Meet Trailblazer Yara Salem

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yara Salem.

Yara, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Born and raised in Egypt, I started my dental career at Cairo University hospital after graduating with a doctoral dental degree from Cairo University. When I moved to the U.S., I attended U.S.C. in California and got my doctorate of dental surgery DDS from there. I then started working with Western Dental in Palms Springs, California where I learned plenty from different dental peers. I was motivated to advance my dental career and took many dental CE’s to improve my knowledge and skills at cosmetic and implant dentistry, which included the well known Spear CE’s in Scottsdale, Arizona. I moved to Arizona in 2015 and continued my professional career with Western Dental. As part of the board committee of the Academy of General Dentistry – Arizona, I am exposed to many dental aspects, which helps me grow more. I am currently working on getting my fellowship in dental implants.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely was not a smooth road, I faced many challenges coming from a different culture and entering a practice that is mostly driven by male dentists. Also, one more struggle I faced was being a new mom to two boys. I was able to establish myself as a successful dental manager and lead a successful team to reach our clinic goals. The most important advice I offer women is to set their goals and find what really motivates them to achieve those goals. Motherhood is not easy in my career because as a dentist I am supposed to keep up-to-date with new dental techniques and to keep practicing. Thanks to the help of my amazing husband and family I was able to make a balance between motherhood and my dental career. My advice to all new moms would try to balance things, you can not have everything at the same time. Maybe cutting down days or finding help from family members, will make things work. Take each day by day until you make it happen,

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Western Dental – what should we know?
I am a general dentist, with a passion for restoring beautiful smiles. I enjoy more cosmetic dentistry which includes – veneers (changing the shape and color of teeth with a permanent semi crown), white fillings to change the shape and color of front teeth, teeth whitening and also I design gum contouring which is mainly done by the periodontist. I mainly call my self a smile designer, as changing the way teeth looks, takes lots of working and planning and designing. There are lots of factors to consider when you want to consider a smile makeover, I tell my patients, it’s not only the look I take into consideration, it is also the function.

Currently, I am a dental influencer – trying to educate my followers about good dental health and to be there whenever they have any dental questions. I enjoy interacting daily with my followers and try to post helpful tips and tricks regarding my life and dental practice. What sets me apart from others, is that I enjoy my work and I feel I have a message I want to deliver to the world – in terms of – your smile matters. Having a good smile affects your self-esteem and I believe everyone should have the right to get the best dental treatment they can and to be able to change the way their teeth look, no matter where you are or what you are doing in life.

We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
The biggest barrier I felt in my dental field of work for women is the lack of role models, ambition, and confidence. I rarely see female dentists that are pursuing leadership roles in our field. Most dental associations and organization are lead by men. I am trying my best to break this cycle and trying little by little to climb the ladder of leadership. I started with my company- from being an associate dentist to a managing dentist, wishing that later on, I can grow more.

Contact Info:

• Address: Instagram @dryarasalem
  Email yarasalemdds@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.facebook.com/dryarasalem
• Email: yarasalemdds@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dryarasalem/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dryarasalem

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