Beach Dentist Brings Bright Smiles - Island Sand Paper

Beach Dentist Brings Bright Smiles

Going to the dentist doesn't usually land on anyone's list of favorite things to do. But whether we want to or not, most of us go to the dentist anyway. And for those folks who have found Beach dentist Susan Park, the experience is a surprisingly positive one.

About five years ago in Sand Paper article (Issue #360), we learned a bit about Dr. Park's background, and about some of the innovations in dental care that she has incorporated into her practice. We revisited Dr. Park last week to find out how things were going, to learn more about how she discovered her love of dentistry, and to talk about what steps she took along the way that led to establishing her private practice on Fort Myers Beach.

"I was out on my own at the age of seventeen. You think you know it all at that age, but obviously you don't," Park relates with a wistful smile. "I got married young, had my daughter young, and then I was a single mom. When I went back to work, I got a job as a dental assistant for an amazing doctor. He taught at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a very charming man, and we're still friends today. I found that I really enjoyed dentistry. By then, I was asking myself how I was going to provide for my daughter, and I thought 'I really like this'. So I tried really, really hard to get into school. It was very difficult because, at the time, women in dentistry were practically unheard of, and the few who did apply – well, they certainly weren't admitting single moms into the programs. It was a battle all the way through."

But Park's characteristic energy and dedication paid off; she graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a Doctorate in Dental Medicine in 1984. Soon after she enlisted in the Air Force and subsequent to getting an Honorable Discharge, she ran a residency program in graduate dentistry at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in New Jersey, concurrently serving as the director of its Geriatric Dental Program.

But the time came when Dr. Park wanted to open her own dental practice. The question of course was where to do that.

"I was in town visiting, and I was tooling down Estero Boulevard – I had about an hour before I had to go to the airport to catch my plane – and I thought 'there is no place on earth I would rather be than right here'. In 1996, after about a year and half of preparation, Susan established her practice in the location she maintains today, upstairs in the Key Estero Plaza.

By Park's own assessment, her state-of-the-art dental practice is comparatively small in size.

"When I finally got here, I didn't want to be 'on rollerskates' in a big, impersonal business. I'm kind of a throwback, because who gets their teeth cleaned personally by their dentist?" she asks to illustrate her point. Park says her goal is to give individualized attention to every patient's needs. "It doesn't matter if it's a cleaning or the whole rehabilitation, or anything in between. If you don't sit and listen to someone, how are you going to find out what it is you need to do, or what they want?"

Dr. Park says an important factor in the personal touch her patients find in her practice is the presence of Stephany Gardner, an Expanded Functions Dental Assistant, who became Dr. Park's treasured 'right hand' in July of 2008. But like her mentor, Gardner had to dip into her own well of persistence and determination to get there. "I called and asked for an interview. I was excited about working on the Beach, but was told there was no position available. I called back some time later, and got an interview scheduled, but someone, not Susan, called me back and said we had to cancel it. I was working for another dentist at the time, but I wasn't really happy there, so six months later, I called again. I wanted to see if working for a woman dentist would be any different. I came, and put my resume in, and this time Susan called back herself and said she was looking for someone. She interviewed me and we clicked right away, and I've been here since then. I think I made a good choice for myself."

Because of her participation in continuing education, Dr. Park offers all the latest technology in her dental practice, and keeps up on all the newest procedures and products and how to use them properly. Gardner mirrors this level of dedication to keeping herself up-to-date in her chosen field. Currently, she is taking classes in preparation for a hoped-for slot in Edison's Dental Hygienist Associates Degree program. There are 11 slots for which about 400 people are planning to apply in March of 2012. Whether one of those slots goes to Stephany or not, she plans on continuing her studies until she succeeds in attaining her goal. Working full-time, and attending meaty, five-hour-long classes at night, Gardner maintains A's in school and a sunny and can-do demeanor at work.

Park can't say enough about the dimension and value Gardner adds to the practice. "If you have someone special to work with like Stephany, it makes everything so much better. She's so dependable and friendly. Almost every day, somebody tells me how wonderful it is to have her as the first person they see when they walk in. She's very kind and caring."

This dyamic duo offers personalized care and cutting edge services, and they welcome new patients all the time. "Most of our new patients come by way of word-of-mouth. I have a lot of patient loyalty. They come from Naples, Cape Coral, Punta Gorda, the East Coast... almost all by word-of-mouth." Park adds with a touch of wonderment, "They even come in season!"

With the intrinsic difficulties small businesses face with the ebb and flow of people, and intensified seasonal traffic that challenges our resort community, we asked Dr. Park if she feels she made a good choice in locating her practice on Ft. Myers Beach. With much enthusiasm, she responds almost instantly. "I am so proud to be a part of this community." Susan contributes to local fundraisers, and also donates as much time as she can to Project Dentist Care, which serves the less fortunate in the area through a clinic in Fort Myers. "I don't think anyone who gets into the health care field will succeed without having the heart because it takes some stamina. But you have to have a real feel for it. You have to want to participate and help people. It's not all about the almighty dollar."

So while the size of the practice is relatively small, Park says she offers total, comprehensive dental care. "We can do anything from clean your teeth, to rebuilding your entire mouth. We stay up on the technology, but we offer TLC with it... it's not just teeth in there, there's a person sitting there. You have to care about what's going on in their world, and absolutely try to control everything to make them feel safe. I wouldn't do any procedure on anyone that I wouldn't have done on myself."

In extreme cases, some poor folks are genuinely afraid of the dentist. In most best-case scenarios, people just don't like the experience. But Susan's approach seems to produce a very different kind of dental patient.

"When someone gets up out of the dental chair and hugs me... it makes my job so gratifying. There's nothing like giving someone back their smile."

Beach Dentist Susan Park is obviously dedicated to her chosen life's work. "I care about every person that I see, and I hope that it shows."

It does.

Jo List

30 Sep, 2011

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