Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sana Yusuf. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Sana, thanks for joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

Yes, absolutely there was a defining moment in my professional career. I was 18 years old when I got pregnant with my son. I remember finding out the week of finals, 2nd semester of my freshman year at college. I remember taking the pregnancy test from the dollar store in my shared dorm bathroom and saying that can’t be right, it’s from the dollar store. I remember taking a chemistry final and not being able to think straight because according to the dollar store pregnancy test I was pregnant. I remember everyone telling me that I was throwing my life away by having a baby as a teenager, that I was still a child myself, that I needed to focus on school and my career and become a dentist, that I would never be a dentist if I had this baby. I was 19 when my son was born. I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. I was sitting in my apartment kitchen studying for my organic chemistry test that I had the following day. I remember saying, no this can’t be right…I still have two more weeks, also I have a test tomorrow so I’m going to keep studying. Well…let’s just say I didn’t make it to school the next day to take that test and I remember calling my organic chemistry teacher frantically to tell him that I had just given birth and I’m so sorry I can’t make it and when can I make it up? The day my son was born changed the trajectory of my entire life. In that moment, I told myself that I will be successful and I will achieve my goals of becoming a dentist because I’m going to give this little baby the best life he can have. And with that, I graduated college in 3 years with my bachelors. (I was 20 years old). Then I went to dental school and graduated at the age of 24. I was a doctor by the age of 24. My son was 5 years old when I graduated and he was right there at my graduation with me. Sometimes “proving people” wrong is the fuel that gets you through, but in reality, you had the strength the entire time. You just need a push to reach your potential and if you happen to prove people wrong along the way, kuddos to you :)

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hey y’all! This isn’t your normal doctor bio, this is in first person. You get to hear all about me, from none other than ME! My name is Dr. Sana Yusuf, I am one of your many local general dentists. I have been in the dental field since I was in high school & have held every job in a dental office from receptionist, insurance coordinator, dental assistant and now as the doctor!

I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from University of Detroit Mercy in THREE years. You read that correct, I graduated college at the age of 20. I continued my education at Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine, Downers Grove, IL, where I earned my Doctor of Dental Medicine degree at the age of 24.

After earning my doctorate, I joined the United States Army, as an Active Duty Captain and worked as a general dentist. Now a United States Army Veteran, I am an honored recipient of the Army Commendation Medal. After leaving the Army, my family and I decided to move to Tampa, FL to settle down and I opened Sana Dental Studio + Med Spa, Tampa’s first boutique dental office and full service med spa. We specialize in non surgical facial aesthetics and cosmetic dentistry.

I am as transparent as they come. I am committed to helping my patients achieve a healthy, esthetic smile while improving their quality of life. My goal is to educate my patients, involve them in their treatment decisions and provide a completely transparent and honest relationship of trust.

I am a member of the American Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, President of the Board of Directors for Sunrise of Pasco County (an organization that provides services and awareness regarding domestic violence and sexual assault), as well as a member of the organization Angels for Humanity which provides dental and medical services to children without access to care in Haiti and Dominican Republic.

I am a certified Invisalign® Provider and fluent in English, Spanish and Urdu.

When I’m not treating patients, you can find me spending time with my family, walking around Target, or binge watching TV!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I started working on my startup office, my consultant told me two things. Don’t get pregnant and don’t make any big purchases. One month after signing the lease to the building, I found out I was pregnant with my third kiddo. Seems like unexpected pregnancies are the common denominator getting me through whatever difficult stage in life I’m at. So as I built my practice, I also grew my son, and he was born SIX weeks after we opened. I went back to work when he was 17 days old (I remember the day, I did 17 fillings and I made a mom joke…wow I did 17 fillings today and my son is 17 days old).

It was hard to build a business from the ground up while dealing with all that comes with pregnancy but I was able to power through with the help of so many supportive people. Now here we are, my little goober is 18 months old and so is my practice :)

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think my transparency and honesty as a provider is what has helped build my reputation. I am a straight shooter, you will not get sugar coated from me. But I am also a problem solver, so when I tell you about an issue that I see, I also give you a solution. I educate my patients so they understand exactly what’s going on and see the importance of it. I feel like my patients appreciate my straight forward, down to earth approach to patient care and because of this we have gotten a lot of referrals.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sanadentalstudio.com
• Instagram: @sanayusufdmd -and- @sanadentalstudioandspa
• Facebook: facebook.com/sanadentalstudio