Name: : Sushil John and Misha Patel (practicing being a patient!).

What does a dentist do?
A dentist looks after our teeth, repairing them if they need it and making sure they grow straight and strong.
Sushil and Misha are in their 5th year of training to be dentists at King's College London. Soon they will become trained dentists.

What is your background?
Sushil was born in Kent and eventually settled in London where he went to school. He took GCSE's and A levels in Physics Chemistry and Biology.
Misha was actually born in King's College Hospital and has lived in the area all her life. She went to local schools, did GCSE's then A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Maths.

How did you become a dentist?
We applied to King's College Dental School. When we have finished our training we will decide where to work. It could be in a hospital or in a dentists.

What qualifications are needed and how long does it take?
You need A levels. One of them must be in chemistry and other sciences such as biology and maths are useful. You must go to university for five years.

What is the most difficult thing about being a dentist?
Misha: It is quite a lot of work and sometimes you have to juggle learning the theory with looking after patients.
Sushil: Getting the confidence of patients, espcecially children, if they have had bad experiences at the dentist before.

What is the best thing about the job?
They both really enjoy being dentists and think it is a great career.
Sushil: You can really help people and see the difference quickly, whether it is stopping a tooth hurting or replacing a missing tooth so someone can smile happily.
Misha: I enjoy it when I gain the trust of the patients and show them how good dentistry can be.