<p>Meet Nina Lopez, a Filipino Dental Nurse currently working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Hear Nina’s inspiring story about what led her to the UAE, her experiences as Dental Nurse and why dental hygiene is important. </p>
<h2>Where are you from, what is your occupation and where do you live? </h2>
<p>I am from the Philippines, working as a Dental Nurse, living and working in Dubai, UAE.</p>
<h2>How long have you lived overseas and why did you choose to take your career abroad? </h2>
<p>I have been living here for a decade now. Back then, the healthcare system back home was very unorganized, with an oversupply of nurses while having very little demand for nursing vacancies. That’s when I decided to try applying for jobs in the UAE.</p>
<h2>Tell me about the work you do. </h2>
<p>I am working as a Dental Nurse in the Prosthodontics department. Cleaning and preparing the clinic using strict infection control techniques, arranging the instruments and materials to be needed for the shift, assisting the doctors using the 4-hand technique in doing the dental procedures, and doing patients’ assessments.</p>
<h2>Why did you choose to work in healthcare? </h2>
<p>I always love helping people in the smallest and simplest way possible! It was my childhood dream to become a healthcare worker.</p>
<h2>What is your favorite part of your job as a Dental Nurse?</h2>
<p>To be honest, it is when I see my patients smile and be happy with the outcome of their treatments.</p>
<h2>What does a typical day as a Dental Nurse look like? </h2>
<p>As soon as I come to work, I clean and prepare the clinic for the patients, prepare the materials, and lab cases needed for the shift, assist my doctor, discuss some cases with my doctor, take a 20-minute break, and study the cases of the patients scheduled for the next day. It’s like that every day and I enjoy it. I enjoy routine.</p>
<h2>How do you like to spend your free time? </h2>
<p>Oh! I love watching Netflix. Being a foodie, I love eating out and trying out different cuisines. I also read books in my free time.</p>
<h2>Why is oral health such an important topic? </h2>
<p>Oral health gets neglected by the majority. Little do people know that oral health is as important as our physical and mental health, and it is the foundation of healthy well-being.</p>
<h2>What are the impacts of an unhealthy mouth? </h2>
<p>Caries is the outcome of an unhealthy mouth. If untreated, this might lead to severe tooth decay and infections. An unhealthy mouth can impact our physical features as well. And in some cases, it can lead to low self-confidence.</p>
<h2>What are your top recommendations for a healthy mouth? Can we do more than brush our teeth multiple times a day?</h2>
<p>Floss! Please, please don’t forget to floss after brushing your teeth.</p>
<h2>‘Dentophobia’ (odontophobia) is a common fear of dentists. How does this impact a patient’s dental health and what can be done to help a patient overcome the anxiety or stress associated with this phobia? </h2>
<p>I’ve seen a lot of patients with dentophobia and they tell me they suffer from it due to a bad experience with dentists when they were young. Having a fear of the dentist makes them neglect their oral health issues. Assurance is the best way to help patients overcome their anxiety and stress. We need to assure them that there is a solution for every dental problem and that the patient will be comfortable before, during, and after each procedure.</p>
<h2>Would you recommend people to take up a career in the dental field? </h2>
<p>Yes.</p>
<h2>What is your biggest achievement? </h2>
<p>My biggest achievement so far was when I saw an old, edentulous patient smile again because of the dentures we did for her. This melts my heart.</p>
<h2>Do you think a work-life balance is important?</h2>
<p>Very important.</p>
<h2>What did you dream of doing when you were a child? </h2>
<p>I dreamt of being a doctor back then.</p>
<h2>What are your hopes for the future? Do you plan to move to a different country or pursue a different specialty or career? </h2>
<p>I am planning to go back to my medical-surgical nursing career soon. Hopefully soon. If the odds favor me!</p>
<h2>How has TrueProfile.io helped you with your career?</h2>
<p>Yes! TrueProfile.io helped me land my rockstar… I mean… my dental nursing career, which I really really love. They validated all my documents required to get me hired.</p>
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<h4>Like Nina, you could land your dream job with TrueProfile.io!</h4>
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