Brightening smiles from Plymouth to Ghana and beyond

I haven't always wanted to be a dentist

When I was growing up I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I knew I liked working with and talking to people and I enjoyed science. After some research I came across dentistry which combines my love for science, working with people and its practicality was a bonus. The main thing that helped me decide was doing work experience at some dental practices which allowed me to gain a deeper insight into what the career entailed. After that I developed a real love for dentistry and I knew that it was exactly what I wanted to set my mind on doing. After all, your smile is one of the first things that people see!

Action-packed course

A typical day studying dentistry at Plymouth consists of going to lectures or clinics from 9–5. The course is definitely action-packed. They have a lot to teach us in the five years. In the first and second years the lectures are more focused around the scientific principles of dentistry, microbiology and the anatomy of the head and neck. The third year starts to become more clinical with more time to see patients and provide treatments which is something I really enjoy. I feel that even though the course is five years long you progress and develop different skills during each year.

Valuable patient contact

My favourite part of learning is the early patient contact the course offers. We start seeing patients midway through our first year and that really creates a good foundation to start building our skills. The clinics are all very modern, as a brand new dental school we have state-of-the-art facilities.

This patient contact is something that is very unique to Plymouth as a course – I don’t think many other universities allow you to see patients from your first year and when I tell other prospective dental students they are surprised.

Educating the local community

Community engagement is really fun, too. Each year we have a module called Inter-Professional Engagement (IPE) which allows us to use our skills to develop the community in Plymouth. We visited the Nomony Children’s Centre and I got to teach the staff and children all about oral hygiene techniques, we even performed a play. I was the tooth fairy and sang to the children about brushing their teeth. It was fun interacting with the children and teaching them about oral hygiene, even the staff got really stuck in. It made me realise that regardless of age there is always a way you can get someone to understand the importance of their oral health.

Making the most of student life

I have grown up with gospel music in London and the University’s Gospel Choir that my friend created really helped me to settle into Plymouth life. The choir achieved quick success by winning ‘Best Newcomer’ in the Students’ Union awards and was even a finalist in the national University Gospel Choir of the Year (UGCY) awards.

We’ve had the chance to perform at the Students’ Union Summer Ball and at numerous weddings in the local area. I feel it’s really important to do other things while you are at university, especially on a course like mine as it allows you to take a break and meet new people.

Turning a hobby into a business

I taught myself how to thread eyebrows when I was in secondary school. I practiced on my friends and then more people asked me to do it and before I knew it, it became a business. I slowly started to build a client base in Plymouth in my first year of halls through business cards and my social media accounts. It can get quite difficult balancing the business with studying but I make sure to spread out my clients throughout the week.

The main piece of advice I would give to students is to get involved in different extra-curricular activities, develop new skills and make the most of the skills you already have. A good way to look at it is to pretend you have graduated and are looking back at how you spent your time at university. Just ask yourself, apart from my degree what else have I gained from university?

Using YouTube to improve oral health

I initially decided to set up a YouTube channel to help people get into dentistry.

When I applied for dentistry the first time I didn’t get in. I would definitely say that was one of the toughest moments of my life. I was really upset and so close to giving up and doing something else. But I tried again and got into Plymouth. Applying again was definitely one of the best decisions I made, Plymouth gave me that second chance. 

My YouTube videos are focused on inspiring future dental students to show them there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, even if everything doesn’t go to plan. I get lots of emails from prospective students and I help to answer their questions and guide them along the way. I also try to educate the public about their oral health in my videos. I recently made a video about ten common mistakes we make when brushing your teeth. I got a lot of positive feedback and people have made changes to the way they brush their teeth. My main aim is to get people to make changes, as long as one person has made a positive change from one my videos then I have done my job.

Award winning

Winning Entrepreneur Dental Student of the Year at the Future of Dentistry Awards was the icing on the cake.

I was really grateful to have won the award for the Entrepreneur Dental Student of the Year. I won the award mainly for starting my eyebrow threading business and used the majority of the money to go towards my Ghana volunteering project. Since then it has given me the chance to network with dentists and dental students that I would have never met.

The future

In five years I hope to have developed further in my career as a dentist.

I may decide to specialise in either orthodontics, pediatrics or cosmetic dentistry, as I have a lot of interest in those areas. 

I am passionate about helping the younger generation, so I hope to continue to do more of this, as well as to provide oral hygiene care to places that have limited access to it.