To date what professional achievement are you most proud of?
I am immensely proud of having been named {my}dentist Hygienist of the Year, and I have previously been a Dental Awards finalist and also an Oral Health Award finalist in 2019.
Do you utilize your dental skills outside routine dentistry?
I love to travel, and have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to practice animal dentistry in Africa. I have a particular interest in working with endangered species – I’ve even carried out work on a hippo!
Who are you role models or mentors?
Deepak Simkhada has been a role model for me – I find him inspirational, and love watching his presentations. I’ve made a number of visits to Nepal with Deepak as part of his charitable work in the country. It’s satisfying to be part of such a rewarding and important project.
What challenges do you see impacting your role in dentistry?
I find it quite restricting that dental hygienists and therapists don’t have their own dental performer number.
We are all much more aware of environmental issues these days, and they are a vital part of practice. However, I can find this frustrating when patients use environmental concerns as an excuse to neglect their dental health routine. I like to offer sustainable solutions wherever I can, and be mindful of environmental concerns in my day to day practice.
Working in practices that don’t have a PGD in place is restricting and a real challenge for DH/DTs.
Do you see the role of DH/DHT changing in the next 10 years?
I very much see the role evolving over the next decade. I’d like to see DT being able to perform simple adult extractions, i.e for ortho. I also think DTs should be permitted to permanently cement crowns instead of using a temporary cement.
Direct access is great, and works really well in private practice. I would like to be able to do checks-up in NHS practices too, and thereby take some pressure off the dentists in NHS practices.
