Halifax model ditches catwalk for career as a dental nurse

Beth Wrighton is a former Miss West Yorkshire finalist and enjoyed a successful modelling career before deciding to train as a dental nurse.

The 20-year-old said her modelling days included seeing her featuring in advertisements for gyms and in music videos.

"I was extremely busy and was travelling all over," she said. "Some days I would leave the house at 6am and not get back until 11pm. Some weeks I would go seven days without a break. It got extremely tiring and I knew I couldn’t do it forever.

"This was when I knew I had to cut down and start another career that I wanted to do for the long term.”

Beth had always been interested in Biology at school and said she knew she wanted to work in healthcare.

She was about to start studying for her A-Levels when she spotted a vacancy for a dental nurse role.

“I did a bit of research around the job and found I could study for a career, gain experience and get paid at the same time," she said. "It sounded too good to be true, especially because it was a career I hadn’t even thought about.

"I applied immediately, got my first ever job interview and was offered the job. I knew straight away this is what I wanted so accepted without hesitation."

She began her training in September 2017, working four-and-a half-days a week and studying for half a day, with a one-to-one tutor and help from the qualified nurses at her practice, West Park Dental Practice in Brighouse.

At the time, she was still modelling in the evenings and at the weekend. "I’d be assisting the dentist to transform people’s smiles in the comfiest of scrubs and Crocs for half the day, then I’d be in beautiful clothes and heels for the rest," she said.

Of the nurse training, Beth said: “No day was ever the same, there was so much variety, different treatments, assisting different dental professionals and rotation around job roles. After two years I completed the course and was so proud to call myself a dental nurse. I knew then it was time to set a new goal to progress my skills further.”

Beth went on to work as a dental implant nurse and practice marketer, assisting the implantologist clinically, marketing patient journeys and using social media to post before and after pictures of treatments. She also studied to be able to perform sedation when requested by patients.

After four years in that role, Beth found specialist dental nursing recruiter, Smile Wisdom and felt inspired to help other people find their dream career, after, she says, experiencing this herself. She plans to remain in the dental industry while still taking up the odd modelling job.