved?
I did a European lecture tour in 2003 and attended the European Veterinary Dental Congress in 2004. Since then I have lectured in more than 40 countries and states and am constantly shocked at the poor level of dental care.
Working with my friend and co-chair, Dr Jerzy Gawor, we have realized that education is the only way to improve veterinary dentistry as most universities do not offer it in the curriculum. By combining our passion for dentistry with the strengths of WSAVA, we are making a difference globally.
Dr Brook Niemiec
The WSAVA Global Veterinary Dental Guidelines were launched in 2016. How have they been received?
Our Guidelines have already been translated into five languages. Veterinarians from around the world tell me how much they have helped to improve the level of dental care in their practice and region. After four years in review, they were officially published by JSAP in July 2020, which will further expand their reach.
Our Industry Partners have been incredibly supportive and helped us to present the Guidelines at many international congresses. We are making a difference in universities too. The American Veterinary Medical Association, for instance, now requires dental teaching in veterinary school.
What are the Committee’s priorities for the remainder of 2020 and beyond?
The Guidelines Committee is being disbanded now that this work is done and we are recruiting new members – those with an interest in dentistry rather than a specialism because they are more familiar with the needs and abilities of our members. We will spend the next three years creating online toolkits and CE for practitioners and owners. We also hope to continue to translate the Guidelines into further languages to increase their reach. In 2024, we will update them.
Could you tell us something about you that might surprise us?
I played rugby for 10 years through university and veterinary school. I was a prop and captain of one of the squads for several years. This experience made me the leader I am today as I was president of my freshman vet school class as well as the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry.
I am an avid outdoorsman – backpacking, hiking, (fly) fishing, skiing, swimming, snorkelling, etc. Amazingly, I never learned to surf as I was playing too many other sports in my childhood.
My favourite story is performing root canals on a Jaguar in the middle of the jungle in Belize. You can watch me tell the story here.
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Working with WSAVA (and the European Veterinary Dental College) has been incredibly valuable. It has changed my outlook on veterinary medicine and on my fellow humans and made me much more of a global thinker. I would encourage everyone who can to become involved in this community – it WILL change your life!