Welcome to the First Blog!
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!
I am embracing the new ways of the world by starting this blog. I hope to bring you all some insight on dental issues and share some personal milestones and hopefully bring you closer to our little dental family here in Chippawa.
I know there is some basic information about me on the website already. Here is a bit more: I have now lived in Chippawa for 15 years and love it. When I heard that Dr. Spencer was thinking about retiring, I approached him to discuss what he was thinking his retirement would look like. The idea of working in the same town that I live in was very appealing to me. I was travelling to St.Catharines daily at that time. He wanted to keep working in some capacity and that worked well for me. He had some health issues which did not allow for that and I quickly realized I could not service both practices. I let another dentist take over the St. Catharines practice and focused all my attention to Chippawa. Dr. Spencer has recovered wonderfully and has embraced different projects at home. He is still active with our local dental society. He is now a patient of mine so I see him and his family regularly. He has been an excellent patient.
It has been a great mix with my current staff. Milla and Myranda have worked for me for years and decided to join me here in Chippawa (even though they live in St. Catharines), Theresa has been with this practice for over 35 years and brings a lot of info about the patients and their history, allowing us all to gain better insight. Her work as a hygienist is great and we have the same ethics and approach to dentistry which makes things very easy. I heavily rely on her with any organizational extras, like reminding me of birthdays, bookkeeping, and deadlines. Kerry has joined us last year. I have known her for 15 years when I worked with her briefly filling in at her old office. Allison is a local girl (woman) who did her co-op with us 2 years ago and is now training in all aspects of the office. It is easier to have everyone cross-trained in a small office so if someone needs to be off it does not affect the flow of things. We are a very social office and would go out regularly for lunches and continuing education together before COVID19 put a halt on that.
This past year has been different on so many levels. I am sure everyone can agree. We have made adjustments at the office by installing 2 extra doors, extra air filters, more personal protective gear and how we bring in patients etc. The office was already set up in a way that did not need a huge amount of changes like some of my friends who had open concept dental offices. It was a bit daunting at first but we quickly adapted. I don’t even notice the difference much anymore except on hot days when I want less gear on. We are getting constant updates through our governing body which relies on the health unit for their direction. I feel safe with the changes put in place but I also would love to get back to freer life like we once knew. Mostly I miss the social interactions with friends and family. I am thankful to be able to work. I get to see people and make a living. I know some friends were very isolated and had a hard time working from home alone constantly. On a positive note, I spent less money, used up fabric for surgical caps and gowns and purged the house when we were off last year.
So not to make this too long…here it is….the first blog. I hope to make it interesting (even the dental info). If you have any topics you would like to see or have any question, please feel free to send an email.