Name: Gemma Deakin

Age: 26

Town: Ash Vale, Surrey

Loves: Laughing

Hates: Arrogance

Hobbies: Cooking, socialising, singing and playing guitar

Job? Orthodontic Nurse

How did you get your job? My current employer, Tony, was practising orthodontics in many practices in the South of England and I nursed for him once a month at the practice I used to work. When I decided to start looking for a dental nursing position at another practice, I heard that Tony had decided to start up his own practice limited to orthodontics. I approached Tony and jokingly asked him if he needed a nurse. To my surprise he did.

How did you end up working in dentistry? I trained as a beauty therapist when I left school, but decided that it wasnt for me. I saw the dental nursing job advertised in the paper, and because I had the knowledge of cross infection control and anatomy of the face and neck from my beauty therapy course, I thought I would apply. That was eight years ago and I still love everything about it.

What do you enjoy most about your job? How long have you got? There are so many parts of my job that I love. With ortho, we get to see our patients every five weeks, so you build up a relationship with them. As we work mainly with teenagers, we get to see them grow into young adults, and to see the grins on their faces when their braces come off fills you with an indescribable feeling. I also love talking to them about how they feel about braces, and explaining to them how it works and putting their minds at rest about any concerns they may have.

What is the most challenging part of your job? Probably when I first meet a new patient. They are usually quite nervous as they are not sure what to expect, so breaking the ice is always quite tricky. After a few jokes though, they normally warm to us quite quickly.

Would you recommend a career in dentistry? Yes, yes, yes. I have never had such job satisfaction from dentistry. I'm even planning on training as an orthodontic therapist!