The Limelight with Dr Simi Aderibigbe

The with DrSimi LIMELIGHT

I am Dr. Simisola Aderibigbe (a.k.a. Dr Simi), I was born in Lagos, Nigeria, about forty-plus years ago to a polygamous family of five children. I am the fourth child. I attended St Saviours School (Elementary) and Queens College (Jr/ High) both in Lagos. My tertiary education was at the University of Ibadan in Oyo State. While at university, I met my significant other, Dr. Ade Aderibigbe. We got married a few years after completing our tertiary education and today we are blessed with two wonderful children — a 13-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy.

Why dentistry? Did you choose dentistry, or did it choose you?

(Laughs) I love how you framed the later part of this question…. Did dentistry choose me? In Nigeria, at the time I was growing up, exposure to dentistry was very limited. Thus, dentistry was often an alternate career choice to people who wanted to go for medicine. I am no exception to that cohort. At the time I was preparing for university, I lost my father who was the closest person to me in the world and it was like my world came crashing down at the time. At the same time, I had ahead of me the big task of choosing what university I wanted to attend and what course I wanted to study. I always knew I wanted to study medicine but I also wanted to explore a University outside of my home city, Lagos, hence I applied to the University of Ibadan (UI). Little did I know that acceptance into University was not necessarily based on merit only, especially when applying outside of one’s city. University registration began at UI and I remember my friends telling me, school had started and wondering what was happening to my university acceptance letter? By the time I went to UI to inquire about my admission based on my scores, it was a bit too late to be offered acceptance into the medical school, however I got offered dentistry and that is exactly how dentistry chose me and I grew to love it. Absolutely, no regrets today being a dentist and if I were to choose again, I would choose dentistry as my career choice.

How can we improve our smile?

We improve our smile by having good oral hygiene and homecare regimen, limiting intake of foods and drinks that cause staining (tea, coffee, red wines), and sugary foods that cause cavities.

Giving up tobacco products, recreational drugs — they cause damage to the teeth.

Attending dental checkups regularly.

We may recommend specific cosmetic or orthodontic dental treatments to improve your smile on an individual basis.

What should our oral hygiene regimen be?

Oral hygiene regimen is tailored to individual needs, however for most people we recommend:

Brushing twice daily, in the morning and last thing at night before you get into bed using a toothbrush and any fluoridated toothpaste of your choice. You can use any toothbrush you find comfortable either the manual or electrical types. Bristles should be soft-to-medium. Please avoid hard bristle brushes as they do more damage than good. Flossing at least once daily, string floss or handheld flossers will do. For some people we recommend interdental brushes as floss does not effectively clean the spaces between their teeth.

Mouth washes are a good adjunct to mechanical cleaning as it helps reduce plaque load in the mouth and it also freshens the breath, especially in this pandemic when we are always masked up.

How often should we have dental checkups and cleaning?

We should have our dental exam once a year and hygiene/cleaning at least twice yearly. In some instances, we offer 3-4 monthly hygiene/ cleaning if there is a need for it. If you require more than twice yearly cleanings, your dentist or hygienist will recommend it to you.

What are your payment and financing options?

We accept various payments systems and direct bill insurance plans. We accept all forms of payment — cash, debit cards and all credit cards. Card payments have been more popular during this pandemic. We offer financing through Dentalcard. This company is able to assist patients with financing for dental treatment at a 0% interest rate payable at 3, 6, 12 or 18-month term.

For healthy teeth should we change our diet?

Without a complete oral examination and diet history, I will not be able to advise change of diet. However, it’s important we limit our intake of sugars as this can predispose to cavities. Healthy snacks such as fruits and veggies are a good

alternative to sweet snacking. Also, we advise clients to limit intake of acidic foods as these predispose to tooth wear which may lead to sensitivity.

How do you balance your work commitments and your family?

I try to balance my work commitments with family by making a clear distinction between both entities. I try to keep unfinished work at the office and when I am home, it’s family time. This is not always the case, especially because I just started a new role as the lead dentist at Flourish Dental. But it is my mantra, so I try my best to keep to that daily and limit mixing work with family time and vice versa. I love and adore time spent with my husband and the children and we try to be intentional with the times we have together. We always try to eat one meal together as a family and that’s supper time. We sit at the table and spend quality time talking about how everyone’s day went. This is when the kids have their uncensored conversations with mum and dad. We also look forward to weekend evenings because we have our family movie nights or game nights or if restrictions allow, we go out and explore what the city of Edmonton has to offer.

What books are you reading now?

Dental Practice Excellence by Alex Nottingham, The Productive Dental Team by Richard Garofolo, and Overcoming Stress, Anxiety and Depression by Kenneth & Gloria Copeland. The first two books are a result of my quest for building a business that exudes excellence. The last book, I have had for years, but I felt the need to read it again after starting a business in these challenging (COVID) times.

Where can we find you?

Flourish Dental, 16420 Ellerslie Road SW. Edmonton, AB. T6W 4S8. Phone number: 780-540-8155. Email: info@flourishdental.ca Online: www.flourishdental.ca

Facebook: @FlourishdentalYEG IG:Flourishdental_edmonton.