My Story....
Photos taken from Google Images
Greetings! My name is Christia and welcome to my first ever webpage. This page is designed for two amazing course that I am enrolled in. Through the span of both courses, I will be adding information and case studies about certain diseases and how they may be addressed in the dental setting. I will go into detail about how to care for patients with special needs and the ways that we can provide proper standard of care for them. This page will act as my portfolio and journal and I am hoping to add a few links where additional information may be found. But first, let me tell you a little about myself and how I arrived at this part in my life.
I think if I close my eyes and think back hard enough, I can remember all the life changing moments I've had and all the people that help to shape those memories. One thing I can say for my childhood is that it always seemed that I knew what I wanted and that I could handle anything in my path. It was when I grew up that I started to become unsure of which direction to go because I wanted to do everything.
It was my mother who planted the idea of dentistry in my head. I went to UC Davis as a premed student because I knew I wanted to "help people." After graduating, doing internships and taking the MCATS, it was clear to me that medicine was not my dream anymore. She offered me the chance to go back to school and study dentistry abroad. Four years later I found myself back in the U.S., but most of the licensing boards here closed dental licensing to foreign graduates. By that point, I felt that I had so many set backs. Even with the bachelor's and doctor degree under my belt, I still couldn't practice. It would suffice to say that I was disappointed and tired.
However there was one thing I was sure of and that was that I was passionate about dentistry and I couldn't give up. I worked as an RDA for 4 years before discovering that I could possibly be a hygienist. I knew that being a hygienist would fit my personality and allow me to be a care provider in the ways I wanted to. What I am most looking forward to doing as a hygienist is being able to travel and volunteer in poor countries, where access and knowledge of dental care is difficult. Being in another country taught me the meaning of compassion and to never take for granted what you have. If I achieve my dream of becoming a hygienist, I know I will cherish it because of how steep my climb to get there was. I've made plenty of mistakes along the way, sacrificed and picked myself up so many times. I feel as if I took a really long detour, or I guess you could call it the "scenic route" to get to where I am today, but I still don't have any regrets. A couple of lessons I've learned from all my struggles and experiences is to never give up, never lose hope and that a smile is the same in any language.
As care providers it is our responsibility to be aware of how to provide quality care with compassion. I feel hygienists are instrumental in helping people understand that oral care is not only about cleaning teeth and that many factors play a role in oral health. Thank you for taking the time to visit this site and being part of my journey.
-Chris :)
I think if I close my eyes and think back hard enough, I can remember all the life changing moments I've had and all the people that help to shape those memories. One thing I can say for my childhood is that it always seemed that I knew what I wanted and that I could handle anything in my path. It was when I grew up that I started to become unsure of which direction to go because I wanted to do everything.
It was my mother who planted the idea of dentistry in my head. I went to UC Davis as a premed student because I knew I wanted to "help people." After graduating, doing internships and taking the MCATS, it was clear to me that medicine was not my dream anymore. She offered me the chance to go back to school and study dentistry abroad. Four years later I found myself back in the U.S., but most of the licensing boards here closed dental licensing to foreign graduates. By that point, I felt that I had so many set backs. Even with the bachelor's and doctor degree under my belt, I still couldn't practice. It would suffice to say that I was disappointed and tired.
However there was one thing I was sure of and that was that I was passionate about dentistry and I couldn't give up. I worked as an RDA for 4 years before discovering that I could possibly be a hygienist. I knew that being a hygienist would fit my personality and allow me to be a care provider in the ways I wanted to. What I am most looking forward to doing as a hygienist is being able to travel and volunteer in poor countries, where access and knowledge of dental care is difficult. Being in another country taught me the meaning of compassion and to never take for granted what you have. If I achieve my dream of becoming a hygienist, I know I will cherish it because of how steep my climb to get there was. I've made plenty of mistakes along the way, sacrificed and picked myself up so many times. I feel as if I took a really long detour, or I guess you could call it the "scenic route" to get to where I am today, but I still don't have any regrets. A couple of lessons I've learned from all my struggles and experiences is to never give up, never lose hope and that a smile is the same in any language.
As care providers it is our responsibility to be aware of how to provide quality care with compassion. I feel hygienists are instrumental in helping people understand that oral care is not only about cleaning teeth and that many factors play a role in oral health. Thank you for taking the time to visit this site and being part of my journey.
-Chris :)