With more than 25 years of experience in dentistry, Dr. María Eugenia Quiroga Odera has managed to build a professional approach that combines the technique with human sensitivity. Graduated from the National University of La Plata, university professor and founder of the Qdental Office in Manuel B. Gonnet, its tour includes training abroad, community work and a strong commitment to integrative medicine.
In this conversation, he shares the key moments of his career, the challenges he has faced and how oral health understands today as an entrance door to integral well -being.
What personal experience led her to choose dentistry as a vocation?
When I was a teenager I planned to study architecture or cinema, but at 16 I suffered an accident playing hockey and almost lost several dental pieces. I went through a long and complex treatment, but the result was successful. That experience marked me deeply: I ended up admiring my dentist and valuing the impact that this profession can have on someone’s life. In addition, I was attracted to the independence of work, the combination of science, art and humanity, and the fact of being able to provide real service to people.
What did ad honorem work for you at the Sor María Ludovica Children’s Hospital?
My ad honorem experience at the Sor María Ludovica Children’s Hospital was invaluable: in external offices I immersed myself in public health. In addition, this hospital is a pioneer in the early and multidisciplinary attention of children with lip and palate fissure. These experiences strengthened my vocation.
How did their years influence abroad in their professional training?
My experience abroad was very enriching. In England I studied in an international school, which allowed me to know different cultures. In the US, I worked together with Dr. Robert Pellecchia, a specialist in temporomandibular articulation, and in Madrid I collaborated with Dr. Mena. Then, in Ireland, although I could not exercise for legal reasons, I was a listener in Trinity College and worked at the prestigious model Hospital The Royal Hospital Donnybrok. All these experiences expanded my professional gaze and reaffirmed my commitment to integral health.
What led her to specialize in orthodontics and endodontics?
Upon my return to Argentina, I joined the Endodontics Chair with Prof. Enrique Mazzone at Kennedy University and then in UCALP as head of practical works. I also collaborated with Dr. Lucía Blanco, specialist in Dental Traumatology, and I appreciate the learning shared with Dr. Teresa Cañete. At the same time, I trained in functional orthopedics of the jaws and orthodontics with a multidisciplinary approach together with phonoaudiologist and granting doctors.
How did you incorporate neural therapy into its dental practice and what results have you observed?
I always hold an integral look of the patient. When I met neural therapy 15 years ago, its approach had total coherence with my way of understanding health. I have incorporated it into emergencies with very good results, also in patients with chronic pain and joint dysfunctions, or situations that did not respond to conventional treatments.
What challenges faced teaching with clinical practice?
Compatible both tasks requires great delivery. For a while I managed to sustain them in parallel, but with the birth of my son and the increase in work in my offices in CABA and La Plata, I chose to devote myself fully to private practice. Anyway, teaching was key to my professional development.
How did your vision of the comprehensive care of the patient evolve?
Oral health cannot be addressed in isolation: it is intimately connected with general health. From biological and integrative dentistry we understand that the mouth is part of a system and that many oral conditions can be related to imbalances in other areas of the body. That is why I consider it essential to work from a broad, respectful view of the organism and personalized for each patient.
How did your office adapted to technological advances and new dental treatments?
I am always investing in training and apparatus, because dentistry progresses continuously. New techniques, materials and tools that can improve care arise, but it is also key to evaluate with criteria that it really provides value to the patient’s health. The permanent update and professional ethics go hand in hand in each decision we make in the office.
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Instagram: @eugeniaquirogoodera
Web: www.qdental.com.ar
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