In Cervantes Dental Clinic we thought that we want you to know a little more about our great team, so we have prepared a series of interviews that we will be posting every month.
And this, being the first in the series, was the turn of the captain of the Cervantes Clinic’s ship, Pablo Rodas. So without further ado we move on to the interview.
Interview with Pablo Rodas, director of Clinica Dental Cervantes
– Why did you decide to become a dentist?
I had always liked the branch of medicine, dealing with people.
Although, from the beginning I was in doubt about doing medicine or dentistry, I finally opted for dentistry.
– How do you remember your beginnings?
I remember leaving college with very little experience and that every day became an adventure. You had to try to do the best you could and not screw up too much.
It was nice, because at the beginning everything was new and it was all about learning, but as the years went by you realize how green you were and how little you knew.
– When you finished your degree, did you set up the Dental Clinic or did you have other experiences?
When I finished my degree I spent 5 years working in other clinics, training and specializing. At the same time that I was doing my specialization studies, I had to work to pay for my studies. So in some clinics I worked with more experienced dentists and in others I worked alone.
When 5 years had passed and I had finished my 2 postgraduate degrees and had enough experience, I decided to set up the Cervantes Dental Clinic.
– What motivated you to say: I want to open my own Dental Clinic?
I’ve always had that idea in my head. I wanted to start my own business, to do things my way and be more comfortable.
Obviously, having spent 5 years working in all kinds of dental clinics, you realize that sometimes you have to work with the material available, the laboratory they have and their different work philosophies.
So it was clear to me that I wanted to do things my own way and set up my own dental practice.
– What is the most complicated procedure you have performed?
Maybe when we did the periodontics course, we did very large treatments on a single patient, we even did shifts.
There was a shift of 4 students who placed the implants, 4 others who then adjusted the prosthesis to make the immediate loading, the teeth in one day. So, I remember that at that time they were complex, long treatments and we all ended up «dead».
– What is the quality you consider necessary to be a dentist?
I think the most important thing is the treatment with the patient. You have to be able to empathize with each person who sits in the chair, to make him understand the need for his mouth. What needs to be done and why it needs to be done.
Apart from the treatment and empathy, it is also necessary to be continuously learning and training to be able to make the right treatments.
– What is your specialty?
Actually, I do everything, I am a general dentist, since when I finished my degree I did a specialization in prosthetics, in prosthetics on implants, another in periodontics, in dental implants and now I am doing one in dental esthetics.
So I really consider myself a dentist who knows a little bit of everything, so I can make a comprehensive treatment and give a correct diagnosis, which is the most important thing. That is, so that when you see a mouth, you have enough knowledge in various fields to be able to make a proper diagnosis.
– What basic care do you recommend for healthy oral hygiene to your patients?
Brush your teeth after every meal. In addition, I always emphasize that the most important brushing is before bedtime, which is when you should leave your mouth cleaner and when you should try to floss your teeth.
And then, the most important thing is to go to the dentist when it is time for a check-up, because there are pathologies of the mouth that do not cause pain and if you do not go to the dentist regularly, many times, when they are detected, it is already much more serious or late.
That is to say, go to your check-ups when your dental specialist tells you to, every year, every 6 months, depending on the state of your mouth. And, of course, the most important brushing is before bedtime.
– What is your recommended daily oral hygiene procedure?
The truth is that it depends on what the patient has, i.e., whether they have periodontitis, implants, etc.
But the basics are to always brush in order so as not to leave any area of the mouth unbrushed, to brush for at least one and a half to two minutes and to use the proper technique.
At the Dental Clinic, during cleanings, we explain how the patient should brush.
– How much do you recommend teeth whitening?
Teeth whitening works very well, but you must first diagnose that the patient who wants to have it done is suitable for this treatment.
There are people who should not have it done, but if the case is well selected they can, since there are many cases that for various reasons teeth whitening does not work well.
– Why does the gum sometimes bleed?
Bleeding gums are the first symptom of gingivitis, which is inflammation of the gums. In most cases it is usually because there is tartar and this causes the gum to become inflamed.
Normally, a visit to the dentist and a cleaning usually solves the problem, as well as improving the oral brushing technique.
– Back to the more personal questions… What is the part of your job that you enjoy the most?
The part I enjoy the most is when you are satisfied with the work done and the patient appreciates it and leaves happy, it is ideal.
That you are finally happy with the results, that you have fulfilled what you had diagnosed and thought you could do, that you have finally managed to do and that, in addition, the patient notices your work, appreciates it and is happy with the result.
– What motivates you the most on a daily basis?
What motivates me the most on a daily basis is to realize that Cervantes Dental Clinic is growing more and more, that I have more staff, that we have more volume, more complications and that every day there are more things to do and, moreover, they work better and better.
– Did you imagine when you created it that Cervantes Dental Clinic would grow like this?
Well, no. When I opened the clinic, Estefania and I started with just the two of us, and I thought we could perfectly well stay that way.
In fact, after 4 or 5 years we had to move the practice to this new location because we outgrew the other one.
– What is a day at Cervantes Dental Clinic like?
If all goes well, we attend patients who have their appointment prearranged, we try to be on time to avoid delays and arrange all possible emergencies and complications that may arise.
We are usually open 12 hours and we have several shifts, both dentists and dental hygienists, so you have to coordinate everything well to get things right.
– What makes Clínica Cervantes different?
There are several reasons. First, we try to have the best possible treatment with our patients, as well as to explain all procedures correctly so that they understand them.
We try every day to do things better than the day before, to have a modern clinic with the latest generation of X-ray equipment, 3-dimensional equipment, etc.
We also have good materials, a lab technician who does a great job and we try not to have a big backlog, which we tend to do most days.
– What do you think your patients value most?
I believe that the professionalism we have in the practice and the treatment we give them is what they value the most.
– What changes do you think will take place in the industry in the coming years?
One big change, which is already happening, is digital dentistry. Possibly 5 years from now most practices will have an intraoral scanner and everything will be much more computerized with the prosthetics lab. So I think that’s going to be a big change that’s going to happen.
Well, this is the first of several interviews with the Cervantes Dental Clinic team that we will be posting month by month.
What did you think? Do you have any questions for Pablo? Anything we left out? Tell us in the comments.
And if you need a personalized diagnosis, call or write us, the first consultation is free.
