It’s a small clinic, but it seems a lot bigger the moment she comes in. She gives everyone seated in the waiting room a cheerful “hello!”, which tells me that she knows everyone personally. Recognizing that I’m a first timer, she smiles brightly toward me, making me feel instantly comfortable. 

I learned about Dr. Analiza Borras-Anza from my friend Michael “Eagle” Riggs whose dental transformation was astounding. I have been needing dental work myself, although I can never imagine myself having the Hollywood smile like Eagle’s. I just wanted a dentist I can trust, and seeing Eagle’s transformation convinced me to try Doc Ana, as she is fondly called by her loyal clients.

Independent roots

The young Ana was already taking up AB Economics in the University of the East as her pre-law course, when her father said that he wanted a medical doctor in the family. Dutiful daughter that she is, she made a compromise by taking up dentistry instead. Her entrepreneurial mind came up with dentistry thinking it was the most lucrative profession at the time. UE is also known for dentistry, and that she can finish the course faster than if she took up medicine.

“Naisip ko, pag malabo ang mata mo, pwede mo ipapaliban. Pero pag masakit ang ngipin mo, bukas nasa dentista ka na. So yun ang kinuha ko,” she quips, comparing dentistry with optometry. 

Having brought up in the mountainous province of Zambales, the wide-eyed Olongapo girl was smitten by the vibrant city life, particularly the full-service dormitory. Parents of her dorm mates would bring them home-cooked meals from time to time, making her think that “may ganito palang buhay”.

“Naisip ko, pag malabo ang mata mo, pwede mo ipapaliban. Pero pag masakit ang ngipin mo, bukas nasa dentista ka na. So yun ang kinuha ko.”

It’s not that she came from an impoverished family. Her father was an overseas worker in Saudi Arabia, while her mom was into various buy and sell ventures. It’s not surprising that Ana inherited the entrepreneurial spirit she grew up in.

“Bata pa kasi ako nag-iipon na ako ng pera para hindi ako humihingi sa parents ko. Pag bakasyon, nagtitinda ako ng banana cue, halo-halo, barbecue. Pag December, bibingka naman” she recalls. She fondly remembers doing the work herself, from preparing the ingredients to cooking the food that she would sell. 

At one point, she even learned how to assemble firecrackers and sell them for new year festivities.

“Kaya pag dating ng pasukan, bago sapatos ko, bag, payong…galing lahat yun sa kinita ko sa pagtitinda habang naka-bakasyon.”

As financials grew tighter, she had to transfer from UE to MCU (Manila Central University) for her dentistry proper. At the time, she and her three other siblings stayed in an apartment right across the University. They rented out two rooms of the apartment, with Ana working on the side to manage the tenants. At the same time, she was also buying and selling clothes for extra earnings.

In school, she would work as usherette during graduation ceremonies, earning Php500 per gig.

With her mother living away from them and their father working overseas, Ana stood as her siblings’ second mother with all the responsibilities resting on her shoulders. “Naglalaba, nagluluto, naniningil, ako lahat yun. Di ko nga alam kung pano ko kinaya yun e,” Ana reminisces.

Unbridled charisma

Ana’s flair for selling started when she was just a child who helped her mother tend to their neighborhood variety store during school break. She has such an endearing charisma even at that early age that would draw people toward her.

“Nung bata ako pag pinatayo ako sa lamesa, sinabing sumayaw ako, sasayaw ako. Kakanta pa. Dun dumami ang kakilala ko kahit saan ako pumunta, mga tropa ko na yan,” she laughs.

At the age of 19, she joined the Mondragon Court of Fashion that got her to model Landmark clothes, Nike bathing suits, and Triumph lingerie. She was earning Php500 per show, with food and transportation. She had to stop this modeling era to concentrate on her dentistry proper.

Fast forward to her graduating year, she joined a cousin who applied as stewardess (now called flight attendant) just to while away the time. The foreign recruiter noticed her and asked her to make an application and come back another day in corporate attire for an interview. She had to borrow the attire from a friend and went back as scheduled.

“Ang dali ng tanong. Tell me something about yourself. Alam mo naman ako, madaldal. Pinapirma agad ako ng kontrata pagkatapos ng interview,” Ana shares.

She made the tough decision of signing the contract even if it meant she would not be marching for the graduation ceremonies. She would have wanted her parents to see her go up the stage as a token of gratitude for their hard work and support, but she couldn’t pass up the rare opportunity of flying to another country for work.

She ended up not telling anyone in the family about her decision; but as fate would have it, her flight got delayed the day before her graduation, allowing her to attend the ceremony. She had to set aside the board exam in the process as she went on to work as stewardess for four years after graduation.

It was during her stint in Qatar that she met her first husband with whom she had two children. Together, they lived in Peru, before moving to Switzerland. This explains why she speaks fluent Spanish and Italian.

Holding on to faith

Ana couldn’t get herself to call Switzerland home, so she went back to the Philippines without her husband who declined to join her and the kids at first because of his work as a chef. He would eventually join her and the kids in Manila at certain periods, but each time he seemed different. Little did Ana know that after his last visit, he would ask her for a separation.

It would be the lowest point of her life as she suddenly found herself alone and take care of her children. “Akala ko kayang i-withstand ng love ang distance. Hindi pala,” Ana laments. She found out that two months after she left Switzerland, he was already living in with another woman. “Parang gumuho ang mundo ko, but I had to be strong for my two kids.” She held on to her faith in God, believing that she can pull through with His mercy and guidance.

Ana picked up from where she left off and took the board review through the mentorship of her college professor, Marilou Sembrano. “Hinanap ko talaga sya. Sabi ko, hindi ako mag-te-take ng board kung hindi ako sa kanya magre-review kasi alam ko maipapasa nya ako,” Ana shares. At the same time, she was working as an assistant in her best friend’s dental clinic to make ends meet.

And so after 12 years, Ana finally took the board exam and passed to become a licensed dentist. Blessings came to her one after another. One of her clients offered her a space in Makati to start her own clinic. With the help of her best friend, she took loans to buy all the equipment she needed. Thus was born what is now known as Swiss Dental Clinic, which later transferred to Parañaque in 2008. By then, she was already in a relationship with Angelo Anza, with whom she tight the knot in 2023 and now share his daughter.

Hollywood smile for every Filipino

Swiss Dental Clinic became popular when she started to offer cosmetic dental services that she learned from the Philippine Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry. She was one of the first dentists in the Philippines who started self-promotion on social media. Since then, she has been getting personalities as clients, from athletes to showbiz celebrities and politicians, while opening her doors to the less privileged.

“I treat my clients equally, whether mayaman o mahirap, sikat o hindi. Pumapayag ako ng hulugan sa mga taong alam kong hindi kayang magbayad ng isang bagsakan. Sa ganitong paraan, marami akong natutulungan. Bilang pasasalamat ko na din sa Diyos sa mga blessings na binibigay nya sa akin,” Ana affirms.

***

Looking back, Ana cherishes all the experiences she went through – good and bad – that led her to where she is now. “Hindi perfect ang buhay ko. Pero sa dami ng nagawa kong pagkakamali, lagi akong tumatawag kay Lord para iwasto ang mga mali ko. Sana yung generation ngayon, matuto ding tumakbo sa Kanya especially pag feeling nila hirap na hirap na sila sa buhay,” Ana concludes.