As we told you in the post of the interview with our director Pablo, we want you to know us better and that is why every month we will launch an interview with one of the members of the Cervantes Dental Clinic team.
Today it is the turn of Estefanía Martín, our dental hygienist.
Interview with… Estefanía Martín, dental hygienist at Clinica Dental Cervantes
– Why did you decide to become a dental hygienist?
I did not decide to become a dental hygienist in fact. I studied nursing, so I was shown the profession a little bit, I got a job in the dental sector and in the end I stayed here.
Then, of course, I had to become a dental hygienist.
At first I thought I would never be in the «teeth» world, because I had taken a course in nursing school on dental problems and I thought I would never go into it.
And now, look, 10 years later here I am making people smile.
– How long have you been with Clínica Dental Cervantes?
I have been with Cervantes Dental Clinic for 10 years, since May 2008.
– How did the idea of opening Clínica Dental Cervantes with Pablo come about?
Pablo and I worked in the same dental clinic in Marbella, in Corporación Dermoestética, which was surgery, dentistry, advanced aesthetic medicine, etc.
There we started working in the dental sector, he already had his dental practice and that is where I met Pablo and where I started working with him.
Then, when I was working with him, he told me that he wanted to open a dental clinic in Granada. I was from Granada and I had in mind that I wanted to come back, so the idea was great for me.
So we started working together privately in March 2008, in a small dental practice. But we made a lot of progress, just the two of us, until now that there are 7 of us in the clinic.
In addition, we had to move to this new location, because the other one was too small for us.
– Did you imagine that the clinic would grow so much?
Well, the truth is yes, because Pablo had a lot of ambition and interest in forming what he is forming today, so he knew that we were going to do well.
Maybe not in such a short time to be so advanced, but I did have faith that someday we would be more than just the two of us. And we are, by golly.
– What makes Clínica Cervantes different?
I think Pablo has achieved that.
Doing a good job, a job well done, perfectionism and speaking to the patient in a clear and concrete way.
Saying: «this is your problem, this is what you should do, etc.». Pablo has always been very legal and professional in that sense and that’s what has really stuck with people.
In fact, the largest percentage of clientele we have acquired since opening the clinic has been through word of mouth.
– What is the quality or skill you consider necessary to be a dental hygienist?
More than skill, I think it’s vocation. That is, doing what you like. Because it is a very vocational subject.
That is to say, more than having any quality, it is to have a vocation and to like what you do.
– What is your specialty?
I am a dental hygienist, so my specialty would be dental cleanings, whitening…
– What is the most complicated procedure you have performed?
Well, for example, some altercation of health problems in a patient at a certain moment, i.e., patients who become dizzy with anesthesia or whose stress level makes them unable to hold on and faint.
Perhaps it is the most «complicated» or that can give you the typical scare. That is, they can get dizzy, maybe some patients fall to the floor because of the stress level, but no more.
It tends to be a fairly calm profession since dentistry has advanced quite a bit and the patient comes a little more prepared mentally.
– What is the part of your job that you enjoy the most?
Perhaps the social issue. That is, to be in contact with the patients and even reach a certain familiarity with them, that they come to you relaxed and tell you how they feel.
That is, they not only come to the dentist as such, but they come and find a family, a point of support. You make friends and family here at the clinic.
– What motivates you the most on a daily basis?
Basically, to ensure that the patient leaves the clinic satisfied, comfortable and well. In addition, to leave satisfied and calm for the work done.
A little of those two things, that the patient leaves happy and I am satisfied with the work I do.
– How often do you recommend going to the dentist?
We recommend a check-up every 6 to 9 months, in order to have everything under control.
Depending on the patient’s needs, there are some patients who require more continuous revisions or others who can be left a little longer.
But, I would advise not to leave revisions longer than 9 months.
– What basic care do you recommend for healthy oral hygiene to your patients?
Brush your teeth 3 times a day and, above all, and very importantly, become aware of the flossing technique.
That is, interproximal cleaning, which is 80% of basic patient care, which we do not take into consideration but is very important when it comes to preventing caries in adult patients.
– Tell us more about interproximal cleaning
Basically it is the cleaning that the normal toothbrush does not do, between tooth and tooth, between molar and molar.
It would be to remove all the remaining dirt that remains between them, which produces caries in the adult sector.
We don’t take this into account and it’s very important, because almost all the checkups and cavities that are diagnosed over the years are usually in those areas.
In addition, we also avoid inflamed gums and the risk of a more problematic periodontitis.
– How do you suggest flossing?
The suggestion for a start is always to stand in front of a mirror to locate well where we have the spaces between the teeth and how we have to tilt our fingers, hands and know our mouth.
– What is the flossing technique like?
First we stand in front of a mirror and with our middle fingers we wind the thread, to avoid the typical tugging that makes people a little suspicious of the thread technique; and With the index fingers, once the floss is well secured, we help to move the floss to one side and to the other side of the interproximal papilla.
That is to say, with the middle fingers we hold and with the index fingers we move.
– How often do you suggest flossing?
Let’s see, there is no need to «freak» on this issue, it would be important to do it mostly in the evening brushing, which is the most important and the one that has the most coverage.
And, above all, when we eat meat, which tends to have a tendon, or certain foods that we see or notice that it remains between the teeth, we should do so.
– What changes do you think will take place in the industry in the coming years?
I think there is going to be a big innovation, which in fact there already is, and that is dental impression machines. To be able to forget about the typical impression, so annoying and complicated that it is to register with silicone, etc.
That is, to have the software that goes directly from the computer to the laboratory and dental work is created. At the level of crowns, dental prostheses…
I think it is the most recent thing, in fact it is already there, it only remains for it to be established in clinics.
Well, this is the second interview we do to the team of Cervantes Dental Clinic in Granada and we will be posting month by month.
What did you think? Do you have any questions for Estefania? Anything we missed? Tell us in the comments.
And if you need a personalized diagnosis, call or write us, the first consultation is free.
