The ‘whole body’ approach

Nina Lord is 36 and practises as a dental therapist at Remarkable Smiles in Derby. Having left school at 19 on completion of her A-levels, she took a part-time role as a dental nurse. Within just a few weeks, she had made the decision that one day she would be a clinician and have her own patients. She says: ‘I was still at the very beginning of my career and had a long way to go, but I decided that was the direction my path would take.’

Roll on 11 years, with her dental nurse qualification, radiography, oral health educator's qualifications, plus maths and English GCSE and an AS in human biology under her belt, she was ready for patients of her own. Nina explains: ‘I tried many roles over the year whilst studying – this included clinic coordinator, head dental nurse and covering manager's duties whilst they were away and each time I always craved the patient interaction and moved back to clinical work.’