01 April 2025
Farewell Dr Anna Talacko
At the end of April 2025, Dr Anna Talacko will be retiring from her role as Dental Consultant following a long and decorated career benefiting community oral health. We asked her to reflect on her journey and time with the ADAVB.
How long have you been a Dental Consultant and what drew you to the role?
I found the concept of working as a Dental Consultant (DC) appealing, as I was planning to retire from my clinical specialist practice in Oral Medicine and Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology in 2019. I had loved working in my field for many years but I had decided that it was time to finish while I still enjoyed the interaction with my patients and the challenges of diagnosis and treatment. However, I was not ready to leave dentistry.
The DC role presented a complete change from my previous work which was refreshing. The position offered me the chance to learn new processes, more about guidelines and policies and also to obtain an insight into the ADAVB infrastructure and the support services that it provides to Members. I had been an ADAVB Member since graduation and I saw the role as an opportunity to give back to my professional organisation in a small way.
I was appointed 7 years ago while I was still working in my clinical practice. Initially I was appointed as a locum but as time went on, I was needed on a weekly basis for one, and occasionally more, days each week. The regular work allowed me greater continuity and the ability to maintain currency in the often-changing guidelines and policies, especially during Covid!
What are the main changes you’ve seen in the industry during your time as a Dental Consultant?
From my perspective, the need for increasingly greater compliance in all aspects of dentistry has been one of the main changes.
What have you enjoyed most about the role?
I have enjoyed working with the DC Team in a very collaborative, friendly, and supportive manner and also with the wider ADAVB support groups - especially Practice Plus who are a great source of advice. I have always relished assessing and solving complex problems and researching and working with other parties to obtain the best outcome. Another pleasure about the role has been staying connected to my colleagues, speaking to those who I have known over the years and also meeting (over the phone) a wider cohort of the Membership. One of the satisfactions of the role, as it was in my clinical practice, is to listen to, inform, and, if necessary, reassure Members whilst assisting them in obtaining the best possible solution in their given situation. Lastly, and importantly, working with my Team has been a lot of fun –it is important to maintain a good sense of humour!
What achievements are you most proud of from your time in the role?
I am proud of the working relationships that I have built with my colleagues in the DC Team, and how this has helped us to provide reassurance and assistance to the Membership; this was especially important during the Covid years. I am also proud of the ADAVB for providing the DC service and engaging such experienced DC colleagues to guide and advise the Membership.
What plans do you have for your retirement?
I am lucky to enjoy a busy life with many interests outside of dentistry so I will continue to live life to the fullest and spend time with family (especially as a grandparent) and friends, travel as much as possible, keep on enjoying the Arts, cooking, exercise – try to lower my golf handicap, become more fluent in whichever language I’m learning (currently Italian), and also try new things outside my comfort zone ….. my motto is that “it’s better to wear out than rust out”!
