Patients
You are the most important part of your own treatment. Without your informed decisions and subsequent cooperation, it is certain that any treatment will fail to meet your expectations. At Soleil, we recognize this and spend the time and resources required to inform and educate you about the problem, available options, chances of success, costs, timelines, etc. Every time you come to Soleil, we hope that you will walk away with a bit more knowledge about your oral health and dentistry’s solutions for improving it.
Support Staff
Dental assistants, sterilization technicians, receptionists, and laboratory technicians all require specialized training to carry out their respective functions in a dental clinic. However, unlike for dentists and hygienists, this is not yet required by law, so these jobs are open to anyone, even those with no training or background in dentistry. But the law sets minimum standards. At Soleil, we go above and beyond by hiring qualified personnel and putting them through a continuous and rigorous training regiment. The continuous aspect of any training program is important. Ideas must be constantly reinforced. Just because an employee was shown a training video of something years ago, it doesn’t mean they are going to remember it when required. The concepts must have been repeatedly reinforced over that timeframe.
Dental Hygienists
Maintenance of the gums (cleanings), though essential for oral care, but it is not the only treatment modality within the dental hygiene’s scope of practice. Soleil’s hygienists continue taking courses beyond their initial training and utilize their full scope of practice in caring for your oral health. This may include some restorative (fillings), orthodontic, and cosmetic procedures. They also continuously educate their patients about routine care at home, smoking cessation, and healthy nutrition.
Dentists
Nowadays, being a good dentist is not just about some initial schooling and then gaining experience in the ‘field’ through years of practice, it is just as important, if not more, to keep up with the fast-evolving science and technology. Gone are the days when dentistry was just a skilled trade! It is now a scientifically-backed profession. There are thousands of dental academics whose sole job is to research new, and more effective, dental treatments. And this information is disseminated to your local dentist via training courses that continue for life.
The quantity of this continuing education is mandated in regulation. However, the quality of these courses varies widely: they range from basic stuff that are almost free, to those that cost tens of thousands of dollars and deal with the cutting edge science and technology. The dentists at Soleil are willing to pay the cost of keeping up with these cutting-edge stuff. And this often involves continuing education in implants, sedation, CT scanners, braces, gum surgery, etc.
Through these continuing education courses, dentists also become members of dental associations beyond the basic ones included with their license. These forums allow for the exchange of ideas with other dentists. This prevents the silo-minded practice of dentistry. Two minds are usually better than one, and when your dentist is connected to the rest of the profession, you are more likely to be receiving the best care that is available out there.