This week is bittersweet for the team at Future of Dentistry. We’ll be saying goodbye to our intern, Maria, who has been with us since the year began. We’re sad to see her go, but we’re looking forward to seeing her shine as she continues her career!
From L-R at Future of Dentistry: Lead Dental Assistant Darlene, Dr. Gerry Casazza, and Northeast Metro Tech intern Maria Manfra.
Maria is a dental assisting student at Northeast Metro Tech, the technical-vocational school in Wakefield.
“Maria has been a welcome addition to our office,” said Dr. Casazza. “With her enthusiasm and upbeat personality, it has been a pleasure having her as an intern.”
During her internship, Maria worked with three of our dentists as well as our dental assistants. She gained experience in a variety of areas, from assisting the dentists to preparing the rooms for patients.
“I learned a lot of hands-on skills,” she says.
Although she’d done some dental assisting through Northeast Metro Tech’s program, Maria feels she acquired valuable on-the-job knowledge at our office. For example, a big part of a dental assistant’s job is handing the doctor the proper instruments during treatment.
Sound easy? It’s not! Future of Dentistry performs a wide range of services, using a variety of techniques and equipment. A good assistant needs to anticipate what the doctors need and have it ready before they even ask. This challenge was part of Maria’s learning process during her internship.
Darlene, our lead assistant, acted as a mentor to Maria. “Maria always has a smile on her face,” said Darlene. “She is eager to learn and she’s always warm and welcoming with our patients — two qualities we value highly at Future of Dentistry.”
As a senior, Maria is planning to attend Middlesex Community College and become a full-time dental assistant. She recommends Northeast to other students considering a career in the dental field. She feels that her internship at Future of Dentistry provided a head-start on her career — and she had fun doing it.
“I loved all of it,” Maria said. “Everyone was so nice, and I like interacting with the patients.”
We’ll all miss Maria’s bubbly personality! She was very helpful while she worked with our wonderful assistants.
Congrats on her graduation from The Voke & the best of luck at Middlesex!
Hopefully, she’ll have a long dental career in her future!
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