People are very ignorant about oral health

What does your job entail?

Restoring teeth and rectifying tooth abnormalities.  I do tooth whitening and work hard to improve people’s self-confidence.

What do you like the most about your job?

I like the fact that I am able to transform people’s smiles and lives in general. It is rewarding to see someone walk out of the office with a beaming smile after a procedure. Some people get surprised at the after effect of some procedures such as braces. When you get them out, they get so excited and happy. 

Away from working on people’s teeth, do you have a personal life?

Yes. I love travelling, I work out a lot, I love music and organising get-togethers. I love attending parties.  The job of a medic is too demanding and it is only fair that one finds time to unwind.

How do you juggle the two?

I allocate each aspect of my life its own time. Time for dentistry is different from time spent socialising. I use my weekends and public holidays for my other hobbies.

What would you frown upon?

A dissatisfied patient.

Did your parents influence you into a medical career or it was passion?

I am a very caring person by nature and being a medic is the best thing that ever happened to me. Health workers are called to serve. Sometimes I work on patients for free and then ask my employer to deduct the payments from my salary. Whenever I have free time,  I go to ghettos and offer dental services to less privileged children with borrowed equipment.

What is cosmetic dentistry?

It is simply about how your teeth look and beauty of a person’s smile. We improve the shape of the tooth, fill holes, scale and polish teeth, aligning previously misaligned teeth and remove stains.

What are some of the challenges in this venture?

Dental equipment and material is expensive. Sometimes procedures take too long, and you have to have the patient’s mouth open for so long, which is very uncomfortable.

Some people do not follow post extraction instructions, so they get complications and then put the blame on us. People are also ignorant about oral health. They think of only visiting the dentist when they they have a toothache, yet preventive dentistry is key.

What aspect of dental health is most neglected?

Primary dental care. People need to put effort in teaching their children how to take care of their teeth. People only come when their teeth have already reached a sorry state.

Your kind of job requires you to work closely with clients, how do you draw a line?

I keep it professional and immediately set boundaries which I make clear to patients. There was a female patient who used to make late appointments and would dress indecently. It didn’t take long for me to realise that she had other intentions with me. When the late appointments persisted, I referred her to another dentist. I also usually do not work on women during late hours.

What was your dream career?

I wanted to be a Hip-hop artiste. I even auditioned for Tusker Project Fame 3 but due to dentistry school demands, I failed to make time for music.

What is the special thing that you think people do not know about you?

I am very generous. Sometimes I give before people even ask because I have realised God gives when you give out. I am a very shy person but very observant. Before I approach someone I first study and profile them before making a move.

Go pro

Professional

I keep it professional and immediately set boundaries which I make clear to patients. There was a female patient who used to make late appointments and would dress indecently. It didn’t take long for me to realise that she had other intentions with me. When the late appointments persisted, I referred her to another dentist. I also usually do not work on women during late hours.