S6 Ep : 2 Can Social Media Completely Change Your Dental Career? with Anna Peterson

From making blue-tack braces 🦷😂 to becoming a dental therapist, educator, content creator for 245k+ people, and working with some of the biggest brands in dentistry… Anna Peterson’s journey is a powerful reminder that you don’t always know where one decision will take you.In this episode, we talk about career pivots, confidence, social media, and what it really looks like behind the polished dental Instagram world.Anna shares how she didn’t get the A level grades she needed for dentistry, and how she only discovered dental therapy after that door closed. From there, she stepped into a role in restorative dentistry, learned new clinical skills years into practice, and eventually found her way into content creation and education online.We also dive into the moment everything changed online, when her first viral video almost got deleted at just 10 views… before unexpectedly reaching nearly one million views in under 24 hours.Since then, social media has opened doors she never expected, including collaborations with Oral-B and NSK, lecturing opportunities, presenting, and educating thousands of people about oral health.But beyond the viral moments, this conversation is really about something deeper.💡 Key themes we cover:Not getting the grades you expected — and what comes nextDiscovering dental therapy and building confidence clinicallyLearning new skills later in your career (yes, even rubber dam!)The reality of going viral on social mediaBuilding a personal brand in dentistryWorking with major dental brands like Oral-B and NSKThe pressure vs reality of dental social mediaWhy you don’t need to have everything figured outThe importance of kindness in dentistry🧠 Anna’s biggest reminder:You are allowed to ask questions.You are allowed to not know everything.You are allowed to build confidence slowly.And you absolutely do not have to follow a traditional route.Because behind every perfect composite, viral video, and polished Instagram feed… there’s a human being figuring it out too.And as Anna beautifully puts it:“We’re all in it together.” 🫶🏼⸻🔗 Links & Resources👩‍⚕️ Follow Anna Peterson:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annapetersondental?igsh=MWhyNWk5ZHYycXY2eQ==&igsi=MWhyNWk5ZHYycXY2eQ==📱 Conversations with Dental Friends:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationswithdentalfriends?igsh=bTh4ZWRlank3dWJs💙 Sponsored by Oral-BExplore Oral-B professional products & resources:👉 https://www.oralbprofessional.co.uk/s/login/🦷 Sponsored by NSKDiscover NSK dental equipment & solutions:👉 https://mynsk.co.uk⸻✨ In this episode, we also mention:Rubber dam training and clinical confidenceDental photography and content creationCareer progression in dental therapySocial media growth and unexpected viralityEducation, lecturing, and presenting in dentistry