50 Faces – Kristen Strader

Posted on Monday, October 16th, 2017

Kristen Strader admits that for some people, a dental office can seem like a scary place. But it doesn’t have to be, says the 2015 graduate of Algonquin College’s Dental Hygiene program.

As a teenager, Strader was a patient at a dental office so welcoming and non-scary; it inspired her to get into the field. “I never really had a bad experience at (that dental office),” she says, “and everybody really worked well as a team. It was always a really good atmosphere. And I thought, why don’t I go into that?”

Now, as a full-time hygienist, she tries to give her patients the same experience. “I try to make it a really welcoming atmosphere. I try to make it all about the patient,” she says. “You’ve got to make yourself seem knowledgeable so they are going to be comfortable with the services you are providing.”

Her reward for such personal service is a relationship with patients and their families that is more than just primly professional. “I really like getting to know people,” she says. “You get to know generations of families. I get to hear some amazing stories from people.”

Strader credits her ability to inspire confidence in her patients to her thorough training at Algonquin College. “They have a lot to offer. Carrying over to my career, I had everything I needed to get started. It was a really smooth transition.”

Employers in her field look for the school’s grads, she says. “(They say) we always pick Algonquin grads as our top tier because we know it’s such a good college to go to.”

During Strader’s time at the College, dental hygiene became more than just a career. She began volunteering at community centres and through the Youth Services Bureau, providing oral health care to seniors, children and at-risk youth. Her efforts were recognized in her final year at Algonquin with the first-ever Student Advocacy Award presented by the Ontario Dental Hygienist Association. Strader continues her advocacy as a professional.

Her advice to students currently in the College’s dental programs? “Go with the flow.”

“There are so many different offices out there with so many different technologies,” she says. “Some may not have computers, some may be super high-tech. It’s about getting to know the people you’re working with and trying to fit in as well as you can.”

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