Have you ever wondered what a typical day is like for healthcare professionals in jobs different to your own? Is it what you expected? How do they start their morning, and how do they manage to balance work, family, and fun activities with such a busy schedule? We LOVE to hear about your days and get to know the people behind the profession, so we have started a series where once a month you will get to hear about a day in the life of a different healthcare professional - starting with Dr. Abigail Moore!

A Typical Day in the Life of a Paediatric Dentist: A Day in My Scrubs

Written by Dr. Abigail Moore: Insights from a Paediatric Dentist

Morning Routine: How a Paediatric Dentist Starts the Day

6.30am

Reluctantly up for a quick shower to wake myself up - I am not a morning person!! It will be a good day if a cup of tea is there to greet me from my early rising husband!!

I pack up a food bag to keep me going until lunch - I cannot face food until later so it's usually a pot of berries, granola & yoghurt along with lots of fruit & a big bottle of water.

Quick kiss goodbye to the kids & dog and out the door.

Operating Theatre Prep: Patient Notes and Treatment Plans

7.30am

Changed & set up in the operating theatre. I run through all the notes, x-rays & treatment plans for my patients today. Group chat with the nursing team about any particular concerns. We have 5 cases for dental treatment under general anaesthetic today - 2 have autism & require some extra medication to help the going to sleep a bit easier as it can be such an overwhelming situation. One child has a cardiac condition so I chat with the anaesthesiologist about antibiotic cover as they need surgical removal of impacted teeth which poses a risk of infection. The youngest child today is only 2 years old - she has fallen & smashed her front teeth, her poor parents are distraught that we need to extract them. I go to the ward & chat to all the parents & patients to answer any last minute concerns & to promise ice cream for breakfast!!

Handling Medical Cases: Dental Treatments Under Anaesthesia

12.30pm

Theatre list over, back to the ward to chat to parents & run through treatment carried out & post-operative instructions. Chat about future care & what the future plan should be to prevent further dental work being needed.

Lunchtime Discussions: Dental Team and Treatment Reviews

1.30pm

Finally some lunch from the hospital canteen with my dental team before the afternoon session starts back in our paediatric outpatient clinic. Great to catch up with all the news from their morning clinics & maybe even catch some gossip!

Afternoon Clinic: Emergency Dental Care for Children

2-5pm

This afternoon we have a new patient clinic - new patients are referred from their general dentists who feel a paediatric opinion is needed. This afternoon 2 of the patients have been in severe pain so we fast-tracked their referrals. They have had multiple antibiotics for infection related to decayed primary teeth - 1 even ended up in A&E the infection was so bad. So glad to get them assessed so we can organise treatment asap. Our furthest travelling patient this afternoon had flown down from Donegal which is such a journey. Our hygienists were working this afternoon so checked in on their patients also if they needed a check up. It's always nice to see families that have been regular patients for years - they are like old friends!!

End of Day Procedures: Team Consultations and Parent Calls

5-7pm

Lots of tea & paperwork. Am always available at this time to chat to the team & discuss cases that might be more complex or challenging. I call the patients who had surgery earlier to make sure they are ok - it's such a big day for the kids & their families. Love seeing photos of the presents bought in Smyths on the way home.

Work-Life Balance

Family Time and Personal Relaxation

7-9pm

Escape work, collect my daughter from gymnastics on the way home. If the weather is nice we will often head for a dip in the sea before dinner - depending on the temperature the kids might watch or join me but the dog is my faithful companion!!

9pm

Kids in bed at last - once the house is tidied up I'll read through my day list for tomorrow & check my work phone.

10pm

Fall into bed to read for a bit although normally fall asleep with the book open......

A little bit about Abigail:

Abigail is a Co. Fermanagh native and qualified as a dentist from Trinity College Dublin. After a few years working as a general dentist, Abby returned to full time education at Trinity College Dublin to complete a doctorate in paediatric dentistry where she graduated with a 1st Class Honours degree. She has presented at many national and international conferences, and has won many awards over the years for her work including the IDA Maloney award in 2006 and the IDA Clinical Feature of the year award 2014/2015.

Abigail has travelled the world extensively and loves experiencing other cultures. As part of her travels she has carried out voluntary dental work in Samoa, Cambodia and Honduras.

Happyteeth Clinic: A Pediatric-Focused Practice

Abigail founded Happyteeth dental clinic in 2009, and has recently opened a new premises in Suite 38 of the Hermitage Medical Clinic which is a state of the art, paediatric-specific practice offering the very best environment for our young patients.

Personal Insights: Parenting and Leisure Activities

Outside work Abby is a busy mum of 3 lively children so understands well the perils of trying to brush little teeth!!

She is a slow but steady runner, loves dipping in the sea & walking her crazy dog Seuss.