ADA News
Dr. Margaret Seward pens memoir
Dentistry’s Dame opens up about her life and 50-year career
London—Dame Margaret Seward’s recently published autobiography, "Open Wide: Memoir of a Dental Dame," not only offers readers a glimpse of her life and a nearly 50-year career in dentistry, but also a look at how dentistry has evolved since the 1960s.
"Family and friends kept urging me to share my personal and professional experiences gained during a busy life and my involvement in so many changes in the delivery of dental care," she said. "Initially, I was far from enthusiastic about the idea and could not believe that anyone would be remotely interested in my life story. Eventually I capitulated."
A former president of the British Dental Association, past editor of the British Dental Journal and the International Dental Journal and former chief dental officer for England’s department of health, Dame Margaret spent four years writing "Open Wide."
"I was determined that my account of events would be told as accurately as possible, so I consulted official minutes and published reports which inevitably prolonged the project," she said. "Taking four years from inception to publication has kept me out of mischief in retirement!"
Dame Margaret considers the memoir "a contemporary dental history. I hope readers will reflect and draw parallels with events in their own lives and in turn be motivated to share their experiences with the wider dental community. We can all help each other with sharing our professional journeys.
"It is not always a comfortable experience to revisit the ups and downs in one's life, but it helped me to realize how fortunate I have been to be in the right place at the right time," she said. "Readers will soon be aware that I did not emerge on graduation with a master plan. Rather I adhered to the sound advice I was given and which I strive to pass on to anyone who cares to listen—take risks, be prepared to move out of the comfort zone and cherish challenges. Never entertain problems, rather they must be viewed positively as welcome opportunities."
A pioneer for women in the profession, Dame Margaret said when she started out in dentistry, "women were few and far between. Feminization of the dental profession has gathered pace and today in the UK there are equal numbers of women and men studying in the dental schools."
Flexibility for women in the workforce, though, she added, has been a recent occurrence.
"It is only recently that flexible working patterns, job share and part-time posts have been introduced," Dame Margaret said. "Initially there was no provision for retraining after a break from practice for domestic or health reasons, but after several studies and reports which I published over the past years, 'getting back to practice' courses were funded and a national network of retaining and retraining advisers around the country assisting also with career advice and planning. It is rewarding to see women increasingly taking on leadership roles within the profession."
The "Dental Dame" offered advice for busy women in dentistry. "However busy or driven by one's career aspirations, I advocate strict adherence to the three Fs: family, friends and fun. It is essential to keep work and life in balance or you will miss out on the long-term things that really matter."
Dame Margaret’s book features a variety of personal anecdotes that offer a glimpse into her private life and sense of humor.
As a young dentist, Dame Margaret and her fiancé, Dr. Gordon Seward, CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire), turned to the dental school laboratory instead of the jeweler when they chose their wedding rings.
"My husband to be, Gordon, and I were both working as registrars at The London Hospital and instead of buying our rings from a jeweler we purchased the requisite amount of gold. After making the wax mould we cast the rings in the dental school laboratory. These lovingly fashioned and polished rings were exchanged during our marriage ceremony and have graced our fingers for the past 48 years."
The couple has a daughter, son and two grandchildren.
An honorary member of the ADA since 1992, Dame Margaret had a brush with fame when attending the annual session in Kansas City in 1981.
"I took advantage of a rare offer from British Airways to fly Concorde one way from London to New York. I was so captivated on the four-hour flight by the sumptuous food and elegant surroundings that there was no difficulty in chatting to the person occupying the seat next to me. Sometimes, he commented, he needed a dentist when in London but I had to dismiss this as a possibility as I admitted that at the BDA headquarters where I worked as editor of the British Dental Journal the only equipment I had access to was in the museum. Imagine my horror when I discovered that I had turned down Robert Redford as a prospective patient!
"I still enjoy traveling to ADA meetings and cherish my honorary membership, but I am still waiting to repeat such an amazing encounter."
Her book is available from The Memoir Club in Durham, England. Book orders can be placed through the Web site, www.thememoirclub.co.uk. The price is £19.95 plus postage and packing (£3.00 in the UK, £5.25 in Europe and £9.75 in the U.S.) and online orders automatically convert between currencies.
