I talked with Dr. Monica Ganea about orthodontics and education.

Humanity – the value around which we should grow day by day! This is the belief of Monica Ganea, a dentist specializing in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics. She studied Dental Medicine at UMF Cluj and also completed her residency there. Currently, she owns two clinics, in Brașov and Făgăraș, with offices in multiple specializations, as she understands the needs of people and believes that beyond the office, there must be solutions for any kind of problem related to the field she chose. Faith and honesty are the qualities that guide her steps through life, and family is the center of her existence. She has two children and is married to the former international, Ionel Ganea. From the stands, life looked different, and from the field, she knew how to embrace the emotions!

C&B: What can you tell us about the activity you carry out?

Monica Ganea: I am an orthodontist, I work almost all the time with children and young people who come with smaller or bigger problems, and leave with a beautiful smile at the end of the treatment! It’s as if I work for happiness! I take my energy from my workplace because I love what I do!

Her evolution story, a natural one with a burning desire to succeed.

C&B: How would you describe your evolution in a short sentence?

Monica Ganea: I finished middle school and high school in Fagaras. I was a rebellious teenager, I always learned only what I liked or what I thought would be useful in life. I was excellent in biology and chemistry. I had no problems getting into UMF Iuliu Hatieganu in Cluj. In my fourth year of college, I started working as an assistant in a clinic, which was very useful. I did my residency in Cluj, a city where I worked for 10 years, during which I attended numerous courses held by professors from renowned Universities abroad. Currently, I have my own clinics in Brasov and Fagaras.

She always knew her mission – to make people happy. Through genuine smiles.

C&B: What were your visions as a child/teenager and what are they now?

Monica Ganea: As a child, I said I would become a doctor, the same in my teenage years, and my father was very proud of it. I believe I followed this path also for his sake, because I saw him very happy when I told him what I wanted to do in life. My great luck was the friendship with Iulia, the valedictorian of my middle school, high school, and the university I attended. She had patience with me because she could learn in 15 minutes what took me 45 minutes to grasp. Now, I wish to be healthy and to be able to work to make as many people as possible smile!

C&B: What are the life and activity principles you use?

Monica Ganea: Here, I will use few words with a special significance. I’ve been guided by faith, and correctness has been and is my best teacher.

C&B: You conduct your activities in a tourist city. What are your thoughts on medical tourism?

Monica Ganea: Medical tourism is taking shape in the center of the country. I am lucky that Brasov chose me to practice my profession. I have many patients coming from abroad, satisfied by the fact that they receive good services at decent prices, since in other European countries, orthodontic appliances are much more expensive. Orthodontics needs financial decency. I try to adapt to the current economic climate, and I’m happy when foreigners return to our offices and label us with something that truly represents us: smiling people who perform their job professionally.

C&B: What does it mean to be an orthodontist in Romania?

Monica Ganea: Prevention, before anything else. Regardless of the context. Precision, accuracy, technique, and a playful spirit. Sacrifices are everywhere here, but I hope the medical system can keep up with the needs of everyone for better education and health information. Focused on one thing: the patient’s health! Let’s not forget that a healthy life also needs healthy teeth. I love to see my people as relaxed as possible when they enter the office. Being an orthodontist in Romania means carrying a load of investments: financial, moral, or even emotional. And you must be able to carry it with you always. Sometimes, when you are on your own, you become a kind of “one-man show”. It’s not easy, but it’s satisfying.

C&B: In the relationship with the patient, how should an orthodontic dentist be – what should be the main advantage?

Monia Ganea: We, as doctors, I believe should be close to people, honest, respect them, and tell them what cannot be achieved through treatment. The main advantage is that we always put the needs of the patients before personal interests.

C&B: Can you share some funny situations from your activity?

Monia Ganea: Every day brings a funny situation, maybe because I am a cheerful person. The funniest moment was at the beginning of my career, when I also did general dentistry and worked a lot with the little ones. A little girl literally begged me not to “torture her” (note: “torture” refers to the drill). Another little girl, all in tears, told me her “heart hurts and she’s having a heart attack” at 6 years old. An elderly man fell asleep in the waiting room, and his dog, tied to the railing of the office, barked at everyone passing by. The man then woke up to a song by BUG Mafia playing on the TV in the waiting room, asking in fright what happened!

C&B: What advice do you have for those at the beginning or undecided?

Monica Ganea: I recommend them to be persistent, to learn, to work to make people satisfied, not for money. To treat patients as they would like to be treated themselves and I guarantee they will be successful in this field. I don’t think there are undecided people, because orthodontics is the most sought-after specialization at residency!

C&B: What are your thoughts on how society is evolving today?

Monica Ganea: What do I think? I interact a lot with the youth, with children, and when I see how beautifully they develop, I can only be optimistic about the future of our society and believe that change comes only through education.

C&B: How do dentists/orthodontists get involved in educating the population?

Monica Ganea: I reiterate – effort, attitude, involvement. Educational programs are carried out based on oral health education. I’m glad that schools accept these partnerships between school-doctor. It’s a plus that will later generate healthy practices. And in my office, I promote everything related to dental aesthetics as much as possible. Over the years, I’ve repeatedly joined my daughter, Ioana, in kindergartens and schools to teach dental hygiene classes and teach children how to take care of their little teeth! Our role is to transform smiles, to give them life, meaning.