Smiles Ahead

Exclusive Interview with Soheil S Mark, DDS MSc

Dental surgeon Soheil S Mark, or Simon as his patients call him, is a privatepractitioner in Marbella, working at Aaura Dental and Mark Dental Clinic,together with his brother Sam.

Tell us about your educational background

I began my studies at Gothenburg University, where I spent five years studying dental surgery. Since then, I’ve completed various postgraduate programs in Europe and the US. My most recent training was at Manchester University andHospital, where I obtained a Master of Science degree - my thesis subject was on dental implant solutions for patients with limited bone volumes.

Postgraduate training and education is a part of my professional life. Whether it is to gain or share knowledge, both are equally stimulating for me.

How did your professional life start here in Spain?

Straight out of grad school 13 years ago, I embarked on my journey working a few days a week in small clinics in the villages of Velez Malaga and Mijas Pueblo. I was grateful for the opportunity, and they were happy to have me dealing with the foreign patient community. At that time, my dad had a place in Fuengirola, which he thought would make a great clinic for me and my brother. The premises were still bricks and sand, and we reformed it ourselves and turned it into a clinic. I take a lot of pride in that today, and I’m forever grateful to my parents for that opportunity.

Being a private practitioner from day one gave me an important foundation for my career. Dealing with all aspects of dentistry, and with patients day in and day out, made me a better dentist and above all, a better physician.

How do you think your patients see you?

I always act in the best interest of my patients. I think that is mirrored in the confidence my patients have in me. I am honest, fair, and committed to the work I do and to my patients.

We don’t often get feedback as practitioners, as patients rightfully take for granted that we have to do our job correctly. But, patients tend to tell me that I am very gentle and skillful, which is probably a virtue, being a dental surgeon. I feel incredibly honoured and privileged to be able to do what I love for my patients. And their satisfaction is my pleasure.

What do you do and what do you treat?

I handle both simple implant dentistry and fairly complex surgical cases and rehabilitations. People can lose teeth for a variety of reasons and the only option is to install new ones.

Dentistry is, for patients, a mix of emotional stress and financial sacrifice, and they want the best possible aesthetic outcome in the shortest time possible. I have to handle all these aspects simultaneously for my patients. I can give you an implant and new tooth in one day; I can remove bad teeth,install full mouth implants, and deliver a temporary bridge the same day; I canconvert grandma’s loose denture into a snap-on denture in one session, so shecan bite an apple after 20 years. But I can also tell you, ‘you don’t need it, youare not there yet’ - I would like to think that I have a good judgement, and Ialways try to guide and educate my patients in the right direction.I developed a passion for surgery and dental implants early in my career, and itfills me with joy to be able to do what I love: I dedicate part of my time togeneral dentistry for my patients, and the rest of the time to dental implants andoral surgery.

What does the future hold?

Tech has inspired me in recent years, I am running a dental blog at the moment for my peers: dentivoice.com, and in parallel with that I am working with my brother and a tech team on an online dental workshop platform.

I’m also building a personal website that is specially dedicated to dental implants, with detailed information and guidance. There will also be a module where certain treatments that I want to do for research, my blog, or educational reasons will be at a discounted price. Eligible patients get the treatment they need at a lower price, and I get a case for educational purposes and documentation - it’s a win-win situation.

How can customers get in touch?

The best thing to do is send me an email with your enquiry and a brief history about yourself: info@markdentalclinic.com