Born in Phoenix before her family moved to the Sacramento area when she was a toddler, Collin Al-Samarrie initially wanted to be a journalist. An unexpected pregnancy at age 19, however, put her community college classes on hold. After her son was born, she says, her focus changed: Life was now about making ends meet, living with her mother and raising her boy as a single parent. “My mom suggested I go to school to become a dental assistant,” she says. “I loved going to the dentist as a kid but had little idea about what being a DA really meant.”

WE ARE ALL so much more than our professional titles. Exhibit A might be Collin Al-Samarrie, 36, a lead dental assistant at Smile & Co. in Folsom and Roseville, California, near Sacramento. She embodies the finest characteristics of an excellent DA—she’s agile, self-motivated, optimistic, detail-oriented and resilient—yet she’s so much else besides.

In 2009, she enrolled in Western Career College in Sacramento (now known as Carrington College California), completing a nine-month RDA program. Her first job as an RDA was at a general practice in Folsom; after a couple years there she moved on to a pediatric practice that had several offices around Sacramento. “I loved working in pediatric dentistry and never thought I would leave,” she says. But opportunity came knocking: Via a Facebook group, an office manager for a local female-owned startup called Smile & Co. reached out to Al-Samarrie to gauge her potential interest in a change of scenery. “She slid into my DMs to ask if I was looking for anything else. I was totally happy at the time, but it just felt like something I had to explore. I don’t believe in coincidences.”

Her first visit to Smile & Co.—founded by Dr. Ashley Joves in 2017 in Folsom—rewarded that sense of exploration. Al-Samarrie knew right away that it was not only where she wanted to work, but where she wanted to retire as well. “Dr. Ashley’s vibe is totally different from any doctor I’ve known,” she says. “She laughs a lot, truly makes her patients and the staff feel so comfortable. She doesn’t have the typical white-coat demeanor.”

In her five-year tenure since, Al-Samarrie has broadened her remit beyond the daily DA responsibilities. She’s a friend, cheerleader, event organizer and (with Dr. Joves) a podcast cohost. Her go-getter personality complements Dr. Jove’s grit and entrepreneurial spirit: With Al-Samarrie by her side, Dr. Joves in 2023 opened a second Smile & Co. location, this one in Roseville, some 15 miles northwest of Folsom. The two now produce podcasts, have nurtured a pair of Facebook groups for dentists with 17,000 members combined and launched an annual retreat for clinicians.

You can teach someone the technical skills of being an assistant, but if you don’t have the right attitude, it doesn’t really matter. Attitude is everything.”

The two women initially bonded over being mothers of boys (Dr. Joves has three sons; Al-Samarrie now has two). Their friendship outside work has burgeoned as well: They started Little Black Dress, a general-interest podcast geared toward women. Al-Samarrie also frequently appears on Dr. Joves’s The Making of a Dental Startup, a podcast that delves into the entrepreneurial side of dentistry.

In 2021, Dr. Joves decided to plan a retreat for dentists. What is now an annual event was first held in Northern California’s wine country, bringing together some 75 doctors from across the U.S. Al-Samarrie helps organize each one and is the only non-clinician to attend. The multiday retreat features a heady morning session with notable speakers from around the industry, then a fun outing in the afternoon: wine tasting, hiking, a scavenger hunt. “I get to do these other amazing things for the dental world too, which is so fulfilling,” Al-Samarrie says. “I love meeting dentists from all over the world and getting a chance to truly connect.” There have now been three retreats, the latest this past fall in Vail, Colorado.

Al-Samarrie is a natural facilitator. She cultivates community, supports small businesses and finds joy in empowering dental professionals both at the retreat and in her day-to-day work at Smile & Co. “Collin not only helps keep my two practices afloat, but she is at the helm of helping to grow and foster this dental community,” Dr. Joves says. “Her impact isn’t limi­ted to the patients she cares for—it expands to the doctors who listen to our podcast and are a part of our startup community. She is a shining star.”

As lead RDA at Smile & Co., Al-Samarrie helps manage both offices and oversees the hiring and training of new dental assistants. Her recruiting role in particular is critical given the ongoing DA staffing shortage (see “Help Wanted,” page 38). “It seems like that trend happened rapidly after the Covid-19 shutdowns. I think dental team members—hygienists and assistants—were wary of working in people’s mouths and wanted to find jobs that weren’t centered around being in a clinical office setting,” Al-Samarrie says. “From what I’ve heard from other dentist friends around the country at our retreats, it’s a nationwide dilemma.”

One reason for the shortage is a lack of quality applicants, but Al-Samarrie employs her 15 years of experience to spot standouts during interviews. “You have to have a willingness to learn. A good assistant has tenacity when things are hard,” she says. “You have to have empathy and compassion for your patients. A good assistant has a friendly personality and could be described as a people person. You can teach someone the technical skills of being an assistant, but if you don’t have the right attitude, it doesn’t really matter. Attitude is everything.”

RUNNING FREE: (Clockwise from top left) Al-Samarrie ahead of a 100-mile endurance race; with Dr. Ashley Joves—both bundled up and less so—at the annual multiday retreats Al-Samarrie helps coordinate

Al-Samarrie certainly has the right attitude. “Finding good people who want to work in dentistry, especially after Covid, has been tough. That’s why I’m so grateful to have Collin by my side,” Dr. Joves says. “She’s loyal, extremely hardworking, reliable and quick to jump in wherever she’s needed. She’s so much more to me than a dental assistant. Clinically, she performs four-handed dentistry flawlessly. But her problem solving and anticipating the needs not just of the doctors but the patients too is unmatched.” Outside of work, Al-Samarrie clears her mind with long runs. The daughter of two marathoners, she never enjoyed running all that much, but after getting sober in 2021, she decided to give it another go. “I have this belief that if someone else can do something, I can do it too,” she says. She ran her first full marathon in 2023 and her first ultramarathon (that’s 100—yes, 100—miles) this past autumn. “When I’m running outdoors it’s just me and my thoughts, no music, no distractions. It’s my way to recharge and decompress.”

Now nearly two decades into a career she initially never imagined, Al-Samarrie finds daily fulfillment in both her dental assistant work and her extracurricular projects. “Helping other assistants, interacting with dentists at the retreats and working with patients in the office—it’s all incredibly meaningful,” she says. “I feel like I’m still learning, growing and always meeting amazing people in the dental world. It never gets old.”

Photography: maylightstudio.com