This article was written by BenitoLink intern Brea Spencer. Lea este articulo en español aquí.
Hollister has its first-ever Dental Hygiene Practice and Vanessa Salinas hopes it’s the beginning of a community trend for the specialized service.
Looking to provide an alternative to a traditional dental office, Registered Dental Hygienist in Alternative Practice, Salinas opened Vibrant Smiles Dental Hygiene in Hollister in July.
“The main difference to a traditional office is that there is no dentist here,” Salinas said. “I focus on pure hygiene, and dentists focus on teeth.”
The goal of her practice isn’t to be a replacement for the dentist, but rather to be an alternative for patients who need a routine procedure like a teeth cleaning, fluoride treatment or sealant.
“I’ve been in dentistry for 17 years, and I’ve seen that patients a lot of the time don’t want to go see a dentist,” she said. “People don’t like the dentist.”
Salinas said that Vibrant Smiles offers a different type of dental experience with one-on-one care in an environment that is designed to be comforting and inviting. When a patient walks in, they are greeted with olive green accents, soft music in the background and eye-catching floral arrangements on the walls.
“People want to come into an office and just get their teeth cleaned,” she said.
The stress that is traditionally associated with going to a dental office is what Salinas was aiming to avoid, so that her patients could receive care apart from a dentist.
“Thats where I was targeting. It alleviates that, and I am an additional resource to dentists for the overflow of patients, or patients who don’t have insurance or want something affordable,” she said. “I’m here, I’m available for them.”
Though she has her office, Salinas also goes where her services are needed, such as schools, firefighters academies and nursing facilities.
“I bring my own dental office to them,” she said. “They don’t even have to move.”
Salinas said she “will bend over backwards” to provide care in mobile visits to nursing homes where patients can tend to be mobility impaired.
The other main difference between Vibrant Smiles and a traditional dental office is the cost. Salinas said that she keeps her prices low, offering rates that may be half the price of a dental office.
“Hopefully this will get other hygienists to want to come into the community and help, and motivate them to start their own practice, or mobile practice, or just get out there and be more community based,” she said.
Salinas’s journey into dentistry started during her time at Hollister High School. During her time there, she was part of a collaborative program between the high school and Gavilan College where she was able to explore dental assisting.
Since then, she has gone on to get multiple degrees in dental practice and teach dental hygiene at Cabrillo College. And even now with a full-time job and being a mother of four, she is pursuing a predental degree from Arizona State University.
“My husband, and I drive him crazy at this point, he says I’m overly motivated,” she said.
A single mother for many years, Salinas said, “I just didn’t ever want my daughter to see me give up.”
She hoped that by demonstrating a drive for education and self-improvement, she could not only support her family directly, but also inspire her children to pursue education.
Salinas has plans to create an educational clinic as part of the business to support other hygienists in the community.
“I don’t only want to be ‘Vibrant Smiles: dental hygiene’ I also want to be ‘Vibrant smiles: Educational foundation,’” Salinas said.
Going forward, Salinas envisions an expanded Vibrant Smiles, with a new location and collaboration with local dentists.
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