Bachelor of Dental Surgery | University of Adelaide
General Dentist
Dr. Cindy Yong is a dentist in Mandurah, WA. With her cultural agility, soothing presence and brand of empathetic professional care, she continues to pursue her passion: changing people's lives by empowering them to be more proactive about their oral health.
Originally from Malaysia, Dr. Cindy started her journey at the International Medical University, a globally recognised higher education institution in Kuala Lumpur. There, she received awards and recognition including the KaVo Dental Asia-Pacific “Excellence in Dental Practice" for BDS Phase 1 (Certificate).
Dr. Cindy then moved to Australia to further pursue her studies, graduating from the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor’s in Dental Surgery. At the university, she was active as a student body representative and served as a dental screening volunteer for the National Dental Foundation Voluntary Charity Services.
The big move she had to make at the time presented a double challenge that she accepted wholeheartedly. The first was choosing the right pathway that would provide an opportunity for her to study in Australia. Next was passing the rigorous admissions processes to get accepted into a dental degree program.
“First of all, the criteria to get into dentistry are quite strict. You have to perform well in all aspects and be outstanding in many ways, not just academically,” Dr. Cindy says. “And if you’re coming from Malaysia, you have to outperform a lot of your other peers to compete for a position to study in Adelaide.”
After earning her degree, she came to Mandurah to start working. Ultimately, it became evident that her early challenges equipped Dr. Cindy to better navigate real-world clinic scenarios. Fluency in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Malay allowed her to effectively communicate with a more diverse scope of clients. Her background in various art fields (through lessons in music, ballet and fine arts throughout her childhood in Malaysia) translated to excellent manual dexterity, tenacity and high standards at work.
Today, her practice includes all facets of dentistry, from treating gum disease to working with children. In the healthcare setting where people are not always in a good place physically and emotionally when they arrive, Dr. Cindy considers “time and patience” as two key factors that help her deliver quality dental care.
“The longer time you spend with them and the more patient you are, the more relaxed patients tend to be. Then they slowly let bits of their fear go away,” she says. “So just being here, just being an effective communicator, has really helped.”
Witnessing her patients’ journeys – from being riddled with anxiety to moving past their fear, coming back to her for further treatment, becoming regular clients and even referring their family and friends – is the most rewarding part of her dental career.
Dr. Cindy is passionate about aesthetic dentistry, a field she decided to pursue even before she graduated. She likes the sense of fulfilment it gives to both patient and dentist, thanks to the visible results a smile makeover can offer.
Aesthetics dentistry is a fast-changing field, making it a good fit for Dr. Cindy who thrives in constant learning and upskilling. She keeps up with the latest developments through all the learning platforms available today, from professional development courses and symposia to webinars and social media sources.
She is also setting her sights on learning more about digital dentistry in the near future. “Digital dentistry will lead to quicker treatments, less time in the dental chair,” she says. “It will improve accuracy of treatment as it can reduce human error.”
Dr. Cindy believes that stress management is a skill that everyone, not just dentists, needs to learn today. Outside work, she still keeps her nifty fingers busy, but this time on creative projects such as drawing and crafting little ornaments.
She is also a foodie at heart, and during weekends enjoys strolling around and making new food discoveries with her husband.
For Dr. Cindy, the journey of being a dentist is two-fold. “Dentistry is challenging and rewarding,” Dr. Cindy says. “You don’t know what challenge you’ll be walking into every time you go to work. But at the end of the day, it becomes about 99% rewarding when you see the outcome and your smiling patient in front of you. Changing people's lives by improving their oral health will always be rewarding.”
