I love ‘humanising’ the whole dental experience for patients, reassuring and calming those who are nervous or experiencing anxiety. I try to be empathetic and do my best to dispel any myths, get patients into their ‘happy place’ and ensure they are confident about returning to the dentist.
As a Tier 2 dental nurse with Smile Together my day is completely varied and diverse. I can be working alongside dentists in urgent and emergency care, orthodontics, special care, minor oral surgery or routine private care. I work primarily in our Harleigh Road Dental Centre in Bodmin where we have superb, accessible facilities including a bariatric chair and wheelchair tipper. No two days are the same, which I absolutely love!
The Smile Together team is amazing – fun but very professional. Everyone pulls together, looking ahead to see what more can be done for our patients and one another, constantly coming up with new ideas and ways of working to further improve services and patient care. I’ve particularly enjoyed working as a team and getting involved with the Oral Health Foundation’s campaigns ‘National Smile Month‘ and ‘Mouth Cancer Action Month‘, creating informative and engaging displays for our patients to raise awareness for looking after your oral health.
We’re encouraged to continually develop ourselves and utilise our skills and qualifications in practice which not only adds to your competency as a dental nurse but gives you the confidence to continue learning and step into new spaces. I regularly use my radiography skills and have completed Smile Together’s Royal College of Surgeons accredited course in Inhalation Sedation for Dental Nurses. I then made use of my fluoride varnish and oral health education qualifications as part of our oral health programme which saw me going into primary schools and nurseries to deliver that all-important prevention work with children. I’ve also been able to support the oral health provision at Cornwall Health for Homeless pop-ups which is equally rewarding. We’re even encouraged to be employee-owners in the business and have a real voice in what we do and plans for the future.
A Cornish girl through and through, my ambition was to enjoy learning whilst working and I’ve never looked back. A successful application to join a local dental practice upon leaving school led to 10 years nursing in general practice delivering both NHS and private care and then 11 years working part-time at the University of Plymouth Peninsula Dental School during which time I also supported the Smile Together Out of Hours service evenings and weekends. I got to know quite a few of the team who inspired me to make what has proved to be a very natural transition into working full-time in Smile Together in 2021 where I now enjoy a better work-life balance Monday to Friday and weekends with my family.
I’m a creative individual at heart with a love for the outdoors. Outside of work I enjoy gardening, painting and crafting, especially making things from abundant natural Cornish resources such as sea glass and driftwood, including mosaics for my home and garden.
To anyone considering joining Smile Together I would say don’t hesitate. The environment and the team are amazing, and the opportunities are seemingly endless. There is honestly never a dull day!
