Women in Business: Aileen Guerrero-Keitt, Shades Creek Dental

Registered Dental Hygienist Aileen Guerrero-Keitt lives and works in Homewood. She lives across the street from her place of employment at Shades Creek Dental.

“When they were building Broadway Park years ago, my husband and I fantasized that there would be a coffee shop we could walk to. Years later in 2018, when I read that a dental office was being built there, I told my husband I had to work there,” she said.

Dr. Ron MacBeth hired Aileen in April 2019, and she said she plans on retiring there.

Shades Creek Dental is a family dentistry that also offers a wide range of cosmetic services including Invisalign, whitening services and smile makeovers.

Patients at Shades Creek Dental appreciate the latest technology that they offer, as well as the convenient location in Homewood. The practice utilizes the best in technology to be able to provide their patients with the best care in the most convenient manner possible. They utilize the CEREC crown milling unit in order to provide patients with same-day crowns, eliminating the need for a second visit.

Aileen said one of the things she is most proud of at Shades Creek Dental is that the practice focuses on education and prevention.

“For years, patients have been told to floss their teeth. Rarely have any of them been educated about gum disease, the leading cause of tooth loss and the role flossing plays in gum health and the prevention of the disease,” she said.

She said many patients have told them they have never been taught how to floss correctly. While it may seem small, flossing is the single most important oral hygiene habit a person can do to help prevent cavities, infection and disease.

Aileen said it was serendipity that led her to become a dental hygienist. While she was a pre-nursing student in Florida, she took a microbiology class with a dental hygiene student who was excited about the field.

“Before then, I didn’t even know what dental hygiene was,” she said. “I applied to both programs and got into dental hygiene school first.”

While the practice was closed for seven weeks during COVID-19, Aileen started a Facebook page for Homewood Suburban Food Forest. Gardening has always been one of her passions, and while she was off work, she was able to spend much of her time gardening.

Aileen learned years ago that dental hygiene is not just about clinical skills. For her, dental hygiene is about being an educator and friend to her patients and building relationships. Some of the patients she works with have been faithfully following her since she started working in Alabama in 2001.

“I love seeing them every time they come into the office,” she said. “I love meeting new people, making a difference in their oral health and just catching up with them during their visits. I feel like I have the best job ever!”