37-Year Mission

“I started my journey in 1988; this is my 37th year in this field.” 

37 years, from a naive college student to the head of her own dentistry, have marked her confidence, efforts, and passion.

By the late twentieth century, she had entered this field when dentistry in China was not yet an independent specialty. “When they feel their teeth are hurting them, they will come and seek dental care, mostly for pain relief.” Time flies, concepts like orthodontic correction shifted and marked a stark contrast to today’s world of clear aligners as Invisalign. 

“I started all these because of fortune and coincidences. My family, well, mostly my mother, suffered from dental issues. This has led me to interact with dental professionals.” Flashbacks passed, and she remembered how those colleagues and doctors had offered her more opportunities to learn about the work. Impressed by their skill and dedication, and encouraged by mentors and older family members, she gradually found her calling. She recalled, “What started as a coincidence evolved into a lifelong passion, guided by influential figures who illuminated the way.”

 After she got on her right track, she was no longer just a student, and her training proved transformative. “Limitation of resources and technical expertise in dentistry drives me to pursue advanced training at UCLA in the United States.” That is a place where she acquired not only new techniques, but also a rigorous approach to practice—her colleagues and group partners all treat every single thing in the lab delicately.  “Every small detail in the lab was treated with utmost care. That mindset became my foundation.”

When asked what makes a good dentist, she smiles gently. “I suppose a few traits I have might fit the bill.” She pauses, then shares: "You must have skillful hands, yes, but even more—patience and empathy. You need to feel what the patient feels truly. Otherwise, you risk magnifying their pain.” In the early days, she set a simple but demanding goal for herself: “Do every tooth well. Then do it even better.” By feeling it, the resonance between dentist and patient will last and reverberate. This will lead to improved treatment experience.

But the path has never been smooth. “You learn to be resilient. I have met thousands of patients throughout my life, and those moments are the ones that test my heart.” She persuaded children, adults, and the elderly. Slowly, generations of families--grandparents brought their kids and grandchildren—made trust grow. “All the efforts before have shown their significance and meaning. That’s when you feel truly recognized.” Looking forward, her vision expands beyond teeth.

She recalls an elderly man for whom she carefully crafted a set of dentures. “He put them on and was almost in tears. He said, ‘I can’t talk. I can’t eat. It’s even worse than before.’” That moment stayed with her. “I tried wearing them myself later—even placed a leaf inside to simulate discomfort. I wanted to understand.” With advances in technology, once unavoidable suffering can now be prevented. People don’t have to lose teeth. They don’t have to live with decay.

A new era is dawning, one where oral care is intertwined with aesthetics and systemic wellness. “This profession isn’t just about making people comfortable—it’s about safeguarding their teeth, their health and their life,” She leans in, her voice clear and warm: “When you manage oral health well, you help prevent strokes, heart infections, bacteria entering the bloodstream… These are not small things.”

Hopefully, she believes that if this spreads, more and more people will be aware of this, “leading to happier, healthier lives.”

Being a dentist is more than a job to her. It is a mission to heal, to empower, and to bring light where there was once pain. And in that light, she continues to inspire—one smile at a time.