Growing up in a Bengali household, oral hygiene was not seen as a main priority and was no where known to be a proper profession. To my family I was either to become a Doctor or a Lawyer; the brown families dream. So, for as long as I could remember I aimed to become a Pediatrician. I have always loved being around children especially because I am the oldest of 24 grand-kids, so becoming a Pediatrician meant treating them and being able to make them smile. However, along the way I realized making others smile was my goal, but I did not like my own smile due to having an anterior cross bite and one maxillary central incisor growing higher than the other. In other words, it seemed as if one central incisor was fractured in half therefore I trained myself to never show my teeth, until one day it was time for a change. At the time I was working at a Dental office (which I am still working at) where everyday more and more patients left their appointments smiling and happier than when they arrived. My boss and personal insecurity pushed me to get orthodontic treatment at the age of 18 and it was the best decision I made. Even though oral hygiene was becoming of more importance in my life, I graduated college with my undergrad Bachelors degree in Sociology. I had realized that understanding people and helping them overall in any way they need was what makes me happy. Through Pediatrics, children were the main focus but with sociology, everyone became my focus.
Even with my Bachelors degree I did not feel all the passion I wanted to. One day at work, the patients helped me see that Dental Hygiene is the perfect profession for me. It was my way to help others overcome the same insecurities I had with my smile, my way to help others improve their smile, and most importantly my way to bring about more happiness into patients lives. Working at this dental office, I experienced different dental situations, different people, and different concerns and yet everyone always left with a smile. It filled my heart with joy to know that now my passion to help others smile and be more confident about it can become reality. So, I applied for NYCCT Dental Hygiene Program in 2017. All the challenges, hard work, dedication, and sacrifices were all absolutely worth it to see my patient walk away with that smile. Not only that, but so many of them did not have any knowledge of proper oral hygiene care before their visit, just as I did not during my childhood, but they left gaining a vast amount of information. All this was taught in the curriculum and it was all used on a daily basis not only with patients but with family and friends outside of the program too. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunities I was provided with while in the Dental Hygiene Program. It has helped me become a strong, confident, hardworking, and passionate person. It is extremely heart warming and fulfilling to be able to provide patients with the knowledge of dental hygiene, provide them with a thorough cleaning, and teach them home care all while showing them their progress along the way. Nothing beats the feeling of the patient stating just how happy they are from the care they received and it makes any difficult times all worth while. I can not bring to words how much my passion has grown for this profession and I hope to be able to bring about more happiness one smile at a time. I am very grateful for all the skills I learned these past two years, all the relationships I have created with so many wonderful people, all the connections made with every patient and all the memories that were created everyday. With the support of my family, my friends, the sisters I have made in this program, and my faculty I have made it to graduation. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along my journey.
