Dr. Yesenia Fernandez-Riera is a first-generation citizen born in the United States. Her family migrated from Cuba back in 1967 in hopes of a better tomorrow. She was born in South Miami and raised as a true ‘Miamian’ in Hialeah, Florida. Dr. Fernandez was inspired to become a dentist due to the influence of her grandfather, who always wanted to pursue the career but was never able to due to certain family circumstances.
Dr. Fernandez began her journey by pursuing her undergraduate studies in the heart of Miami at Florida International University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Upon graduation from her Psychology degree, she decided to change up the scenery and move to Gainesville to attend the University of Florida to attain her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree, where she met her husband, Dr. Dayron Baez.
During her time in Gainesville, Dr. Fernandez excelled in many aspects of dentistry, including cosmetics, endodontics, prosthetics, and implant dentistry, and graduated top of her class. To continue her education further after earning her doctorate degree, Dr. Fernandez moved to St. Petersburg, where she attended a one-year Advanced Education program to fine-tune her skills in complex full-mouth rehabilitation involving implant dentistry, advanced endodontics, and prosthetic procedures. One of her biggest achievements during her one-year residency was that she was able to become a Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.
Although she enjoyed all parts of dentistry, Dr. Fernandez knew that her heart was in the field of Endodontics. After she finished her Advanced Education residency, she continued to a two-year Endodontics specialty program in sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at Nova Southeastern
University, where she was able to spend all of her days doing what she loved most, ROOT CANALS, and return home to her family and friends.
When Dr. Fernandez is not in the office, you can find her with her 2 sons, Liam and Logan, and her husband, Dr. Dayron Baez, exploring the town.