Tanya Sue Maestas, DDS

Tanya Sue Maestas, DDS

Dr. Tanya Sue Maestas graduated from The University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston in 2018.

During her dental school career, she served as the national American Student Dental Association President and became involved in organized dentistry.

After graduating, she completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency in 2019. Upon completion of her residency, she returned to the El Paso Borderland community where she serves as a Dental Director at La Clinica de Familia in Chaparral, New Mexico.

She also serves as a faculty member at the Woody L Hunt School of Dental Medicine in El Paso, Texas.

She remains involved in organized dentistry and holds various leadership roles in organizations including the American Dental Association, Texas Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, Texas Academy of General Dentistry, Hispanic Dental Association, and others.

She currently serves on the ADA Council on Communications and previously completed the ADA Institute for Diversity in Leadership Program.

She was recognized as an ADA 10 under 10 winner, Incisal Edge 40 under 40, and previously nominated as one of Texas New Dentists of the Year.

She currently hosts New Dentists on the Block where she helps showcase the New Dentist story and build connections with new dentists around her and Dental Fuel a podcast dedicated to sharing and learning from industry leaders’ mistakes.

She has a commitment to providing dental care to the Borderland community and hopes to encourage the next generation of dentists to give back to the community.

dental fuel

Embracing Growth Through Mistakes: Lessons from Dr. David Rice

Host: Dr. Tanya Sue MaestasGuest: Dr. David RiceEdited By: Candy Velez CRDH In the world of dentistry,…

Read More
dental excellence

Navigating Dental Excellence with Jonathan Miller

Interviewer: Tanya Sue Maestas, DDSInterviewee: Jonathan MillerEdited By: Candy Velez – CRDH, BSDH Welcome back to Dental…

Read More
Mastering Dental Practice Financing with Jonathan Miller

Mastering Dental Practice Financing with Jonathan Miller

Interviewer: Tanya Sue Maestas, DDSInterviewee: Jonathan MillerEdited By: Candy Velez – CRDH, BSDH Welcome back to Dental…

Read More
mistakes clinicians make

Dental Practice Ownership: Critical Mistakes New Dentists Make with Jonathan Miller

Interviewer: Tanya Sue Maestas, DDSInterviewee: Jonathan MillerEdited By: Candy Velez – CRDH, BSDH In this article, Jonathan Miller…

Read More
dental startups vs. practice acquisition

Dental Startups vs. Practice Acquisition: Making the Right Decision

Interviewer: Tanya Sue Maestas, DDSInterviewee: Jonathan MillerEdited By: Candy Velez – CRDH, BSDH As a dental professional,…

Read More
dental fuel

Dental Fuel Episode 12: Expert Advice with Dr. Shannon Johnson

In Dental Fuel Episode 12, Dr. Shannon Johnson wraps up our last episode with her by providing…

Read More
dental fuel

Dental Fuel Episode 11: Team Mistake with Dr. Shannon Johnson

Working in teams can be tough! Shannon Johnson knows the ins and outs of working in a…

Read More
dental fuel

Dental Fuel Episode 10: Financial Mistake with Dr. Shannon Johnson

Dr. Shannon Johnson has wisdom in dentistry and experience in the field. She knows firsthand about financial…

Read More
dental fuel

Dental Fuel Episode 9: Clinical Mistake with Dr. Shannon Johnson

Shannon Johnson is in the HOUSE, bringing the DENTAL heat!! A true ROCKSTAR in the dental world…

Read More
dental fuel

Dental Fuel Episode 8: Expert Advice with Dr. Emma Guzman-Vizcarrondo

Dr. Guzman closes out our series with us by offering some advice to our listeners! Dr. Emma…

Read More

Communicating in Difficult Situations: Part 1

By Savanah Craig | January 5, 2023

By: Savanah Craig If you work in the dental profession long enough, you’ll encounter patients who might get labeled as difficult for some of their requests in a dental chair. These annoyances range from refusing to swallow their own saliva, questioning the need for radiographs, or refusing fluoride treatment. Many dentists, hygienist, and dental assistants…

General Dentist vs. Dental Specialist

By Dr. Cory Ball | January 3, 2023

By: Dr. Cory Ball 12 years of grade school, 4 years of undergraduate studies, maybe a master’s program, and 4 years of dental school. Now you are debating on doing more school? Do you want to be a general dentist or go on to do a specialty in orthodontics, oral surgery, pediatrics, endodontics, periodontics, etc?…

New Dentist: Your First Paycheck Arrives, Now What?

By Dr. Cory Ball | December 27, 2022

By: Dr. Cory Ball Dental school is a busy time for most aspiring clinicians. Between studying for courses, practicing in preclinic, then managing the patient pool in the final years, most students have a tough time finding additional hours in a day to have a part-time job to make money. And those students who do have…

Don’t Look Back, Look Forward to Paying Off Dental School Student Loans

By Dr. Cory Ball | December 27, 2022

By: Dr. Cory Ball The average student loan debt for a graduating dental student in 2020 was over $300,000. During school, students can easily fall into a mindset of forgetting about the loans and focusing on other things. The problem with that is when the time comes to start making payments, it can be overwhelming…

The Transition to a Dental Faculty Position

By Tanya Sue Maestas, DDS | December 20, 2022

By: Tanya Sue Maestas Hi, I’m Tanya Sue Maestas. I’ve recently taken up a faculty position at the new dental school in El Paso, Texas – Woody L Hunt School of Dental Medicine. Alongside being a clinician in a public health setting, I have found being a faculty member to be incredibly rewarding — so…

Choice of Operating Entity: Which is Best for You?

By Bruce Bryen | December 19, 2022

By: Bruce Bryen What is the choice of operating entity for the dentist ready to go out on his or her own to acquire or start up his or her own practice? There are many different types of organizational structures for young dentists to consider when they are ready to go out and acquire or…

You Dreamed of Being Where You Are Now

By Savanah Craig | December 15, 2022

By: Savanah Craig I was inspired by the latest Instagram trend showing a thought or doubt you have about yourself, followed by a photo of your younger self who could only dream of being in your shoes today. I think this trend is really powerful because it is so easy to look ahead and keep…

Technology Investments

By Ann-Marie DePalma, MEd, RDH, CDA, FAADH, FADIA | December 12, 2022

By: Ann-Marie DePalma, CDA, RDH, MEd, CDIPC, FADIA, FAADH Technology is around us 24/7. Whether in our everyday lives or in our practices, technology is an essential part of today’s society. As the old saying goes “we can’t live with it, and we can’t live without it”, technology has changed the way teams interact with…

People Pleasing: Characteristics of Being a People Pleaser

By Sharon Dolak | December 6, 2022

By: Sharon Dolak People Pleasing is not about being kind. It is about someone trying hard to make others feel better, driven by deep-seated insecurity to be needed and receive approval. Society thinks it is a good thing to please others, but people pleasing has a dark side when we do it to our own…

Confronting Denial is No Small Task

By Sharon Dolak | December 5, 2022

By: Sharon Dolak Denial is a coping response that gives us time to adjust during shocking, distressful situations and avoid anxiety. We refuse to see the truth because we are trying to protect ourselves from a painful, overwhelming situation. Some things, many things are simply hard to accept all at once and we need time…