An Edmonton woman wants to make dental services more accessible for more people.
Registered dental hygienist Elzara Arifova has taken teeth cleaning out of the dentist’s office, offering services at her home and on the road in a mobile dental clinic.
“It’s more exciting,” Arifova said. “I travel into different places, and I see different people.”
“The best part is that I can make the dental hygiene services accessible to everyone,” she added.
Arifova has been practicing in Edmonton since 2013. Formerly a dentist in her home country Uzbekistan, she said it was easier to retrain as a dental hygienist in Canada and she welcomed the change.
“Back home we don’t have dental hygienists, [the] dentist is doing everything,” she said. “I just wanted to try to be in preventative dentistry, because I like to educate people on their oral health.”
After having two daughters, Arifova decided to make another change. Wanting more flexibility to spend time with her family, she opened up her own private home practice, Jasmine Dental Hygiene.
“My clients really like it,” she said. “I had many patients with dental phobias, kids who are not comfortable in regular dental settings. . . They feel at home.”
Arifova enjoys making oral health an easier experience, and wanted to keep doing so when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“I was getting a lot of requests from seniors, from their children, from individuals with compromised immune systems, people who work from home,” she explained. “They’d been asking if I can go and provide this service at their place.”
She didn’t see why not, and after some research, Arifova opened up what she believes was the first dental hygiene clinic in a van in Edmonton.
Elzara Arifova isn’t the only mobile dental hygienist in Edmonton, but she believes she was the first to take her oral hygiene services on the road. (Amanda Anderson/CTV News Edmonton)Ember, a client of Arifova’s, was referred to Jasmine Dental three years ago and has been going since. She said the van is as easy and comfortable as Arifova’s home office, but saves more than an hour of driving time.
“When she brought this service out, it just added a whole new level of convenience and comfort,” Ember said. “It’s fabulous. . . Anything you can do to save time, just enhances the quality of your life.”
Both Arifova’s businesses are inspected and approved by the College of Dental Hygienists of Alberta. Both offer the same services found in traditional settings, including x-rays, cleanings and check-ups.
While her fees are regulated by the Alberta Dental Fee Guide, Arifova said she offers a discounted rate for mobile services to help make her practice open to more people – including out-of-town clients.
“Some towns have very small populations, and there are no dental clinics even, so we go there,” she added.
It’s been a fairly easy ride with no major roadblocks for either of her businesses, and Arifova said there isn’t one way she prefers to practice – What matters most is that her clients are healthy and happy.
“I like talking to people, I like listening to their stories, and I like seeing their happy smiles after we finish their dental cleaning,” she added. “As long as I can provide this service and make it accessible for everyone, I’m happy both ways.”
More information on Jasmine Dental Hygiene, including rates and services, can be found here.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson