The New Year is finally here and the whole team at Sierra Smiles is excited for all that 2023 has in store. But before we jump into the deep end and start swimming, we thought we would take a moment to share some of the highlights of 2022, with a focus on the hard work of our team of excellent dentists.
Northern Nevada Dentists 2022 Achievements
Their focus on continuing education, community outreach, and patient care has given us more than enough reason to be optimistic about the year ahead. And when you hear all the things our doctors have been up to, we think you’ll be feeling pretty optimistic, too! Here’s a look at what our doctors have been doing over the last 365 days.
Continuing Education for Dentists
One of the most important aspects of being a dentist is maintaining a focus on continuing education. The field of dentistry changes rapidly and new innovations are developed every day to help support the needs of patients. A practicing dentist never really stops learning because dentistry never stops changing. All of our dentists are devoted to learning the latest treatments, mastering the newest tools and exploring new techniques.
1. Anterior Esthetics with CEREC–Dr. Quidwei
This year, Dr. Quidwei participated in a hands-on workshop called “Anterior Esthetics with CEREC” with two assistants in Scottsdale, AZ. Our CEREC machine is one of the most innovative tools available for creating custom dental restorations like crowns. Instead of making patients wait days or weeks for new restorations, they can often have them in about a day. Doctor Quidwei’s participation in the anterior workshop expands on Sierra Smiles’ capabilities in creating picture-perfect smiles with ease.
2. Implant Dentistry–Dr. Vong
Dr. Vong has also been participating in continuing education, particularly in the area of dental implants. He completed 76 hours of expanded instruction and study in implant dentistry over the last year, in addition to changing the smiles of dozens of implant patients with new, permanent teeth. The success of implantation and the overall final smile is heavily dependent upon the skills and knowledge of the dentist. Dr. Vong’s dedication to continuing education ensures our patients can count on Sierra Smiles for the best looking, longest lasting dental implants possible.
3. Breathe Institute’s 2022 Myo Masterminds Program–Dr. Verano
Dr. Verano spent 9 months in the Breathe Institute’s 2022 Myo Masterminds program. Verano found the program profoundly impactful, explaining, “Over the 9-month program, I dived into research, anatomy and physiology, infant and childhood development, facial and speech development, orthodontic and surgical support, and complex patient care, practice development and personal/professional growth.” Myofunctional disorders can affect how we sleep and breathe. It can impact how mothers breastfeed their children and how children eat, sleep and breathe during critical development stages. Dr. Verano’s time in the program will allow Sierra Smiles and Sierra Sleep to continue offering new support for individuals with sleep disordered breathing and other issues caused by myofunctional disorders.
Community Outreach
Our dentists also work to support our community. Nevada is our home, too, and we want to help improve it with our unique skills and talents. Routine dental care is critical to oral health and overall physical wellness. Beyond the physical benefits, dental care also supports patients by helping them improve their smiles and their self-esteem. We’ve provided multiple outreach days to give members of our community access to critical services, including heart assessments, implant assessments, and other support.
- Implant Pathway Program
Remember Dr. Vong’s 76 hours on dental implant education in 2022? He’ll be utilizing many of those new skills, combined with years of experience, to place multiple implants on veterans in Arizona in February of 2023. This work is part of the Implant Pathway Program, which combines education and philanthropy to help dentists grow while also supporting members of the community with much needed dental care. - Caring for the Pregnant Patient
In December, Dr. Quidwai gave a webinar presentation to a study club for continuing education on “Caring for the Pregnant Patient” and “Diagnostic X-rays.” Pregnant patients have unique struggles with dental care and need support from their dental provider. Between issues with nausea, swollen gums, bleeding gums and the risk that issues like gum disease pose to the developing baby, it is important they maintain their regular care. Dr. Quidwai hopes that providing education to others can be helpful in ensuring they get it.
Other Key Highlights from 2022 for Our Northern Nevada Dentists
As you can see, our dentists were pretty busy in 2022, and that’s in addition to serving patients on a daily basis and helping keep the offices up and running. Even in the practice itself, our dental team continued to make new strides in dentistry.
- Dr. Quidwai completed a difficult aesthetic case that featured restoring fractured and chipping teeth with crowns on 12 different teeth.
- Dr. Verano took the Breathe Institute Baby Breathe class to expand knowledge on infant frenectomies (tongue and lip ties).
- The practice as a whole expanded sleep disorder support through new devices, treatment options, and testing.
We Look Forward to Treating You in 2023!
We hope our breakdown of 2022 highlights has you feeling secure in your decision to make Sierra Smiles your preferred dental provider. Rest assured that our dentists will be just as focused on learning and growing in 2023 as they have been every single year. We hope to see you and your loved ones in the year ahead, whether it’s for routine cleaning or a major treatment.