Experience Dental Bytes

At Beautiful Smiles, we believe communication is a great way to build strong relationships between our team and you, our patient. Visit this page frequently to learn more about Dr. Santiago's charitable works, as well as gain information on the latest technology and personnel developments at our office.

This past October, Dr Santiago, assumed the position of President of the New England Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (NEACD) for the current two-year term (2010-2012.)

While in Israel in December 2010, Dr. Santiago was thrilled to be able to visit the Cadent company offices -- the home of the iTero scanner and its amazing technology. Together with her husband, Rafael Santiago, a noted business lawyer and satisfied patient, and her parents (her father, Dr. Howard Mark is a retired oral surgeon and UCONN Dental School faculty member and her mother, Sheila Mark, is a retired dental hygienist) they toured the facility, learned how the scanners are put together, and saw the amount of wiring and hardware hidden in the camerahead and in the machine body. Dr. Santiago was treated to a review of future developments and was interviewed and asked to provide input to assist in further developments.

The latest developments are the ability to scan for Invisalign® and certain implants that have just been launched…very exciting!

The Connecticut Mission of Mercy (fondly known as CTMOM) will hold its fourth annual mission in Waterbury from April 14-17, 2012. This amazing event is the culmination of months of planning and fundraising, with the goal of providing emergency dental care to citizens of our state who have difficulty paying for this care and who would otherwise go untreated. This four-day event – from set up of the 100+ chair mobile clinic to teardown – provides two days of care and involves over a thousand volunteers. Dr. Santiago is one of the heads of the restorative team (the group that completes all the cavity fillings for the Mission.) She and her team have participated in this project since its inception. For more information on this worthwhile event, please visit www.csda.com and click on the Mission of Mercy icon.

Wednesday March 16, 2011, Dr. Santiago will act as the moderator for Dr. DeWitt Wilkerson at the Aqua Turf where he will be speaking to the Connecticut State Dental Association (CSDA) membership and allied staff member on TMJ issues, occlusion, and associated muscle problems. Several of our team members will be in attendance. This marks the 6th lecture of this year-long series that we have attended – we love our continuing education and staying up-to-date with it in order to take the best possible care of our patients.

We attended this year's Connecticut State Dental Association (CSDA) Annual meeting at Mohegan Sun and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) Meeting in Boston in May.

Dr. Santiago and her team have just completed the work on a case for Donated Dental Services (formerly the National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped). Our office typically treats one-to-three pro bono cases per year for this cause.

For additional facts, please go to www.nfdh.org/donated-dental-services-dds.

Bianca and Shaleah, our valued dental assistants, are both taking courses to prepare them for dental hygiene school. Dr. Santiago is proud to have inspired such desire and enthusiasm in these two talented and bright young women. Two of our team members have gone on to become dentists, and another assistant became a dental hygienist.

Spring is a popular time for mentor visits, and last Spring, Dr. Santiago and her team hosted several excited young dental students – sharing lunch, answering questions, explaining some of the ins and outs of a dental practice from both the business and technical sides, as well as demonstrating dental procedures. We have discovered that we learn from our students as well, and we grow as we teach.