Becoming an Orofacial Harmonization Specialist Before Graduating Is Her Goal

Planning her career, she wants to be an Orofacial Harmonization specialist before graduating in dentistry and get ahead in the job market

One step ahead. That is how Dyllima de Souza Lopes, from Minas Gerais, wants to be, as she plans to become a specialist in HOF (Orofacial and Surgical Harmonization) before graduating in dentistry. In her sixth semester of dentistry, she is already planning her entry into the job market and, to do so, is improving her skills in HOF to be better prepared to face it.

Aware that the health field was her destiny, from a very young age she wanted to study something related to it. Her initial idea was to go into medicine, but over the years she got to know other specialties and ended up falling in love with dentistry. According to her, in the second year of high school, the doubt about which of the two degrees to pursue was great, but by the end of high school, her desire for dentistry spoke louder.

She also says that medicine might not have been an option, even because of the cost of the program, but even at the end of her senior year of high school, when she could afford to go into medicine, she chose dentistry.

Moving to a New City and New Expectations

To study dentistry, Dyllima, a native of Montes Santos de Minas (MG), chose the city of Ribeirão Preto (SP). She says that no one in her family is involved in the health field, and her desire to care for others was one of the factors that led her to enter the field.
“Because of caring for the patient. It's something I really like. No one in my family is a dentist or a doctor. It just arose in me”.

Dyllima is in the sixth of eight semesters of dentistry and says she discovered HOF after doing some internet research on specializations she could take to add to her résumé as a dentist. For her, HOF is something new, with a lot of room to grow, which captivated her to learn more about the procedure and join the advanced training.

“For me, HOF is something very new, I still see a lot of growth. At first I thought about taking one course or another as a complementary area, but over time I started to like HOF and decided to specialize precisely to learn more”.

In Ribeirão Preto she took part in some internships and says that what drew her attention to HOF was seeing the change and joy of the patients. “The transformation! I took part in internships at a few offices and I see that for the patient it is not just an aesthetic achievement. She arrives with some dissatisfaction, you perform the procedure on her and you see the joy when she looks in the mirror, it's gratifying. Regardless of it being something aesthetic, seeing the patient's transformation and joy is very beautiful”.

Aligning Dentistry with HOF Is Advantageous for Professionals

Professionals who intend to stand out in the job market must always be tuned in to new trends and prepared to treat patients with the best techniques. That is how Dyllima thinks. The intention of doing the advanced training while still in her dentistry degree is precisely to be better prepared for professional life after finishing.

“I'm interested in specializing in implants, I believe it will go very well with the harmony of the smile and the rest of the face”.

A good professional also understands the patient's needs. Not just performing the procedure, but understanding what the person hopes to see at the end of the process. Dyllima believes that having the qualification to care for the smile and details of the patient's face can make her performance as an aesthetic dentist easier.

“During my internships, I have heard from dentists that the patient needs to have a beautiful smile, because it's no use having a filled lip if the smile isn't harmonious. So I believe it is a marriage: in every area you improve, you will see a better result”.

“Aesthetics is not superficiality. Aesthetics is also health”

There are those who may not give proper credit to what aesthetic procedures do in people's lives, but Dyllima goes against that thinking. For her, by making any change, a person is also taking care of their health. The effects that facial harmonization, teeth whitening, or any other procedure can have on a patient's self-esteem are countless.

“Going through some kind of transformation that other people consider merely aesthetic, but when you look in the mirror and see the result of teeth whitening, or a well-defined face, it improves your sense of well-being,” and she continues: “As long as you are well with yourself, you are well with everyone”.

Paths of Advanced Training and Career Plans

With the aim of improving her performance and entering the market with qualifications, Dyllima went online to look for postgraduate programs, and in her search she found the HOF specialization at Nepuga. “I'm very anxious (laughs). One day I decided to look for postgraduate programs in HOF and found Nepuga's website. It's an important moment for me and, starting now, I'll be a specialist before those who wait to finish their degree to begin. The market is big, there's room for everyone, but I will do my best”.

Dyllima believes she will have a promising career. She knows the obstacles she will face, but with a lot of dedication she plans to open her clinic and be able to work in both dentistry and Facial Harmonization. For her, the idea of aligning the two fields is what will make her happy.

“We have challenges, that's normal, but I'm ready to face each stage. I plan to open my clinic, I don't know which city yet, but I'm looking at possibilities in several cities. I'll work in dentistry, but harmonization will be something very frequent in my day to day. I hope to work a lot in both”.

On the happiness of doing what she loves most, she stresses that financial return is good, but should not be the only focus. “Financial return is an important factor, but not the main one, because working at something you don't like and being well paid isn't worth it. What matters is being happy, and I'm sure I'm on the right path”.

To reach her goals, Dyllima doesn't wait for time to pass and goes after her dreams. She is currently taking an advanced training course in HOF and is following the path to success alongside many other professionals who also chose to do the advanced training even before finishing their degree.

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