Kelsey Mires is the lead registered dental assistant (RDA) at Serenity Dental, helmed by Dr. Teresa K. Larkins, who also happens to be Wilson County’s first female dentist. Mires joined Serenity Dental this year but has been doing this since 2013. She grew up in Connecticut and trained in San Diego, California. In California, it’s possible to be a dental assistant without a certificate, which she did — taking a slightly longer career route — to see if this was going to be her chosen profession.
She quickly figured out that, “Yes, this is something I want to stick with.” Her enthusiasm only grew from there. “I worked in my first office and saw the first cut in to get a wisdom tooth out, and I thought, ‘Oh yeah — this is cool!’”
She came to Tennessee after her marriage to a husband who grew up in Mt. Juliet. Being the lead RDA means an involvement in most of what goes on in the office.
“I’ve got my hand in everywhere,” she explained, “from basic office needs and ordering to schedule managing and managing patient cases. And meeting all the needs of the patient and doctor.” It’s a wide area of responsibility.
The medical world has undergone seismic shifts in regard to insurance regulations and a rapidly changing medical system. The dental world is experiencing similar challenges.
“Patients sometimes can’t get the care that they need or the treatment that’s really needed due to insurance not paying. A lot of people are losing a lot of teeth.”

There also can be insurance issues when it comes to paying for preventative care.
“It makes a lot of what we’re doing difficult,” Mires explained matter-of-factly. Her practice does make an enormous effort of meet the needs of its patients, accepting quite a few insurances, which enables them to work with a lot more people. “It’s hard, but we definitely try to do predeterminations to make sure they know what their out-of-pocket will be.”
Dentistry has undergone these seismic shifts, but there are also changes in a nicer direction. In the recent past, going to a dental clinic bearing the “Serenity” name would have been an impossibility — or a bad joke. Kindly dentists, of course, always existed, but there was a very hierarchical structure — the dentist made his pronouncement or diagnosis, and that was it. Mires tells her clientele that when they take the dental chair, they are in the driver’s seat. The patient is the one to tell the staff what to do and when to do it — “you are the one in charge.” That dynamic would have been an impossibility a short generation ago.
Mires and the practice — and many dentists nationwide — are very aware of the discomfort and fear associated with a visit to the dentist. Recent studies of U.S. adults have found that the level of moderate to high fear surrounding dental visits is 20%, which is one in five patients. The severity can range from simple unease to a full-blown phobia.

Her method is a constant checking-in. “Are you okay? Do you need a break? What can we do to comfort you to the best of our abilities?” When she began working at Serenity, there were some patients she would see who would always get nitrous, the gas. They’re now to the point where they don’t need it.
“That means I’m doing something right,” she concluded.
There is the endless gratification of easing patients’ fears and making things better for them immediately. The practice is able to quickly pinpoint the patient’s source of pain: “Let’s get this taken care of and get you taken care of.” The patient walks out of the office, and they’re feeling better — their pain lessened. And just as importantly, they’re feeling comforted that they were listened to.
Mires recalled a particular patient who was extremely anxious.
“I worked with her from her first appointment in the office to the appointment we had for the treatment.” After the treatment, she walked this patient back to her car and promised to check in the next day. The patient looked at Mires and said, “Thank you so much, and I’m so happy — I love y’all.”
It’s a simple thing, but also says quite a bit.
“That right there,” Mires concluded, “is all I want.” GN