We continue with the round of interviews to the components of Cervantes Dental Clinic, so you can get to know us a little more. In May we interviewed Marta Lopez, one of our super dental hygienists.
Today it is the turn of María Garrido, our dental hygienist.
Interview with… María Garrido, dental hygienist at Clinica Dental Cervantes
Tell us a little about yourself Maria, where are you from?
I am from Granada, I was born 33 years ago and I have been in dentistry for 9 years.
How long have you been with Clínica Dental Cervantes?
In Cervantes Dental Clinic I did a year in April and I am very happy. with the colleagues I have, with the work we do, with being able to touch all the specialties, because you always learn something from all of them, and with the involvement they have, especially in this clinic, regarding the dental hygienists.
Both in support in the work we do, as well as with our patients, their follow-up, care and continuous support from both sides.
Why did you decide to become a dental hygienist?
The truth is that I never thought I would like the world of dentistry, it was a bit of a coincidence. But,from the first minute I met him, I loved it, I was passionate about it and I was also very good at it.
I mean, it’s not something that you might try and say this isn’t for me. I knew that my field was healthcare. I do not rule out continuing my training, working and continuing to grow more in this sector because it is much broader than it seems.
What is your specialty?
I like very much, of all the specialties, surgery. It is something that I have known first hand, something that I have worked side by side with other doctors, that I have seen and I have been trained especially in periodontics which is what I like the most.
I love surgery here with Dr. Pablo Rodas. It is one of the things that I am most passionate about, that I like the most, that I understand the most and that I want to continue to learn a little more about throughout my life.
What makes Cervantes Dental Clinic different?
I consider Cervantes Dental Clinic as a big family. That is to say, those of us who work here have a very good feeling among us, we work side by side, we put in a lot of hours…. I think I spend more hours here than I do with my own family and that is a support in the end.
Because if you are not comfortable in your own work it becomes quite heavy, quite uphill.
And then the way patients are treated. It is very familiar, people are known and treated from the waiting room. The protocol is always very well idealized, but the doctor is not only the doctor, but also the friend of his patients, the counselor.
Just as we are the filter before them and they also ask us many questions that they do not dare to ask the doctor. And the care of always keeping our patients, that they come to their appointments, when they have their check-ups, etc.
Or for example, there are patients who want a cleaning done by Marta, or they come asking why they want it done by Estefanía or me.
In the end, it is a bit of that familiarity and closeness that there is not when everything is so protocolized. It’s great and very nice.
What is the quality or skill you consider necessary to be a dental hygienist?
I think, in this case, being something as specific as the mouth, of course you can’t be a scrupulous person. Not at all.
A patient sits down and in the end is a person who needs your help, your advice, who needs your guidance, that there is still a lot of lack of information, even though it may not seem like it.
And well, the most concrete quality is that you have to like it. You have to feel it.
What is the most complicated procedure you have performed?
Procedure in surgery, which has been what I have worked on the most, a bizona breast lift, at the same time we were placing implants with bone and graft.
That, I think, is the most complex thing I’ve seen.
What is the part of your job that you enjoy the most?
The part when I am with my patient and I explain a lot of techniques, they ask me their doubts, they put their trust in me, then I feel that they trust me, that the experience has been good for them.
I love it when, for example, the other day a patient came, gave us a book and gave each of us a detail, a dedication.
She was a patient who had a hard time sitting on the couch, she had not been able to do it for many years, and one day I reassured her, I talked to her and that feeling we had helped her to feel safe. Now I meet her in the street and we stop to talk.
What motivates you the most on a daily basis?
What motivates me most is to learn every day. And you learn a lot here with your colleagues.
I am very inquisitive, I can’t help it, and I ask a lot of questions, for example to Dr. Rodas, from whom you can learn a lot because he is a great expert and you can learn a lot from him.
Keep training, there are always things to learn, there are a lot of new things coming out in the industry. We hygienists are very much taken into account, we play a fundamental role, in the end a doctor cannot work without us, we cannot work without a doctor, so we are side by side.
What is your day-to-day life like at Cervantes Dental Clinic?
I am on an intensive shift, which is a super good thing that this clinic has offered me, I am very happy. And my day-to-day life depends on how we are protocolized, since a doctor comes every day.
Normally, if Pablo Rodas is there, I am almost always with him in consultation. If we have cleanings, whitening… things that we can do, we do it.
We have patients who come looking for each one of us or depending on if there is one that is a little bit more free. I also see Dr. Naveros and on Tuesdays I am always with Dr. Alba, who specializes in Orthodontics.
What is the clinic environment like?
The atmosphere was great. Very good, we are more or less the same age, so we understand each other quite well, we complement each other. We help each other and if we don’t we ask each other because we have enough confidence.
In other words, there is no rivalry between one and the other; on the contrary. Let’s help each other, let’s get the job done, let’s make each other’s day easier because in the end that’s what it’s all about.
What do you think your patients value most?
I think what they value most is that you listen to them. One of the things we are used to is that we go to a medical center, whether private, private or public, and they don’t listen to you.
So here we stand, we listen to them, their questions reach you. If you don’t know how to answer their question or don’t know how to solve it, ask a colleague.
I think that makes patients, in the end, have a lot of confidence in us.
What basic care do you recommend for healthy oral hygiene to your patients?
The basic hygiene is to never lose the habit. That is to say, I can advise them on hygiene, types of brushes, types of brushing, techniques ….. But if they don’t make it a habit at home, it’s no use.
My father always has a phrase that I never forget and that is «the little tree since it is small».
We end with the fifth interview with the Cervantes Dental Clinic team in Granada and with which we will continue so that you can get to know all our members.
If you need a personalized diagnosis, call or write us.
Smile is a universal language. Come to our dental clinic in Granada and we will advise you. First appointment free of charge!
