“She believed she could, so she did”.
R.S GREY
Welcome!
My name is Lucidania Naranjo. I am in my second year of Dental Hygiene School. Since I was a child my passion to help others came with my grandmother taking me to church and helping her to do community service. I am from the Dominican Republic. In my hometown, there are not a lot of resources to get health care. When I was a kid, my mother took me to my cousin’s dental office. I was so amazed at how my cousin helped people to achieve good oral habits. Since then, I had fallen in love with the dental field. I graduated from a dental school 13 years ago in the Dominican Republic. I came to this country for “the American dream” and realized that it would take me very long to have the same position in the US which I already had achieved in my country. I started working as a dental assistant, but It was not enough to fulfill my dreams. My kids and my husband motivated me to go back to school, that’s when I found The Dental Hygiene Program. In my opinion, it was the best decision of my life. It gives me such pleasure when I can dedicate time for my family, friends and help my patients get their smiles back.
One thing I like about this career, which makes me feel very happy is that I’m able to help people. Making sure my patients feel comfortable and help them obtain their oral health. One of the areas that fascinate me is nutrition counseling. Explaining to the patient the importance of good habits of nutrition and its beneficiary effect. Educating the patients on how nutrition plays a crucial role in their oral health and helping them to be aware that poor choice of nutrition may lead to dental caries and periodontal disease. Also, the association between diabetes and periodontal disease, a bidirectional relationship. Another area that interests me is pain management. Providing effective pain management helps the patient feel more secure which leads to greater trust, cooperation, and less anxiety during the treatment. Moreover, as the patients are feeling secure and less anxious it leads to more productive and effective dental treatment.
