“From 1982 to 2022, Susan worked as a registered dental hygienist. For forty years, she cared for thousands of human teeth. In 2022, that practice led her to a new one: making sculpture.She is currently a graduating fourth-year Sculpture/Installation student at OCAD University. Her work uses mixed media, found objects, and tactile installation to make oral and systemic health visible. Susan wants people to reconsider things they already know about their own teeth and see them with the lens of new dental science concepts.Her sculptures are grounded in specific dental science. Human teeth begin forming at six weeks in utero. A lower first permanent molar erupts at age six and, if properly cared for, should last a lifetime. She is particularly interested in the role of xylitol in deterring the bacteria responsible for tooth decay, and its wider implications for systemic health. Porphyromonas gingivalis, a pathogenic bacterium found in the mouth, is associated with many systemic human inflammatory disease processes. Frequent use of the sugar substitue "Xylitol" shifts oral conditions, deterring pathogenic biofilm maturation.Susan's work is educational, but she hopes it is appealing and humorous. A tooth becomes an oyster's pearl, "Pearly White". River lily pads satirically present floating white molar teeth instead of white flowers, "Nymphaea Odontorata". A child's lost smile asks a philosophical question, "Theseus's Teeth". She wants viewers to leave with something they did not expect to find in an art gallery.”