They aren’t cosmetic surgeons, neither are they magicians. We met with this team of people who turn frowns into smiles. Rolling out the “Meet Our Dentists” Series, where we had a chat with our team of dentists who are extremely dedicated in their field of work.  We spoke to Consultant Oral Surgeon and Implantologist, Datin Dr. Norma Abd Jalil, who exudes a calming confidence. Together with her bubbly personality, we had some good laughs in between the interview. Do not underestimate her petite frame as this ball of energy finds hitting the gym her preferred way to de-stress.

Datin Dr. Norma, what are you specialized in?

I’m an oral surgeon and implantologist. In simpler terms, if you extract a tooth, you think about how you’d want to replace a tooth.

Have you always wanted to be a dentist?

Yes, I’ve always like making people look good and fixing people’s teeth.

Is mouthwash good for health?

It depends, there are many different types of mouth wash out there but the one that we use professionally in the clinic for example after surgery, are the ones that contains chlorhexidine. It also depends on the case, if the patient has got problems with gingivitis or plagues then we use a different type of mouthwash.

What about the commercial types that we see in supermarkets?

Those are fine too. It’s important to really see what it contains because strong mouthwash can actually stain the teeth with long term use. However the ones in the supermarket, I think they are milder. You’d need mouthwash if you have a certain problem, for example if you have gingivitis, then you would have to use a mouthwash after treatment, within a certain time frame only. You don’t really need it if there isn’t a problem.

If you weren’t  a dentist, you’d be..

I like to be on the stage, acting or being involved in drama. When I was younger in school, I actively took  part in drama and things like that, acting out roles. So I guess I’d be a performer on stage if I weren’t a dentist.

That’s a very different field from what you’re doing now. What is a piece of advice you’d like to give to the younger ones who’d like to venture into dentistry?

It is nice to be a dentist, if possible they should specialize because the number of dentist in the country has increased, so it’s good if they can go towards specialization.

 

How do you unwind? De-stress?

I have many hobbies one of them is exercising, going to the gym. I think that’s good to de-stress.

Three words that describes yourself.

Laughter, happiness and jokes.

What keeps you going in life.

My family, my children- they are my support team.

 

Favourite food.

My favourite food, do I have a favourite food, oh yes,  I like salad.

Favourite ice-cream flavor?

Oh I’ve actually cut down on ice-cream. But if I have to choose, I like pistachio.

Last one, what does beauty mean to you.

Beauty for me comes from within, for example the way you treat others, being kind and charitable, those are beautiful.