Marie Hargraves - Certified Dental Assistant

Marie graduated from the Center For Technology, Essex's Dental Assisting Program with high honors and an academic scholarship in June 2002. Later that month, Marie passed the Dental Assisting National Board exam to become a certified dental assistant. Her career then began in general dentistry and her love for dentistry grew, as well as her eagerness to learn more. Over the past 15 years, Marie has searched for the right field of dentistry for her by working in different specialty offices and attending specialty continuing education courses. Marie has worked in oral surgery, prosthodontics, and cosmetic dentistry in Arizona, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Once she started working in cosmetic dentistry, she knew she found the specialty she had been looking for. In 2014, Marie joined our team at Contemporary Dental Arts, adding a burst of refreshing positive energy.

"There are many things I love about assisting and it is hard to choose just one. It is tremendously rewarding helping a patient with extreme dental anxiety get the treatment they need. It can be so hard for them to just pick up the phone and call, so when they are here, I acknowledge and honor their efforts and small successes, allowing them to feel proud that they are here, and not bad about however long it's been since their last visit. Building trust in patients that have had traumatic experiences or are just afraid, can be very difficult. When you're able to reach someone and get them not only through treatment and out of pain, but also proud to smile again, it makes my job priceless. What makes Contemporary Dental Arts such a great office to work for is Dr. Shanard. It's been an honor to work and learn from such a highly skilled clinician! Her attention to detail and quality is by far superior to the general dentist. The time she takes to train her staff and herself allows this office to be a fun and professional place to work!"