Lizzy Owen is an Oral Health Therapist at Advanced Dental Centre and says one of the most rewarding parts of her work is seeing the progress patients make with their own dental care.

“On the hygiene side of things, when you help patients manage dental issues and begin to see improvements because they are taking on board everything you’re saying and playing their part, that’s really rewarding,” Lizzy says.

She also gains a lot of satisfaction from seeing young patients being comfortable at the dentist.

“Sometimes kids will come in and they’re excited to tell you how much better they’ve been doing with their brushing, because you’ve demonstrated it well enough and motivated them to brush properly,” Lizzy says.

“With children, helping them manage their emotions is a big thing. We have a little mascot called Toby, a dog with human teeth, and Toby is a big help with getting the children involved. We count Toby’s teeth, count how many adult teeth he has, look at the tooth surfaces he should be brushing and so on.”

Lizzy and the team enjoy getting involved in the community and have taken the positive dental care message into primary schools. “We visit children in schools and talk about healthy foods, brushing their teeth and what happens at the dentist.”

She says the Advanced Dental Centre environment helps patients of all ages to relax during the dental experience. “When you walk in, it doesn’t look like a typical dental surgery, it’s more like a hotel lobby or spa. All the rooms have big windows looking out at a garden of plants. Our patients love it.”

On weekends Lizzy likes to relax with surfing or yoga.