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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThere also can be insurance issues when it comes to paying for preventative care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt makes a lot of what we\u2019re doing difficult,\u201d 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. \u201cIt\u2019s hard, but we definitely try to do predeterminations to make sure they know what their out-of-pocket will be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 \u201cSerenity\u201d name would have been an impossibility \u2014 or a bad joke. Kindly dentists, of course, always existed, but there was a very hierarchical structure \u2014 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\u2019s seat. The patient is the one to tell the staff what to do and when to do it \u2014 \u201cyou are the one in charge.\u201d That dynamic would have been an impossibility a short generation ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mires and the practice \u2014 and many dentists nationwide \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her method is a constant checking-in. \u201cAre you okay? Do you need a break? What can we do to comfort you to the best of our abilities?\u201d When she began working at Serenity, there were some patients she would see who would always get nitrous, the gas. They\u2019re now to the point where they don\u2019t need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat means I\u2019m doing something right,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is the endless gratification of easing patients\u2019 fears and making things better for them immediately. The practice is able to quickly pinpoint the patient\u2019s source of pain: \u201cLet\u2019s get this taken care of and get you taken care of.\u201d The patient walks out of the office, and they\u2019re feeling better \u2014 their pain lessened. And just as importantly, they\u2019re feeling comforted that they were listened to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mires recalled a particular patient who was extremely anxious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI worked with her from her first appointment in the office to the appointment we had for the treatment.\u201d 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, \u201cThank you so much, and I\u2019m so happy \u2014 I love y\u2019all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a simple thing, but also says quite a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat right there,\u201d Mires concluded, \u201cis all I want.\u201d GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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\u2019s 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\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":22448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/DSC01528-1-1024x683.jpg\")
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