We love sharing what our awesome Barefooters do (for work and for fun!). Evelyn is one of our amazing clients who is an incredibly passionate dentist (she’s a guru on making splints!) and loves to travel. The international travel may have decreased a little recently with a super cute addition to the family but from the photos we think it’s worth it! Have a read!

What drew you to dentistry in the first place? And what really interests you in the dentistry field?

I stumbled into dentistry. Back in Year 12 when I was submitting preferences for university, all I knew was that I didn’t want to be stuck in a boring desk job for the rest of my life. I always thought health sciences would be interesting. Dentistry definitely took some time to grow on me and it’s only in the last few years that I have started to really enjoy it – I think I have found how I can truly make a difference to people’s lives.

I believe that being a dentist is about much more than just looking at the teeth. It is about taking care of the entire head, neck and person. There are many factors that affect the way a child’s jaw grows and these can contribute to crowding of teeth, and even jaw pain, headaches and neck pain later in life. Some of these include poor sleeping patterns, airway problems, postural issues and myofunctional habits. I have a special interest in identifying these and helping to correct them from a young age. This guides their growth to provide not only straight teeth, but a healthier, beautiful smile and face. I love treating kids and see their profile, health and even behaviour improve as they grow!

Besides this, I do also enjoy taking out teeth … I know it sounds extremely odd, but nothing is as rewarding as being able to relieve someone who has been through sleepless nights of pain and swelling.

You are so great at making time and effort for your body and one of the ways you do this is Pilates – what is it about Pilates you love? What would you say to someone wanting to give Pilates a go?

Being a dentist can require my body to be in awkward positions. Pilates helps me to stretch these muscles and strengthen the weaker parts of my body and core. It also builds body awareness, so you learn to isolate different parts of the body and switch off overactive muscles which may be preventing you from being able to do a movement properly. It really helps to keep my body moving, and it is so different to what we focus on at the gym where it is more about the weights. Pilates keeps my body in check weekly, and complements my physio sessions in between tune up appointments. I have been doing Pilates for about 15 years now and I know my body really misses it when I skip a week.

If you have been thinking about trying Pilates, all I can say is go for it! Men included – mum and I even got my dad hooked! But make sure you find a studio or instructor who really knows what they are doing. Pilates is not just about how sore your abs or glutes are, or how many repetitions you did that day. You might find you feel you aren’t working as hard during the session but I promise you will be exhausted after (mentally and physically)! I am not a Pilates instructor or expert, but I do believe that your sessions should always be tailored to your specific needs. And give it a fair go – Joseph Pilates said, ‘you will feel better in 10 sessions, look better in 20 sessions and have a completely new body in 30 sessions’!

Where do you love to travel to? (local or interstate or international all equally cool in our eyes!)

I absolutely love travelling all over the world – it really is a bug I can’t get rid of. One of my favourite trips was to Nepal where I trekked for 14 days to Everest Base Camp in knee deep snow, in the middle of winter. That trip took a lot of training beforehand to make sure I would make it back! I also volunteered to do dental work while in Nepal which was rewarding and a big eye opener. Snow trips are also growing on me – Japan being one of my favourite places to hit the slopes, and for the amazing food too! We recently went to Italy, Spain and Portugal, which were all amazing, but this year we will be heading somewhere a bit different – Africa for a safari tour!

I also spent a year in Tasmania working and travelling, and it is honestly such a beautiful place and so close to home! There is so much to do there – the treks and food produce there is just exceptional. Another holiday I really enjoyed is Uluru – it really is in the middle of nowhere but it is so worth it!

The plan for the next little while though is to explore a bit closer to home. We brought home a puppy last year so he has been guilt tripping us every time we think about travelling and leaving him behind. We are so lucky to be living on the east coast where there is so much to do and see, and as a bonus we can bring the pup, and new paddleboard, along with us!

You and your partner are both dentists… is there a fair bit of dental chat at the dinner table? What’s it like to be in a relationship with someone in the same area of work as you?

I’m the type of person who needs to talk things through to relieve stress and frustration, so having a partner who understands teeth talk really helps me unwind. It’s great that we can also share interesting cases with each other and problem solve together. I can understand why some people don’t like the idea of being in a relationship with someone in the same industry, but we don’t work together so we do get a bit of a break from each other!

Dental talk is becoming less a topic nowadays though as we become more experienced and keep ourselves busy doing other things. Recently it has been more puppy talk, travel planning, and Brazillian zouk dancing!

And finally how often do you floss? Really?

EVERY DAY! Yes, really!

But I’ll admit, I don’t do my physio exercises every day …

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Thanks Evelyn!   We found your Barefooter story to be amazing. Thanks so much for sharing it with everyone.

If you enjoyed this, feel free to get in touch and let us know about your amazing adventures, or even just tell us about your cats!  We’d love to hear from more Barefooters out there.  Just to talk to your Physio and let them know you’d like to feature a Barefooter Story.