Past Issues
Reflecting On 25 Years at 1950 Yonge St. ...and Looking Forward While attending dental school, I was drawn to my existing office location. I remember saying to myself, when driving down Yonge Street, "if I was not in dental school, then this would be the office I would like to be a patient in". It looked different...it had a graphic on the side of the building, with black lines representing a 3-D forest! After three years of associating, I decided to look for my own practice. When I called an agent who transitioned practices, he told me that 1950 Yonge Street was for sale. Needless to say this was the only practice I looked at, knowing that this location would be the workplace for me despite the fact that I was told 53 dentists worked down the street at 1849 Yonge Street. I soon learned that dental school taught us the basic ABC's. Once practicing I realized that there was much more to be learned. Several thousands of hours of continuing education has contributed to dentistry becoming my passion. The ABC's soon became words, the words created sentences and over time, the paragraphs reflected a deeper meaning about the impact of dentistry on the whole person. My motivation upon entering dental school was to overcome my own fear of dentists, and after accomplishing this feat, I felt I could help others overcome their anxieties, as well as change the face of dentistry. In dental school, I learned about how the mouth and body are interconnected. This fixation has been a major area of interest and study of mine since dental school for the past 28 years (I spent 3 years associating at Jane & Finch). Wellness Based Dentistry T became a way of looking at, and honouring the importance of our teeth and our smile. Psychoneuro-immunology (PNI) medicine, naturopathic medicine, physiotherapy and neuromuscular dentistry were studied, and applicable portions were added into my dental practice. Beyond traditional dental courses, I have also studied acupuncture and cranio-sacral, therapeutic touch and motivation courses. I chose not to use silver-mercury fillings over 22 years ago. I have taken 7 one-week courses in Florida at the Pankey Institute, along with intensive studies of the temporo-mandibular joint. Behavioural courses, listening courses, retreats in Keystone, Colorado and Phoenix, Arizona have helped me and my team in our personal growth, and this has helped us to contribute to our clients' best interests and our work environment. Rosemary and Stevka have been with me for 23 years and 20 years respectively. Sharon, Terri, Caron, Karen, Sandy, Ljiljana and Lana joined us over 10 years ago and today we have become co-workers, good friends and a workplace family. It is wonderful to be surrounded by people who share my vision and philosophy. We have travelled and studied many hours together, as I believe that the more we all know, the more we can help each other, and in turn share our knowledge with the people who visit us. Research has helped us so much to transform dentistry into a pleasurable experience. The development of lasers and cosmetic procedures, including whitening, porcelains, smile makeovers, bonding and veneers, invisible orthodontics and Invisalign, as well as spa dentistry (massage chairs, paraffin hand wax, headphones, reflexology, home-brewed ginger tea, and organic fresh squeezed carrot juice) has enhanced our opportunity to relax when we are in the dental office; to leave feeling better than when we arrived. Jaw exercises and facial aerobics allow us to control grinding and clenching to help us maintain our teeth until 120. We can now look at achieving a smile that can be our best feature until the day we die! To me the importance of looking good, and feeling great is so important, not only for our self esteem and the way we relate to others, but also so that we can look in the mirror and say to ourselves, "WOW, what a great smile, I look great." The endorphin release from within is our greatest natural vitamin! I chose not to specialize in a specific area of dentistry so that I could get to know my patients, and be there for them over the years. It is wonderful seeing familiar and new faces daily, sharing our lives, our sad times and more often our happy times. Many of you have been with me throughout my dental career. For this, I would like to say "Thank You"! It means so much to me to have you in my life. I feel blessed to have a wonderful extension of like-minded people around me who take responsibility for their lives and live with optimism and hope. I learn daily from my interactions with you and hope that I give back to you not only great smiles, but a comfortable dental home, caring, not only for your teeth but you as a person as well. Blessings, Dana & Team |
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