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Best Dental Hygenist : Iris Smisko

Sep 27, 2016 | 12:35 PM

At Dr. Donald Hui’s office in Carlton Court Plaza, a lady by the name of Iris Smisko has won Prince Albert’s Best of the Best Award for the Best Dental Hygienist. 

Iris began her career in dental health as a dental therapist.  Even though no one in her family had experience in the dental health field, she dove right in and began a career that would eventually bring her to Dr. Hui’s practice in Prince Albert. 

Iris enrolled right after high school, in a program for Dental Therapy, then  called Dental Nursing, in Regina.  Iris tells me the program is no longer available in Regina, in fact, no longer available in Canada as far as she knows. 

She worked for several years in the school systems in rural Saskatchewan, bringing the dental therapy right to the children in the schools.  This was convenient for the parents and for the children, but ultimately meant a lot of time on the road for Iris.

She moved to Prince Albert with her husband, and started a family.  When her children were just 2 and 5 years, she found herself back at school in Regina, this time in the Dental Hygiene program.  She remarks how some nights were later than usual, as she made sure the children were looked after and in bed before she had time to study.

Iris has been in the dental profession for 38 years,  now with Dr. Hui, who recently purchased the practice and she stayed on with him.  She has developed a comradery and friendship with the other seven staff members.  This friendship, she describes as a family of sorts and she enjoys working with them, as well as the relationship she developed over the years with her clients.  She finds it satisfying to see a patient return time and again, and that they have put their trust in her.

 “It’s very rewarding, and it’s great to have the one on one contact with clients.” 

One of the challenges Iris mentions, is when clients have anxiety or fear about being in a dental office, and she has a great deal of experience helping her clients relax and calm down.  She tells me how one of the most important things is explaining the process to the client, so they know what to expect and that there are no surprises.   She also mentions how her sense of humor helps in those situations.

“I’m happy that they felt satisfied with my work.  I would thank them for putting their trust in me.”

Some of the changes in technology have meant that Iris has travelled to attend seminars and courses to keep up to date such as last year to the Pacific Dental Conference in Vancouver and soon to come is the Saskatoon Oral Health conference.  The presenters and speakers often have new items in the market, and give out samples for the attendees.  Iris and her counterparts are introduced to new procedures and have professionals talk about their techniques and experiences with new protocols.  Iris enjoys the ongoing training and education and is looking forward to attending more to ensure she is well educated in the new advances.

Iris and Dr. Hui invite you to come in and book an appointment at the office at #111 2805 6th Avenue East in the Carlton Court Plaza.  Iris would love to see you come in for an appointment, and thanks all her current clients for voting for her as this year’s Best Dental Hygienist in Prince Albert. New Patients are welcome.

Call for an appointment 306-763-4333

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Phone: 306-763-4333

Address:
#111 2805 6th Avenue East in the Carlton Court Plaza