We speak to Bethany Rushworth about how she got into dentistry and what advice she has for young dentists.
How did you get into dentistry?
Growing up I was pretty submersed in the world of dentistry. My dad is a dentist, mum a practice manager and auntie a dental nurse. So I guess you could say it’s in my blood! Funnily enough though, it wasn’t this that made me want to pursue the career. As soon as I was diagnosed as having developmentally absent lateral incisors, I was taken to see an orthodontist, I must have been around eight or nine. After being shown photos of before and after cases like mine, I thought my orthodontist (Fiona Dyer) was absolutely wonderful and I wanted to be just like her.
This ambition never left me and I went on to base my GCSE school projects on dentistry. As well as working through school holidays in various dental practices around my home city (Sheffield). I guess you could say I was obsessed. I qualified as a dentist in 2016 and the last two years have flown by!
Why do you love dentistry?
I’ll get the cliché out of the way first – I love combining medicine, science and art. I also love building relationships with my patients and really getting to know them and understand them. Having had relatively extensive orthodontic and restorative treatment myself, I really appreciate the difference our teeth can make to our confidence and day to day function. Being able to reassure anxious patients and restore their trust in their dentist is so rewarding. Dentistry is such a flexible career, which allows you to make it what you want. I think that’s great. You can work part time,…
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