Feature Friday with Award Winning Dental Hygienist & Therapist, Amber Ojak
It is Diamond Dental Staff’s pleasure to introduce you to our professional colleague and social media pal, @edinburgh_hygienetherapist
2020 has been a year of connecting (virtually) and we are so lucky to have met some incredible Dental Professionals across social media.
I was directed to Amber’s Instagram account through Victoria Wilson who had shared that Amber had been a guest on her My Smile Revolution Podcast where they discussed the importance of Nursing Support and The Turquoise Movement (Of which we are 100,000,000% behind!). Amber has created a Dental Nursing Support Risk Assessment Document for The British Society Of Dental Hygienists and Therapists which is available to download for members on the website.
So who is Amber Ojak?
- Founder of the EME approach to Oral Hygiene Education
- Ambassador for BSDHT
- Award Winning Dental Hygienist & Therapist. Dentistry and Private Dentistry 2020
What is EME?
EME = Educate, Motivate & Encourage. Amber considers these to be the most critical building blocks in promoting Oral Health with patients and the community. In developing the EME, Amber is on a mission to share this technique with others.
Platforms like Instagram, are a fantastic way to get a feel for what individuals and companies represent and there have been many that we have we have really enjoyed following. I had to reach out to Amber to introduce myself, to congratulate her for a very successful year and to and hear what is in store for @edingburgh_hygienetherapist. Thankfully, Amber had kindly agreed to join us for a Q&A and we are delighted to have her as a guest for this ‘Feature Friday’ post. It’s great to be able to share her journey with you all and we would like to thank Amber for being such an inspiring professional.
Lets start from the beginning. What made you want to start a career in dentistry?
I’ve always wanted to help people and give them back their confidence in their smiles. I went through extensive orthodontic work when I was younger and I was amazed that the orthodontist knew about my habits as a kid before I’d even opened my mouth. I knew I wanted to make that sort of impact on people.
You are absolutely smashing it! Are you where you thought you would be at this point in your career?
I never could have imagined being where I am in my career. I had always thought it would take years for me to find my feet and get involved with different things. I’ve achieved so much within 2 years and would say I have achieved more than some people do in their working careers – I have to remind myself of that sometimes when I’m hard on myself!
Who have you been personally inspired by?
I’m inspired by other professionals in the field constantly, I can’t pin point one particular person. I have met so many inspiring professionals and so many are from different backgrounds and areas. I learn so much from each one of them!
What is the future for Dental Hygienists / Therapists?
The future is bright. Once we get the exemptions passed I think this will create a new line of freedom for us as professionals and hopefully the next step would be getting an NHS number. I think we will be needed more than ever once COVID finally stops interfering!
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
I hope to still be writing articles but I hope I will be working with clinicians on my EME approach or opening my own practice. The options are endless!
What is your MOTO?
“Don’t hope, know”
I live by this. Don’t hope for something, know it will happen and only positives can come your way!
Why is it important to ‘Be authentic’?
I’d say it’s so important because everyone’s on their own path. You can’t try and be someone else because otherwise you’ll never meet whatever potential you had yourself.
What are your ‘Top Tips’ to someone applying to study Dental Hygiene and Therapy at Uni?
- Try to get as much work experience but if it’s not possible due to Covid, reach out to professionals and ask if you can have a chat. Even though you can’t get hands on experience you can chat about any questions you will have
- Research into the career and societies such as the BADT and BSDHT. Reading around the profession can really help give an insight into what current affairs are going on right now
- Read websites such as Dentistry Online and other online publications. This can be a great source of research.
- In addition, making sure you attend as many open days as possible as sometimes you can be quite surprised by places you may not fancy!
Thank you SO MUCH Amber!
You can check out Amber’s other articles here
Written By Emma Anastasi
Founding Director
Diamond Dental Staff
02038087114