More about the Course Lecturers
Prof Glynn Buchanan, NEXUS president
- BChD, PDD (endo), MSc (Dent), PhD
Dentist, NEXUS endo mentor, NEXUS president
Education
Dental degree from UP, diploma in endodontics from UWC, Masters degree in endodontics & PhD from UP. Dr Buchanan is primarily an academic & part-time private practitioner limited to endodontics. He has lectured nationally & published over 20 academic journal articles.
Current Occupation
Professor & Head of Division of Endodontics, Dept. of Odontology, University of Pretoria, & private practice, Menlo Park, Pretoria.
NEXUS Involvement
Endo mentor, course lecturer, study club host, NEXUS president.
Personal Background
Glynn is originally from Pretoria & studied dentistry at UP. After several years in practice across South Africa, he joined the Division of Endodontics at UP, where he now is the head. He maintains a part time private practice limited to endodontics. In his spare time, he enjoys playing squash & riding off-road motorcycles.
Dr Jonathan Du Toit
- BChD, Dip Oral Surg, Dipl Implantol, MSc (Dent), MChD (OMP), FCD(SA) OMP, PhD
Specialist periodontist, NEXUS perio mentor
Education
Dental degree from UWC, diploma in oral surgery from CMFOS SA, diploma in implantology Frankfurt U., Masters degree implantology from Wits, specialist degree in periodontology & oral medicine from UP, fellowship in periodontology & oral medicine from the CMSA, Doctorate degree from Szeged U., Hungary. Past vice president SASPIO, exco board member CDSA. Author of numerous journal articles, textbook chapters, reviewer & editorial board member for several international journals.
Current Occupation
Private practice, Netcare Christiaan Barnard Hospital, Cape Town.
NEXUS Involvement
Perio mentor, course lecturer, study club host
Personal Background
Jonathan grew up in Cape Town, graduated from Camps Bay High School, & gained international work experience living abroad before pursuing dentistry. He devoted several years to postgraduate training & education, & later returned to his home city with his wife Ellouise to establish his practice as a specialist periodontist. He is passionate about providing dental education & training, supporting young dentists, & of course his focus specialist field of periodontology & implantology.
Dr Fritz Claassen
- BChD, Dip Odont (perio), Dip Odont (prostho)
Dentist, NEXUS restorative & endo mentor
Education
Dental degree from Stellenbosch U., diploma periodontics UP, diploma prosthodontics UP.
Current Occupation
Private practice, Somerset West, CT
NEXUS Involvement
Restorative & endo mentor, course lecturer, study club host
Personal Background
Originally from the Eastern Cape, Dr Claassen qualified at Stellenbosch in 2002. He completed the Implant & Aesthetic Academy’s courses 2005 – 2008. In 2007 he completed a diploma in perio, in 2009 a diploma in prostho. Dr C has attended several courses abroad, & presented courses locally & abroad. He resides in Somerset West with his wife & 4 children. As a general dentist, his passion lies in restorative dentistry, endo & implant dentistry, & sharing his experience & knowledge.
Dr Kaveer Ratan
- BChD, Dip Odont
Dentist, NEXUS restorative mentor
Education
Dental degree from UWC, diploma in oral implantology from UP. Dr Ratan has attended numerous courses locally & abroad, & has lectured locally for SADA, SAAAD, & NEXUS.
Current Occupation
Private practice, Cape Town.
NEXUS Involvement
Restorative mentor, course lecturer, study club host
Personal Background
Kaveer grew up in Durban & moved to CT to study dentistry at UWC. After several years in KZN in both public & private practice, Kaveer now lives in CT with his wife & son.
Kaveer is in private practice at RatanSingh Advanced Dentistry at the 15 on Orange Hotel, CT. His focus is aesthetic restorative dentistry.
Dr Nicoline Potgieter
- BChD, PGDip (paedo), PGDip Dent (endo), MSc
Dentist, NEXUS paeds mentor
Education
Dental degree from UP, diploma in endodontics UP, diploma in paedodontics UWC, Master’s degree UP.
Current Occupation
Senior lecturer, MSc course coordinator, Paediatric Dentistry Dept., UWC
NEXUS Involvement
Paedodontics mentor, course lecturer, study club host
Personal Background
Dr Potgieter is originally from Pretoria but newly a Capetonian with her husband & 3 children.
Her fields of interest include all aspects of paediatric dental care but specifically behaviour management, paedo-endo & ethical challenges associated with treatment of minors. Nicoline was head of Division of Paedodontics at UP. She is president of the SA Association of Paediatric Dentistry & is a regular conference lecturer.
Nicoline is a local leader in the field of paedodontics, focused on implementing paediatric dentistry as a specialist field in SA.
Dr Michael Jones
- BChD, PDD (endo)
Dentist, NEXUS restorative & endo mentor
Education
Dental degree from UWC, diploma in endodontics from UWC. Dr Jones has attended nearly every course & conference offered over the last 15 years, from endo to ortho to the Implant & Aesthetic Academy, & has mentored under some of SA’s most prominent dentists. He organises & lectures at the Eastern Cape study club group.
Current Occupation
Private practice, senior dentist to associate dentists, St Francis Bay, EC.
NEXUS Involvement
Restorative & endo mentor, course lecturer, study club host
Personal Background
Michael grew up in Cape Town with a passion for the sea & surfing. After dental school, com serv led him to J-bay in the Eastern Cape, after which he opened practice in St Francis Bay, where he now lives with his wife & daughter & has practiced there ever since.
Michael has young associate dentists rotating through his practice mentoring under him. He is obsessed with being the best well-rounded general practitioner in as many disciplines as he can be proficient in. Michael’s forte is life-hacking dentistry.
Dr Suveer Singh
- BChD, PG Cert (implantol), *MOI (Goethe)
Dentist, NEXUS restorative mentor
Education
Dental degree from Wits, postgrad certificate in implantology UP, Masters degree oral implantology from Goethe University, Germany (*degree to be conferred). Dr Singh is extensively involved in lecturing & training, & is a 10-year Sirona digital dentistry trainer & KOL.
Current Occupation
Private practice, Sandton, Jhb.
NEXUS Involvement
Digital dentistry mentor, course lecturer, study club host
Personal Background
Originally from KZN, Suveer has been in private practice in Sandton for 15 years. As the principal dentist with 2 associate dentists, he has a decade long history training dentists for Sirona. His forte is digital & CAD/CAM dentistry workflows, & dental implantology.
Suveer is a devoted father, finding balance in family life & raising his son.
Dr Charles van Niekerk
- BChD, Dip Oral Surg, MChD (MFOS)
Maxillofacial & oral surgeon, NEXUS MFOS mentor
Education
Dental degree from UWC, specialist degree MFOS from SMU.
Current Occupation
Private practice, Bloemfontein
NEXUS Involvement
MFOS mentor, course lecturer
Personal Background
Charles has a busy maxillofacial & oral surgery private practice in Bloemfontein, where he lives with his wife and children.
Charles runs the Bloemfontein dentists’ study club, & attends courses & conferences where he can fit these into his incredibly busy work & family life. Charles is an avid businessman, accomplished surgeon, family man, man of faith, & asset to the NEXUS mentors team.
Dr Jennifer Julyan
- BChD, PDD Aesthetic Dent, MChD (Pros), FCD(SA) Pros
Specialist prosthodontist, NEXUS prostho mentor
Education
Dental degree from UP, post-graduate diploma in aesthetic dentistry from UWC, specialist Masters degree in prosthodontics from UWC, fellowship in prosthodontics from the College of Dentistry of South Africa. NATCO board member of Academy of Prosthodontics South Africa (APSA), Young ITI Leadership team member (International Team of Implantology), ITI Study Club Director at UWC. SADA, ITI, SAAAD lecturer.
Current Occupation
Private prosthodontic practice at Waterstone Village Office Park, Somerset West, Cape Town. Part-time consultant/lecturer in the Department of Prosthodontics at UWC.
NEXUS Involvement
Prostho mentor, course lecturer.
Personal Background
Jennifer grew up in the small farming town of Vereeniging, Gauteng. She initially started studying medicine at UP, but the dentistry bug bit her and in her second year she changed her field of study. Her community service was completed at the Forest Hill Military Base in Port Elizabeth, after which she relocated to Cape Town. Jennifer completed her post graduate studies in the field of prosthodontics and is currently establishing her private practice whilst contributing as a mentor and lecturer to her dental colleagues through several courses, study clubs and personal mentorship. She is loving life in Cape Town with her husband, JC, who is currently busy with a post graduate Masters degree in Orthodontics at UWC.
Dr David Huson
- BChD (UWC)
Dentist, NEXUS restorative mentor
Education
Dr Huson graduated as a dentist from UWC in 2010; then practiced in the public health sector in Kimberley, & represented the NC in a developmental dental post in MFOS at Wits.
Resigning early to focus on his family, Dr Huson shifted focus to restorative dentistry. He’s the first South African to complete the Alleman Center Biomimetic Mastership in the USA, & is the Bio-emulation ambassador for SA.
Dr Huson continues to mentor under Dr Jean Meyer (Bioteam Marseilles, France), & is a mentor for RIPE Global (Australia).
Current Occupation
Private practice, Wynberg, Cape Town.
NEXUS Involvement
Biomimetic dentistry & restorative mentor, course lecturer, study club host
Personal Background
David grew up in Cape Town, then moved to Kimberly NC after dental school, where he met his wife Nombulelo.
He now lives back in his home city with his wife & 3 children. As passionate as he is about his work, David values supremely life aspects beyond dentistry – his family & his faith.
Andre Buys
- BTech dental technology
Dental technologist, NEXUS dental tech mentor
Education
Dental Technology degree from Pretoria Technikon, active member of SAAAD, ITI, & NEXUS Dental.
André regularly attends & hosts lectures &# courses, both locally & abroad, staying current within the dental profession.
Current Occupation
Registered dental technician contractor, Hermanus, CT.
NEXUS Involvement
Dental tech mentor, course lecturer, study club host
Personal Background
Although André is a born & bred Joburg boytjie (completing his training as a dental technician & ceramist, running a successful dental lab in Joburg) he left to broaden his horizons in the USA, supervising the ceramic department of a big commercial lab in Rhode Island for four years.
Returning to South Africa in 2013, he set up his dental lab in the whale capital of the world – the beautiful coastal town of Hermanus where he lives with his wife & 2 children. His strengths & work focus are on aesthetic restorations & digital workflows.
Dr Sonja Britz
- BChD, Dip Odont (Oral Surg), PDD (endo)
Dentist, NEXUS endo mentor
Education
Dental degree from UP, diploma oral surgery UP, diploma endodontics UWC.
Current Occupation
Private practice, Cape Town.
NEXUS Involvement
Endo mentor, course lecturer
Personal Background
Originally from Pretoria, Cape Town is home for this dynamic endodontist. Sonja has a practice limited to endodontics, is an active member of SADA & SAAAD, & lectures regularly around South Africa on endodontics.
She is an accomplished sportswoman, having completed Ironman races, gruelling endurance marathons, to name but a few.
Dr Kreyan Kasvalu
- MD (medical doctor)
Medical doctor, emergency medicine trainer
Education
Medical Degree (Oradea University, Romania), AHA instructor, RCSA instructor
Current Occupation
Founder of Medical Emergency Training (METS), medical business development, AHA (American Heart Association) Instructor, RCSA (Resuscitation Council of South Africa) Instructor
NEXUS Involvement
BLS for dentists course trainer
Personal Background
After completing his internship in 2013, Kreyan spent time in the UK taking the UK Medical Licensing Board Exam (PLAB parts 1 & 2). Upon returning to South Africa in late 2013 he joined the Enhancing Care Foundation (ECF) team.
During his time with ECF Kreyan recognised the need for medical emergency training in life-threatening situations. He observed that these vital skills were lacking among both medical professionals and non-medical individuals.
Motivated to make a difference, Kreyan founded METS in 2017. Since then, the organisation has collaborated with numerous medical associations & has gained a solid reputation in the field of medical emergency training. Kreyan’s dedication to this important cause has contributed to saving many lives & improved quality of care.
Dr Shazia Omar
- BChD, PDD (ortho), MChD (ortho)
Specialist orthodontist, NEXUS ortho mentor
Education
Dental degree from UWC, diploma orthodontics UWC, specialist degree in orthodontics UP. Dr Omar is a member of SASO (South African Society of Orthodontists), & SADA
Current Occupation
Private practice, Centurion.
NEXUS Involvement
Ortho mentor, course lecturer
Personal Background
Originally from Cape Town, Shazia moved to Pretoria to specialise as an orthodontist. Jhb is now (temporarily) her home, where she now lives with her husband.
Shazia is in private practice, with a keen interest in complex, multidisciplinary orthodontic treatment. Shazia finds balance in traveling, exploring new & exciting places in SA & countries abroad.
- Nexus MENTORS
Prof Buchanan
Dr Jonathan Du Toit
Dr Charles v Niekerk
Dr Nicoline Potgieter
Dr Fritz Claassen
Dr Kaveer Ratan
Dr Michael Jones
Dr Suveer Singh
Dr Shazia Omar
Andre Buys
Dr Jennifer Julyan
Dr Sonja Britz
Dr David Huson
Our Vision
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Our Mission
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