Published: January 12, 2009 11:14 am      

Maintaining smiles

Dentist enjoys helping patients stay healthy

Wendy Maple spends most of her days working in a tight space, often using a drill and a small mirror.

Her job requires a lot of hand-eye coordination, and at times she can see only the reflection of the object she is working on.

“I don’t think it’s that bad,” she said. “You have to be OK with it and get used to it.”

For the past five years, Maple has worked as a dentist, and she truly enjoys her work, even though the response from patients isn’t always positive.

“People come in and say, ‘Oh, no offense, I hate the dentist,’” she said. “You don’t take it personally. You get used to it.”

Maple said she doesn’t blame patients who aren’t enthusiastic about making the visit. She says she doesn’t like having her teeth worked on either.

Working as a dentist wasn’t something Maple originally planned to do with her life. She originally earned a degree in finance, but she eventually decided to pursue a career in medicine and a dental degree seemed a perfect fit.

She hasn’t regretted her decision.

“We really get to help a lot of people stay healthy and have a nice smile,” she said.

The dentist especially enjoys working with crowns for the front teeth. The crowns can make a great difference in a person’s smile, she said, and patients notice the change right away.

She also likes helping younger children enjoy their visits to the dentist. The dentist believes if someone has a good experience as a child, that will cut down on the fear as the person grows older.

“People are afraid of the dentist,” she said. “That’s one bad aspect. We just try to be as nice as we can be and explain things.”

She says it is important to explain to the patient what is going to happen, to be honest with them and make the experience as good as it can possibly be.

Monday is the busiest day of the week at the office. Maple explained she receives more emergency calls on Monday, often because of something that happened over the weekend.

“It makes it interesting when we get an emergency call with someone in pain,” she said. “We try to get them in as fast as we can.”

Her days consist of regular checkups with patients, once the hygienist completes the cleaning. Maple always checks for cavities and signs of oral cancer.

In addition, the dentist sees patients for fillings, crowns, dentures, partials, root canals and extractions.

“We pull teeth when we have to,” she said. “It depends on what the person wants.”

Maple works closely with dental assistant Kim Bowen, who has worked at the job for 25 years. She usually sets up the room, preps the patients and can place fillings too. Bowen also makes temporary crowns, takes impressions of teeth, sterilizes work tools and orders supplies.

Maple said she also has an assistant in the room with her during procedures.

“Sometimes you have to have four hands,” she said.

In addition to her work inside the office, Maple said she must also complete the required amount of training every two years. The sessions she attends helps her keep up to date and allows her to learn new techniques.

Maple said in order to do her job, a person would have to love it.

“You definitely have to want to be a dentist to do it,” she said. “There are a lot of skills involved.”

Denise Massie can be reached at (574) 732-5151 or via e-mail at denise.massie@pharostribune.com