Dr. Nancy Phan received her BS degree from UC Davis. She earned her DDS degree from the UCSF and her Orthodontic Specialty Certificate from St. Barnabas Hospital affiliated with Cornell Univ. of New York. She also obtained a MA degree in Human Resource Management from Mercy College Graduate Program, New York. She was honored by the American Association of Orthodontists with an Award for Exceptional Interest in the Development of the Craniofacial Complex. She is a member of the American Association of Orthodontists, the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists, the American Dental Association, the California Dental Association and the Santa Clara Dental Society. Dr. Phan is a Diplomate Board Certified Orthodontist and a Certified Invisalign Orthodontist.
VNelite: What sparked your interest in orthodontics?
Dr. Phan: I got interested in orthodontics when I was a 2nd year dental student at UCSF. At that time I was undergoing orthodontic treatment and was able to observe how my crooked teeth corrected overtime. I got really interested in this aspect of dentistry. In addition, I could see how a beautiful smile can change one’s self-confidence and outlook in life. I smiled more, became more outgoing and made friends easier. From that point on, I decided to pursue orthodontics.
VNelite: Running a practice of this size, it also takes business and management skills. How do you enjoy these various angles?
Dr. Phan: Managing a business requires much more than just good clinical skills. You have to evaluate at the business aspects and implement different skills to get the business running in a positive direction. You have to be a motivator to your staff to instill in them a mission and purpose. You have to be an entrepreneur who can come up with creative ideas and implement them in daily practice. At the end of the day, you also have to be a leader to supervise the staff.
VNelite: When things don't go right in the office, how do you manage these types of days?
Dr. Phan: When things are not done right, you go back to the drawing board to re-evaluate your game plan.
VNelite: Has your Master’s degree in Human Resources become essential to your daily operations?
Dr. Phan: Human Resources Management is about managing people. With this field of work, my job requires me to be with people on a daily basis and my background in Human Resources allows me to objectively hire, train, manage and motivate staff to get the job done faster and more objectively.
VNelite: Do you miss being a student?
Dr. Phan: I love being a student. As a student, you learned new things every day and get exposed and challenged to many intellectual ideas and innovations.
VNelite: What was your experience with UCSF Dental School?
Dr. Phan: UCSF Dental school provided me a solid foundation, both academic knowledge and clinical skills, for my career success.
VNelite: How did UC Davis prepare you for the academic challenges at UCSF?
Dr. Phan: UC Davis provided a playground for me to explore different career interests and challenge me to self-discipline and intellectual stimulation.
VNelite: How does one know when s/he needs to visit an Orthodontist?
Dr. Phan: Most people go see an orthodontist because they don’t like their teeth or their smile and want to make a change. Most people may not be aware that orthodontics is beyond correcting the esthetic appearance. A good orthodontist also corrects your occlusion to give you a proper bite that will improve your bite function and stability, reduce your risks of oral-facial disease such as TMJ disorders, and improve your facial balance and appearance.
VNelite: Is there a minimum age for a child to seek help from an Orthodontist?
Dr. Phan: The American Association of Orthodontists recommends a child to see an orthodontist by the age of 7 to evaluate jaw dimension, development and eruption of teeth, and jaw growth normality.
VNelite: In your opinion, what personality and skills are required for becoming an excellent Orthodontist?
Dr. Phan: You have to have good clinical skills to provide excellent results in a short treatment time. In addition, you should be patient and compassionate to guide and motivate your patients. I like to think that I can be a loving and caring orthodontist, someone who can make a good impression in a child’s mind.
VNelite: How does one select an Orthodontist or an orthodontics office? What criteria s/he should look for?
Dr. Phan: When select an orthodontist, you should ask to see samples of his or her previous treatment cases. Also, if possible, talk to the patients who are or were under treatment with that particular doctor or read on the practice patients’ comments and feedbacks to get a glimpse of their treatment experience.
VNelite: What is Invisalign?
Dr. Phan: Invisalign is the clear way to straighten teeth without braces by using aligners. Aligners are removable and virtually invisible, which means you can straighten your teeth without anyone knowing. You can eat and drink what you want while brush and floss normally to maintain healthy teeth and gum. The accumulation of incremental movements will correct the occlusion over time and create straight teeth.
VNelite: Generally, is there a fee required for a consultation?
Dr. Phan: Some offices charge a consultation fee. At my office, we provide complimentary orthodontic treatment to our patients.
VNelite: Do you have a role model?
Dr. Phan: I have many good role models in my life. One of them is my uncle who is a successful electrical engineer. Most of them instill in me a sense of perspiration, good work ethics and humility.
VNelite: What is your inspiration?
Dr. Phan: I like to think that I contribute to society and make a difference in the lives of people that I touch. There must be a purpose for my existence.
VNelite: "Today is tomorrow". That is what we do today very much will influence or create tomorrow. What is your thought or experience on this?
Dr. Phan: Each day, try to reflect on your experience and learn from it so that you can be a better person today than yesterday and tomorrow than today.
VNelite: What is your definition of success?
Dr. Phan: Success is when you have a set of goals and you either already completed them or work closer toward accomplishing them.
VNelite: Are you successful?
Dr. Phan: I like to think so.
VNelite: What is your favorite quote?
Dr. Phan: Ben Sweetland once said: “Success is a journey, not a destination.” Enjoy life while you are living it!
VNelite: If you can send one message to our younger generation, it will be:
Dr. Phan: “Dream high. If you don’t reach there, at least you will be in the cloud.”
VNelite: And what is your advice to the students who want to pursue their career in dentistry/orthodontics?
Dr. Phan: “Stay in school, work hard, do volunteer work in your field of interests. You need to see if that is what you are really interested in before committed to it.”
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Chi V Dang, MD, PhD
Prof. & Vice Dean - Johns Hopkins Univ.
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Charles C Nguyen, DSc
Professor & Dean - Engineering
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Loan P Nguyen, MA
President, MTAC - Stanford Univ.
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William Khieu, MD
Fellow, American College of OB/GYN
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Sxuan Nguyen, DDS
Dentistry - UC Berkeley, USC
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AiMinh Nguyen, Esq
Associate General Counsel
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Thanh N Truong, PhD
Professor/Founder & CEO, Astonis
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Nancy Phan, DDS, MS
Orthodontics - UCSF
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Doan-Trang Chappuis
Director, Zentrum Choisy
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Duc S Nguyen, MA
Lecturer - SJSU
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Van-Tung Phan, PhD
Research Fellow
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