Orthodontics and HOF (Orofacial and Surgical Harmonization) go hand in hand. The former may have more functional aspects, since it deals with the alignment between teeth and jaws, but the result orthodontic treatment provides gives patients well-being both in the functions tied to these areas and in the aesthetic sense.
So many patients who seek orthodontic treatment end up also seeking aesthetic care in other regions of the face, in order to have an even more harmonious appearance.
That is what dental surgeons Mariana Magalhães Vasti and Roberta Rotta are noticing. They decided to specialize in Orthodontics and HOF to meet growing demand and increase their income with orofacial harmonization.
The perspective of someone who already works with orthodontics
Mariana graduated 4 years ago and holds a postgraduate degree in Orthodontics. She currently works in her specialty and as a general practitioner, but she is not happy with the financial return from her work. She says she sees between 12 and 15 patients every day, and also reports:
“We work a lot and often have low pay, and harmonization, from what we see, pays more, for procedures that sometimes take less time.”
In her daily appointments, Mariana sees that she is not always able to help resolve her patients' aesthetic complaints with Orthodontics alone. With the Postgraduate Program in HOF, she wants to be able to help much more fully in restoring her patients' self-esteem.
Why the postgraduate program is the best path
The dentist also says she chose the specialization instead of short courses because she believes a Postgraduate Program will give her more confidence in treating her patients with the procedures she is being trained to perform:
“The specialization has a higher course load, we feel more comfortable, more confident, we learn from professors who, besides teaching, work in the field, so that enriches us a lot and gives us great confidence to perform these procedures safely on our patients.”
The view of someone who recently graduated
Roberta, on the other hand, chose Orofacial and Surgical Harmonization as her first specialization. She graduated in Dentistry from USP in Ribeirão Preto and soon started the Postgraduate Program.
With the program, Roberta wants to be able to offer higher-quality care to her patients. She says she is enjoying working at the clinic where she currently works, but that the appointments are very rushed.
Since the procedures made possible by the HOF specialty are very well paid, they also give more autonomy to professionals like Roberta, who can devote more time to each clinical case.
But what about Orthodontics?
As for Orthodontics, Roberta says she has been interested in the field since college, and it was at a talk during that period that she discovered the affinity between Orthodontics and HOF. The talk presented Orofacial Harmonization as the finishing step of orthodontic treatment, as explained above.
“In the future I want to see my patient, do their orthodontic treatment and finish with harmonization, as if it were the grand finale of the treatment”, says Roberta.
With her HOF certification, Roberta also hopes to be able to plan for opening her own office, and tells about her goals:
“It's a specialty that is in high demand right now, the procedures are not so cheap, so I will be able to save a bit more money to also start thinking about opening my office, opening offices in other cities, outside Ribeirão, something I really want.”
More dental surgeons who chose HOF
Want to learn about more cases of dentists who are changing the course of their careers through HOF? Here on the blog, we tell you everything about the careers and motivations of postgraduate students. So if you are still unsure whether a specialization in the field of aesthetic health is right for you, there is no shortage of success stories to inspire you.
Dr. Gabriel Monte, for example, even with little time in practice is already a reference in the market, and tells how aesthetics in dentistry is a profitable segment.
Dreyson Motta Nicotaria is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and also chose HOF to broaden his options for caring for his patients.
And Leticia Ranghiere says her greatest motivation for starting an aesthetics-focused specialization was the prospect of transforming her patients' lives and, on top of that, having more schedule flexibility.
Success Stories>Orofacial and Surgical Harmonization|Orofacial and Surgical Harmonization|Aesthetic HealthLaís Bianquini
NEPUGA content team — Núcleo de Especializações Ana Carolina Puga.
