National Dental Assistants Recognition Week (March 5-11, 2017)
Once a year, dental offices across the country take some time to recognize the dental assistants in their practices. No dentist could successfully or efficiently do their work without trusty assistants by their side, and we couldn’t be luckier to have Lori and Kaytie as our dental assistants at Sweet Tooth Pediatric Dentistry. You see their smiling faces around the office, but do you fully understand their roles and responsibilities in our office? Continue reading to find out exactly why dental assistants are such a vital part of our team, and what keeps these ladies so busy!
What does a dental assistant do?
A dental assistant is thought of as the right-hand man or woman of every dentist. When Dr. Erica is performing any sort of treatment on a patient, it’s the dental assistants that help provide her with the proper equipment, suction and clean the area she’s working on, and assist with behavior management if a patient needs some extra soothing. “Four handed dentistry” is a term used to describe the teamwork between a dentist and her assistant, and if you’ve seen Dr. Erica and Lori or Kaytie work together, you may think it was a synchronized routine! They are always one step ahead of what Dr. Erica needs so all procedures can be done efficiently with the patient’s best interests in mind. The assistants are certified in radiology so they can take x-rays for patients and they also manage the sterilization of dental equipment and enforce our infection control protocol. Beyond all this, the assistants also help schedule appointments, take impressions for appliances, place orders for materials for the office, and much, much more!
A bit more about our assistants…
Lori was Dr. Pat’s assistant for 13 years and is a staple member of our team. She grew up in Durham and graduated from Coginchaug Regional High School. She got her certification from Briarwood College and became a Certified Dental Assistant. She has a son, Kyle, and absolutely loves working with kids. Lori always seems to have a smile on her face, and brings tons of positive energy to our office every day.
Fun fact: Kaytie and Lori are actually related! Kaytie is Lori’s niece and the duo work wonderfully together. Kaytie joined Dr. Pat’s staff in 2014 and received her Dental Assisting Certificate from Porter and Chester Institute. Kaytie grew up in Wallingford where she still resides with her fiancé Stephen and their adorable sons, Lorenzo and Giovanni. Kaytie is extremely organized and pays close attention to every detail – which definitely comes in handy in our office! For more information about the assistants, visit our website to see their bios in full.
Although we appreciate our dental assistants every day, the whole team at Sweet Tooth Pediatric Dentistry is thrilled to honor Lori and Kaytie this week in a special way. If you see them in the office this week, make sure to tell them how awesome they are!
Sweet Tooth Pediatric Dentistry
583 Saybrook Road
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 347-4681