Dr. Maureen Nacu-Castillo never set out to be a dentist but a misunderstanding and a car accident led her to becoming one and now, almost 20 years into her practice she made it her advocacy to only give her patients the best and most complete care she can.
“I didn’t want to be a dentist, it never even crossed my mind at first. I wanted to be a teacher then a physical therapist but I got into a car accident one Christmas Eve which led me to miss taking college admission tests,” Dr. Mau shared.
That twist of fate led the young probinsyana from San Ildefonso, Bulacan walks the path of becoming a dentist.
“During my younger days, all I wanted was to finish my studies and work to take care of my parents,” Dr. Mau said.
She admitted that there were times when she wanted to give up but she didn’t because her parents always taught her to never give up once she started doing something.
“My mother taught me perseverance while my father taught me persistence,” she said.
Dr. Mau might not have wanted to be a dentist but it slowly became a passion and now she has been a clinician for 18 years and operates her own clinic in Antonia Mansion in Banawe, Quezon City.
Dr. Maureen graduated with a degree in Dentistry at the University of the East in Manila and throughout her career, she has done several courses. She took Comprehensive Implant Dentistry course locally and pursued further education and training in Implant Dentistry and Implant Prosthetic in Hongkong, Singapore, Korea, and Taiwan. She took Esthetic Continuum Program in UCLA. She is scheduled to present her clinical case in March next year in New York University where she’s taking up an Advanced International Education Program on Cosmetic Dentistry and Oral Rehabilitation. And this year she completed a year-long course at the prestigious Dawson Academy in St. Petersburg, Florida USA, where she studied under Dr. Peter E. Dawson, considered as one of the most influential clinicians and teacher in the history of Dentistry.
As a Dawson dentist, she was taught how to never take shortcuts when it comes to dealing with her patients especially when it comes to addressing their dental problems and this is something that earned her the respect of her clients which includes beauty queens like Miss International Bea Rose Santiago, sports executive and basketball coach Alfrancis Chua, singers Julie Anne San Jose, and Jugs Jugueta (Itchyworms), among others.
“The Dawson course was about ‘complete dentistry.’ He taught us to do the right thing: get the patient’s complete examination before coming up with an objective treatment plan,” Dr. Maureen said.
She related that she had to take 48-hour trips just to get the academy, a postgraduate educational and clinical research facility dedicated to the advancement of dentistry, and complete a course only four other Filipinos managed to complete before her.
“I want to be an advocate of ‘complete dentistry’ because I’ve seen a lot of patients, even those referred to me by my fellow colleagues and their ultimate concerns are varied and a lot of them want to have veneers,” she said.
While she isn’t opposed to putting veneers on patients, she first makes it a point to check if there are other problems that needs to be addressed first. “Veneers are just options and there are other conservative treatments and solutions to their dental concerns,” she added.
“It’s a comprehensive procedure to check the status of the patient’s oral health. I get 21 series of photos of the patient’s teeth and face, a complete series of X-Ray and a diagnostic cast of patient’s upper and lower teeth mounted on adjustable articulator to analyze the bite,” she explained.
After the initial examination, patients would have to come back after a few days for their treatment plan, unless of course, it’s an emergency situation.
She said that she’s proud because while she doesn’t usually promote herself, her clientele does it for her: they recommend her to other patients who might need her expertise
“When you come to me, don’t just come to get whiter teeth, come to me because you want a healthy oral cavity,” she ended.
(Ortho Dental Clinic is located at Unit 4-C Antonia Mansion 690 Banawe st. Quezon City. For inquiries, call 742-1108 or 0917 804 2522 or email at [email protected].)