Dental therapist Chanelle Bowen discusses her passion for dentistry and what it was like inside the Big Brother house.
My name is Chanelle Bowen and I am a dental therapist. I have worked within the profession for 14 years, three of which were alongside university.
My story and passion for dentistry began in 2010 at the age of 16. I was playing netball for a local women’s team and a teammate was explaining her role as a dental nurse. It sounded exciting and like something I would enjoy.
While at school, I had crowded teeth and needed orthodontic treatment. I found the whole process fascinating! While studying for my GCSE exams, I saw a vacancy for a trainee dental nurse and threw caution to the wind and applied with no qualifications while I was still in school.
On the day of my Welsh GCSE, my final exam, I received a call from the practice manager to let me know I had been successful and I would be starting the following week. While my friends enjoyed the extended summer break, I worked and trained at the practice. I qualified as a dental nurse after two years, and over the following five years I honed my skills as a nurse.
The patient journey has always been a key area of interest for me and I was able to build rapport and help patients through the process, which for many can be very daunting. Seeing their results and the impact dentistry can have on their life was very rewarding.
The journey to dental therapy
While working at the practice, I worked alongside some extremely skilled dentists, implant dentists, therapists and hygienists who all inspired me to want to progress in my dental career. As I took the route less travelled and had no qualifications above my NVQs from college, I had to enrol in night school to get my A-levels to open the doors to university. This was a juggle with working full time, but the practice supported me through my studies.
I realised I wanted to go into dental therapy and researched the universities that ran the course. While studying for my A-levels, the university entry requirements were changing due to the course having limited enrolment. This meant it was very competitive, but with grit and determination I was accepted into Teesside University to study dental hygiene and therapy BSc.
Moving from Llanelli in south Wales to Middlesbrough in the north east of England was very daunting at first. But once I got into the course and was surrounded by like minded people who had come from all over the country with the same passion for dentistry that I had, I quickly settled in.
I excelled in the course and graduated in 2020 with first class honours and was very excited to get back into practice and treat my own patients. Now I can provide a variety of treatments to adults and children from all walks of life.
I love how my career allows me to educate, prevent dental problems, restore teeth and make smiles beautiful which transforms confidence in patients and ultimately improves their quality of life. It gives me great job satisfaction to see patients smile and be happy within themselves.
Entering the Big Brother house
Life outside of the dental world has seen me go on Big Brother! I randomly applied for Big Brother on a whim on a rainy Saturday afternoon while sat on the sofa with a glass of wine. When I had the phone call saying that I had been selected, I was in a state of shock for weeks and struggled to comprehend being selected.
Being inside the Big Brother house is an experience that’s difficult to explain. We had so much fun, laughed until we cried, and felt the lows of missing home as the weeks went on and pressure started to build with no escape.
There were moments where it was mentally draining and really tested our emotions. But being strong, I always found a solution to push past those times to appreciate the opportunity given to me.
My most memorable experience was seeing my father walk through the Big Brother doors on family day after being in the house for nearly five weeks. It was so emotional.
Raising awareness of dentistry
Since leaving the house I have returned to my career as a dental therapist and it feels amazing to be back to doing something which I have worked so hard for – something I wouldn’t turn my back on.
I hope to use my platform to educate people of the importance of having good oral hygiene, and raise awareness in all aspects of dentistry. I’d also love to encourage people to study and work within this profession which is close to my heart.
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