<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Beyond Teeth Co]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mindful exploration of the complex emotions surrounding dentistry, from fear to empowerment.
Mindfulness tools, Communication tools]]></description><link>https://www.beyondteeth.co/thedentalmindproject</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 20 Jun 2026 15:19:38 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.beyondteeth.co/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The stories we choose to carry]]></title><description><![CDATA[Anyone who works with me can tell, my favourite part of my job is to get to know people and listen to their stories. So it's always amazing to hear what patients are prepared to share. The dental treatment room suddenly becomes less clinical, more human and special. So this week, one of my regulars came in and shared something that stayed with me. One of those, that I'll keep with me forever. The sort of patient you look forward to seeing. Warm, thoughtful, curious about the world. As we...]]></description><link>https://www.beyondteeth.co/post/the-stories-we-choose-to-carry</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a273aec7ec1956c54f9d238</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 3 You matter]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2026 22:12:53 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Raquel Valentim</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Person Beyond the Patient]]></title><description><![CDATA[It had been approximately five years since the last time she had walked into a room like that. It didn't matter how long it had been. The flutters in her stomach returned instantly. The sweaty palms. The nervous bladder. The overactive brain trying to remember all the right things to say. Is this the right place? Are these the right people? Will they take care of me? Will they see me? Then she heard her name. Here goes. And perhaps you've felt that too. You look up and someone is smiling....]]></description><link>https://www.beyondteeth.co/post/the-person-beyond-the-patient</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2336e81f44c606b377f917</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 3 You matter]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 20:51:56 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Raquel Valentim</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Holding the thread]]></title><description><![CDATA[Patients do not experience dentistry in separate compartments. They do not distinguish between the clinician, the receptionist, the treatment coordinator, the delayed appointment, the unanswered email, or the technology behind the scenes. To a patient, it is all one experience. And at the centre of that experience is a simple emotional question: “Do I feel looked after here?” Recently, I found myself thinking about this while walking through a large sports retail store near my house. The...]]></description><link>https://www.beyondteeth.co/post/holding-the-thread</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0f8562f0529c7499969e90</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 2 Welcome Back]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 22:21:29 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Raquel Valentim</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Meaning Changed]]></title><description><![CDATA[It was a normal busy day at the clinic. One of those days that is busy enough that you forget to look out the window to check the weather, but not so busy that you cannot catch up. Patients in. Patients out. Routine conversations. Routine treatments. The steady rhythm dentistry often settles into. Then a lovely patient came in, new to the practice. An 80-year-old man with kind eyes and the calmness of someone who has lived a great deal of life. He apologised almost immediately for the...]]></description><link>https://www.beyondteeth.co/post/the-meaning-changed</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0e290296905735bfe77d96</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 2 Welcome Back]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 21:34:59 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Raquel Valentim</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Moments before the chair]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you have ever watched a medical drama on TV, you can probably remember those moments when someone gets to the hospital and their world almost stops. Much like suddenly, it all moves in slow motion. The background music intensifies as they take it all in. I reality, dentistry isn't that different. You're not inside a TV show. And the world doesn't really go into slow motion. However, everyone is busy in their routine day to day jobs. You just walked in - nervous and not quite knowing what...]]></description><link>https://www.beyondteeth.co/post/moments-before-the-chair</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a00ecf5e7aa162ecc6fff26</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 2 Welcome Back]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2026 20:50:29 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Raquel Valentim</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Taking the first step]]></title><description><![CDATA[It starts with a photo. You’re scrolling through pictures from a night out—nothing unusual, just a group shot, everyone leaning in, mid-laughter. You look at it for a second longer than the others. Then you see it. Your smile. Not quite like theirs. Not as easy. Not as open. Something about it makes you pause. Later, you find yourself in the mirror. Pulling your lip back slightly. Tilting your head. Looking a bit closer than usual. It’s nothing dramatic. Just… noticing. A few nights later,...]]></description><link>https://www.beyondteeth.co/post/taking-the-first-step</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69f07bc698adb45f7c058858</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 2 Welcome Back]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 10:39:02 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Raquel Valentim</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Different Kind of Reset: What Easter Can Teach Us About Starting Again (Even With Our Teeth)]]></title><description><![CDATA[There’s something deeply human about wanting a fresh start. We wait for it — January, Mondays, birthdays. A moment where we can quietly say: I’ll try again. But often, life doesn’t feel that clean. We carry guilt, avoidance, embarrassment… especially when it comes to our health. And dentistry is one of the places where this shows up most. “I know I should have come sooner.” “I’ve let things get bad.” “I feel embarrassed.” These aren’t clinical statements. They’re emotional ones. And this is...]]></description><link>https://www.beyondteeth.co/post/a-different-kind-of-reset-what-easter-can-teach-us-about-starting-again-even-with-our-teeth</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d21b558b297b54b736b841</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 2 Welcome Back]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 08:25:01 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Raquel Valentim</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[When we meet]]></title><description><![CDATA[The door feels heavier than it should. For a moment, it almost resembles a threshold more than an entrance. A quiet crossing into something unknown. You don’t know exactly what waits on the other side, only that once you step through, turning back won’t feel as simple. There’s a heaviness in your stomach. A slight unsteadiness in your legs. As if your body is asking a question your mind is trying to ignore. 'Are you sure? Are you safe?' When the door opens, it isn’t a voice that greets you...]]></description><link>https://www.beyondteeth.co/post/when-we-meet</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d0258a8b297b54b7362f6e</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 1 Into the Unknown]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2026 20:49:28 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Raquel Valentim</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[It was Never just about teeth]]></title><description><![CDATA[“That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. … Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been.” By C Dickens in Great Expectations I have often returned to this line when reflecting on my own path into dentistry. Because, like that sentiment suggests, my life too seems to hinge on a handful of days—quiet, ordinary moments that, without warning, changed everything. One of those days began in a place I had always feared. Going...]]></description><link>https://www.beyondteeth.co/post/it-was-never-just-about-teeth</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c9e54dd1d6d2cc935b264b</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 1 Into the Unknown]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 03:11:01 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Raquel Valentim</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nothing personal, but...]]></title><description><![CDATA["Nothing personal, but I just really hate the dentist." It’s one of the most common phrases I hear when meeting a patient for the first time. It’s often said with a nervous laugh, sometimes with an apology, occasionally with a kind of pre-emptive defence — as if to soften what comes next. And I always find it interesting. Because we don’t begin many relationships this way. We don’t sit in the hairdresser’s chair and say, “Nothing personal, I just hate hairdressers.” - Even though we’ve all...]]></description><link>https://www.beyondteeth.co/post/nothing-personal-but</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b15037a547e1dd3d7f8488</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 1 Into the Unknown]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:04:05 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Raquel Valentim</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[So our journey begins]]></title><description><![CDATA[I don’t remember the colour of the walls in that dental surgery. I don’t remember the name of the dentist, or what procedure I was there for, or even how old I was — four, maybe five. But I remember the smell. That sharp antiseptic scent that clings to the back of your throat and tells your nervous system, something is about to happen. My earliest dental memory isn’t of a drill or a needle. It’s of two strong fingers forcing my mouth open and a wave of helplessness that hit me before anything...]]></description><link>https://www.beyondteeth.co/post/so-our-journey-begins</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b14943a547e1dd3d7f751a</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 1 Into the Unknown]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:06:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b73593_de5540110c3044d1aa2892c4deeb2dc5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_905,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Raquel Valentim</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>