Alma Sapien, RDH

Alma is a bilingual Registered Dental Hygienist who serves both our Ahwatukee and Chandler locations. She grew up in Sinaloa, Mexico, and moved to the United States with her family in 2002. She finished high school at Westwood High in Mesa, Arizona, and has called the Valley home ever since.

Her path to dental hygiene was anything but a straight line. Alma started her prerequisites at Mesa Community College at 28 years old, while raising two young boys -- one was six and the other was almost two. She took it slow and steady, finishing her prereqs over three years because her kids always came first. Then came a year-and-a-half waitlist for the dental hygiene program at Phoenix College. During the wait, she worked as a bank teller at Wells Fargo. When Phoenix College finally called with an opening in February 2019, she took it without hesitation.

Alma graduated in 2021 as part of the first class to complete dental hygiene school in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was stressful and nerve-wracking, but she came out the other side more prepared than ever. As she puts it: "If we made it through a pandemic, everything else can be handled."

She had originally considered nursing but was drawn to the preventive side of dental hygiene. She believes that with small, consistent habits -- the baby steps -- patients can reduce the risk of major problems and help keep their teeth healthy over time. "If you just take a little bit of care and be nice to your mouth and your body in general, your body will take care of itself," she says. "It all starts with the little things."

Alma's approach in the chair is refreshingly straightforward. She takes the time to explain the "why" behind every recommendation, connecting oral health to overall wellness -- including heart health. She reads the room, prioritizes comfort, and wants every patient to know they are being heard. Her promise to each patient is simple: "My goal for you is to keep your teeth the rest of your life -- and I mean it."