Monica A Fernandez, DDS, MS

Dr. Monica Fernandez is a clinical professor in the University of Florida College of Dentistry’s (UFCD) Department of Restorative Dental Sciences in the Division of Prosthodontics, serving as the course director for all five clinical Prosthodontic courses. Dr. Fernandez earned her dental degree from the University of the Republic of Uruguay in 1998 and her Certificate of Prosthodontics Studies and Master of Science in Dentistry with a Major in Prosthodontics and a Minor in Dental Materials at Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD), Indianapolis in 2008.

She began teaching as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Prosthodontics thirteen years ago in the DMD program and gradually increased her teaching time in the graduate Prosthodontics program. In 2016 she was promoted to clinical associate professor and in July 2024 she became clinical professor. Most of Dr. Fernandez’s tenure at the University of Florida has focused on teaching pre and post-doctoral students. She serves as a course director for five predoctoral clinical courses, two graduate courses, and an elective in CAD/CAM dentures. Additionally, Dr. Fernandez serves as an instructor in eight predoctoral preclinical courses in the Prosthodontics curriculum and two research mentoring courses for post-doctoral students in the graduate Prosthodontics program. As an attending Prosthodontics faculty, she also supervises students and residents in the DMD and graduate Prosthodontics clinics. Furthermore, she serves as an instructor in Clinical Examination 2 in the Division of General Dentistry. This course helps to prepare our students to challenge the state licensure examination. In addition to teaching, she assisted the Division director in developing a digital curriculum in prosthodontics. Dr. Fernandez’s expertise is in great demand in national prosthodontic forums that discuss digital removable prostheses, as demonstrated by the numerous invitations she has received from the American College of Prosthodontics (ACP). In addition to teaching in the graduate Prosthodontics program, she assisted the program director in further developing the curriculum by introducing the EXOCAD software system in the clinic to allow for the digitized fabrication of removable partial dentures and have worked together to introduce digital workflows for CAD/CAM design and in house manufacturing of fixed and removable prosthesis. Dr. Fernandez’s dedication to utilizing innovative teaching techniques, incorporating student feedback, and adapting to changing circumstances has resulted in a highly successful teaching career highlighted by the 2022 Sustained Exemplary Teaching Award.

Dr. Fernandez is a mentor and advisor for the University of Florida undergraduates through the University Multicultural Mentor Program (UMMP) and the Individual Mentored Research in Biology Program (BSC4910 & BSC4912). She is also a mentor for the prosthodontics residents in DEN6910 and DEN6973, and also, in their master’s research projects, she is instrumental in helping the residents build skills in research and scholarship based on their scientific interests. Dr. Fernandez is deeply committed to monitoring the progress of her mentees and inspiring them to set long-term career goals. Her guidance and support have helped many students and residents succeed in their academic endeavors. Furthermore, Dr. Fernandez serves as a mentor to junior faculty members, working closely with them to create personalized career development plans and providing advice and encouragement as they pursue their career goals. Her dedication to mentorship is a testament to her commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive academic community.

Dr. Fernandez applied and was awarded the Faculty Enhancement Opportunity Award in 2020, which allowed her to complete training in CAD/CAM denture design and manufacturing. As a result, she developed an elective course that reinforces fundamental skills and knowledge in removable prosthodontics, enabling DMD students to fabricate complete dentures for edentulous patients using new technology. This comprehensive course covers the clinical workflow, including digital impressions, digital previews of teeth, prototype designing, advanced teeth try-in protocols, digital teeth arrangement, and different occlusal schemes for rehabilitating such patients. The course has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from both students and patients and other schools have used its format and content as a reference. Dr. Fernandez has presented these experiences at ACP academic forums multiple times.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Fernandez provides patient care one day per week in the College’s intramural faculty practice. Her practice focuses on providing complete care for patients with complicated dental conditions, including restorative, esthetic, implants, and prosthodontic needs. As a prosthodontist, Dr. Fernandez delivers state-of-the-art techniques and procedures to treat complex dental conditions and restore optimum function and esthetics. She supervises predoctoral students and residents as they provide prosthodontic care to patients in the D.M.D. and postgraduate dental clinics. Additionally, her training and certification in CAD/CAM digital denture fabrication allows her to offer this treatment modality to all edentulous patients with the advantages of reduced visits, improved fit and retention, improved material mechanical properties, and electronic archiving for easy refabrication. Dr. Fernandez has finished three of the four parts required for diplomate status with the American Board of Prosthodontics.

Dr. Fernandez is heavily involved in university and college governance, actively participating in faculty and student committees. Additionally, she leads and is a member of various working groups within the American College of Prosthodontics (ACP) and the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). She contributes as an editor and reviewer for multiple dental journals. She is also an advisory board member for several journals, including Prosthesis, EC Dental Science, Universal Journal of Dentistry and Oral Disorders, and Mathews Journal of Dentistry. Within the UF College of Dentistry, Dr. Fernandez serves as the dental materials and devices expert on the Clinical Affairs and Quality Assurance Committee, providing advice on best practice policies. She is a voting member of the Faculty Advisory Board and represents UFCD in the UF Faculty Senate. She mentors students in the University Multicultural Mentor Program and has significant responsibilities in writing discipline-related sections for our 2023 self-study accreditation document. Her peers elected her as the Faculty Assembly Secretary, and she has actively participated in successful faculty search committees for the RDS Department and Prosthodontics Division. At the national level, she represents the University of Florida on the ACP Digital Dentistry Curriculum Working Group as an expert in Digital Dentures and CAD/CAM denture practices. Her role is to streamline communication between the workgroup and UFCD. She also serves as a member of several other workgroups related to Fixed Prosthodontics and education.

Dr. Fernandez began to engage in more scholarly activities over time with an interest focused on dental implants, CAD/CAM denture technology, and dental biomaterials. From 2017 to 2019, Dr. Fernandez was the recipient of the NIH/NIDCR Research Diversity Supplement award; during that period, she worked under the mentorship of Dr. Esquivel-Upshaw on two different research projects. Dr. Fernandez’s presented these findings at the AADR/CADR 2018 Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale and the 2019 IADR/AADR/CADR General Session in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Currently, she is supervising two research projects where she is mentoring a resident in the Graduate Prosthodontics Program. She submitted this project to the John J. Sharry original research competition at the annual American College of Prosthodontics meeting.

• Bridges
• Complex oral rehabilitation
• Cosmetic dentistry
• Crowns
• Dental implants
• Digital dentures
• Veneers