Meet Our Team
Suzanne Young, Dental Hygienist |
Donna Stivers, Front Office
Jodie Dewald, Dental Assistant |
Susan McGovern, Patient Care Coordinator
|
Interviewer: Dr. Stivers, tell us a little about your team.
Dr. Stivers: One of the real pleasures with my practice is that I get to work with such caring, talented, fun people. We truly enjoy spending time with each other and I think our patients can sense that.
Suzanne: Yes, and that doesn’t mean just during working hours! This year, we even went on vacation together, to Myrtle Beach.
Dr Stivers: So you know we all get along real well. And work well together.
Jodie, for example, is my chairside assistant. She’s like my right hand when I’m treating patients. And the amazing thing is that she helps me while staying focused on our patient. She’s always making sure that our patient stays comfortable.
Jodie: Doing good dentistry is just one part of the job. We also have to make sure the patient is comfortable while we’re doing it. That’s why I often ask the patient if there’s any way we can make things better for them.
Susan: People just love Jodie from the time they first meet her. She really connects with them.
Jodie: Well, Susan helps me a lot there. As our front desk person, she has a way of making people feel welcome and relaxed. Even before patients come back to the treatment room Susan has reassured them. That makes my job easier.
Susan: I guess you could say I’m the resident chicken. I understand the feelings patients often have when they come to the dentist, so I try to help them relax. But if I didn’t really believe we could get their work done well and keep them comfortable, I couldn’t do it.
Another thing that helps our patients, Jodie, is that you’re very organized. Patients stay relaxed and reassured when things around them are calm. Most people don’t realize how important that is.
Suzanne: I could say the same for you, Susan. You’re so confident in what you do—and that confidence helps our patients feel that they are in the right office
Susan: I honestly believe they are, and for many reasons. For example, a lot of hygienists seem to think they have to hurt you to get your teeth really clean. But Suzanne has the ability to get teeth spotlessly clean in a gentle way. So many of our patients compliment her on that.
Suzanne: I’ve always believed it was possible to be thorough and gentle at the same time. I think that comes from taking time with our patients--it really helps that we don’t rush them in and out.
Susan: I notice that you take the time to talk with them, too. I have often heard you refer to “your mission” when you’re speaking with them.
Suzanne: I can get pretty passionate about that. My mission is to help people see that an appointment with me is not “just a cleaning.” We call it a “preventive appointment.” The whole idea of having patients return for regular cleanings and checkups is to prevent dental problems from happening. That’s why I spend a fair amount of time talking with patients about the condition of their mouths and about what they can do for themselves at home so we don’t have to do a lot of repairs for them later.
Interviewer: Sounds like patients have a great team working for them here at Dr. Stivers’ office.
Suzanne: That’s because we’re all willing to help out, to do whatever it takes to make sure that they get the right kind of care.
Susan: And because we know that the patient has to be the star of the show. We’ll do whatever it takes to make their visits as pleasant as possible.
|
