Anisha Mahtani lives and breathes dental hygiene

From early morning to late evening, you can find Anisha in CNC’s Dental wing. The second-year dental hygiene student spends her time in between classes at the on-campus dental clinic and staying on top of her homework. 

“I live and breathe dental hygiene,” Anisha jokes. “When we came back to campus after the summer break, we had a presentation in our first class that said, ‘Welcome home’. And that’s how it really feels. The cohorts are pretty small, so you develop strong connections with your instructors and build close friendships with other students in the program.”

Accredited study

Born and raised in Chennai (சென்னை) in southern India, Anisha studied at a recognized university to become a general dentist. With a highly saturated job market in the dental field and relatively low salaries paid to fresh dental graduates, Anisha decided to take her white coat abroad. 

“I visited Canada in 2013 for vacation and absolutely loved it here,” Anisha reminisces. “After graduating in India, I wanted to learn more about dentistry in Canada. I started searching for a public school with accredited dental programs. CNC was one of the few B.C. schools that had a CDAC accreditation. 

I did my research and spoke to alumni and teachers in the dental hygiene program about the classes, the clinic and the instructors. They told me about the good name and reputation that the program and college have. Basically, once you graduate, dental offices would offer you a job knowing that you've studied at CNC.”

 

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A creative profession

The passing of Anisha’s grandmother due to cancer when she was little and her desire to help people directed her to the field of medicine. “For a while, I took coaching classes to explore a physician profession,” Anisha shares. “I spoke with a lot of people in the medical and dental field. One perspective that someone shared with me was how much creativity dentistry requires.

Every patient and each tooth are so different and require varying treatments and use of instruments. That’s what I love about studying in this field: there is so much to learn and there are so many branches to explore: from periodontics and oral surgery to prosthodontics and orthodontics.” 

Educational and cultural differences

Coming to CNC, Anisha had a lot of relearning to do. “Back home, my study was very broad and more related to restorative/surgical treatments. My knowledge of scaling and debridement (plaque and tartar removal) and preventive care was very minimal,” Anisha attests. “When I got here, there were many different hand instruments and equipment that I had heard of but never seen or used before. All of that was new to me.”

Anisha greatly values that the dental profession in Canada consists of different types of roles that are considered equally important. “In India, it is rare to find dental hygienists and there is extremely minimal awareness about them. The dentist does everything, from cleaning to root canals and teeth restorations,” she explains. “Here in Canada, there is more delegation with more time for patient education and preventative care.” 

Patient experience 

Anisha is also pleasantly surprised with the level of detail that the instructors provide in class and the clinic to ensure the best student learning and patient experience. “Starting in your first semester, you get to practice on a model and on your own classmates on different procedures, so you learn and experience how it feels to do the work or be in the dental chair,” she shares.

“As of the second semester, it gets real when you get patients from the community to visit you for oral health care. CNC has some of the nicest dental patients. When you’re seeing a patient multiple times, you really develop a bond with them. Plus, you also get the chance to educate them on dental hygiene practices and make a difference in their oral health which is very rewarding.”

Dental hygiene students must see a certain number of patients per semester as part of their requirements for graduation. With a low-cost and flat fee of $50, the clinic is a great option for people with limited or no dental insurance. In the clinic, the students are supervised by licensed, experienced dental practitioners. 

“Our instructors are really strict when it comes to health and safety protocols and the procedures we’re allowed to do,” Anisha explains. “The performance evaluations are always a bit nerve wracking knowing you’re being observed while treating your patient. It’s not always easy but it definitely helps you grow as a dental professional. Our instructors want to make sure we’re ready to provide the best oral health care for our patients in a safe environment and have the skills to flourish in the dental field upon graduating.” 

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If you’re interested in becoming a dental patient at CNC, you can either visit the clinic (400 Nicholson Street South, Prince George) and speak with someone in reception, or contact the patient services coordinator by emailing or calling 250-561-5810 (voicemail available for callbacks).