Please join us as we celebrate our amazing hygiene team!

While the Coronavirus threw all businesses and industries for a loop this year, the healthcare sector was hit particularly hard. The dental hygiene community had to pull together to be able to treat patients who needed dental care, and manage everything that came along with being essential healthcare workers.

Not only does our dental hygiene team strive to take the very best care of their patients and their smile on an everyday basis, they now also need to take the extra safety protocols to ensure the safest environment for themselves and their patients. Easy, no. Worth it, yes.

So while October might be National Dental Hygiene Month, we celebrate our team of hygienists this month and every month! Here’s a little snapshot into some of our hygienists’ lives so you can learn more about why they are proud to wear scrubs and what they do when they’re not in scrubs.

Shay
Did you know that Shay was born in France and has lived all over the world? While she might be fluent in three languages and a pretty good salsa dancer, her real passion is teeth! What drew her to becoming a hygienist was that she wanted a career that was fulfilling and in which she could make a real different in people’s lives.

She considers the best part about her job being that she gets to work with an amazing team of dedicated individuals, and finds that the support and sharing of knowledge and expertise is inspiring. We are so glad to have her as part of the team!

Jeniffer
Growing up in South America, Jeniffer says that going to the dentist was almost a luxury. She was lucky in that her parents were able to afford dental care for her and since she had great dentists who made every visit enjoyable, she wanted to do the same, especially for people who experience dental anxiety. She loves being able to build long-lasting relationships with her patients, and enjoys it when they feel comfortable enough to share great news like getting a puppy or expecting their first child!

When she’s not perfecting smiles, you’ll find this usually shy person performing, either on the dance floor as a professional salsa dancer or underwater as a mermaid!

Ashley
For Ashley, becoming part of the dental field was a no brainer for her as dentistry runs in her family! She grew up watching her mom Debbie (who also works at Spodak!) work as a dental assistant, who suggested Ashley become a hygienist. She loved the idea of being a part of someone’s health and having the opportunity to help and educate patients to make them feel better. She feels that the best part about her job is being able to create relationships with her patients, and finds that it’s really something special when she can share a bond on a personal and professional level.

A little fun fact about Ashley is that she’s been a certified scuba instructor since she was 12 years old and her original plan was to become a marine biologist. Lucky for us and her patients, she decided to trade the wetsuit for scrubs!

Lucy
Anyone who has met Lucy, loves Lucy. She is one of the most gentle and caring hygienists you’ll ever meet, which makes sense because she’s wanted to be a caregiver for as long as she could remember. She went into the healthcare field because she wanted a profession where she could help people. Lucy did have some negative experiences as a teen, which made her want to pursue dental hygiene so she could make sure her patients would have positive experiences. She also uses her position as a way to make personal connections with her patients and educating them on improving their dental health, which, in turn, improves their whole body health!

When she’s not polishing and cleaning, you’ll find her traveling and hiking. Last summer she had the opportunity to enjoy the breathtaking sights of Banff National Park, Jasper National Park and Glacier National Park in the Canadian Rockies, and can’t wait for her next trip.

Brittany
Brittany is her name and science is her game! A science-lover by nature, Brittany became a hygienist because she wanted to be a mid-level healthcare provider with the flexibility of working autonomously. Her motivation for work includes creating a benefit in her patients’ lives and being a part of improving health overall in the U.S. Not only does she love being able to follow through on her patients’ periodontal care and maintenance, which helps them keep their teeth for a lifetime, but it’s also rewarding for her to be able to build long-term relationships with her patients.

Outside of working at Spodak Dental Group, she trades her cleaning and polishing tools for a paintbrush, yoga pants, and her small-business-owner thinking cap.

Regardless if our patients have only one hygienist they visit, or they switch around from hygienist to hygienist depending on their schedule, we know that our hygiene team is amazing and provides the best care possible! They’re more than just professional teeth cleaners, they are also advocates for complete health and happiness, and we love that about them. They’re true dental hy-geniuses for sure!