Hutchinson Dental

Services Offered

• General dentistry
• Cosmetic dentistry
• Implant restorations
• Sleep apnea oral appliances
• Zoom whitening

Mind-body Connection 

The mind-body connection can either work for or against you within dentistry, and it works both ways. Restoring a patient’s smile can give them confidence to show their best self, whereas broken or missing teeth, crowding or discoloration can cause someone to hide their smile. Emotional stress and anxiety can cause patients to grind their teeth—causing wear and fractures and contributing to facial pain. However, when you have a smile you’re proud of, you are more likely to maintain (and show) it. 

AI in Medicine

I don’t know that I’ll ever implement artificial intelligence for answering the phone or scheduling appointments. Sure, it’s cost-effective and could be programmed to sound real or respond in a certain way. But part of our appeal is that we’re a small practice, and patients expect to speak to certain ladies when they call. Each team member is familiar to our patients. It’s hard enough to explain where someone is when they are on vacation! Perhaps soon there will be accessible AI to assist in interpreting X-rays to ensure nothing is missed. Since that serves patients by improving their care, I would be happy to embrace this technology. 

Narrative Medicine

I incorporate narrative medicine into all patient interactions. Not being heard is such a pet peeve for a lot of people. When you’re the patient, all ears should be on you. We take pride in listening to patients to understand what is going on with their health, living situation, dexterity, pain, goals, etc., in order to better provide care recommendations. At the end of every exam, I always ask patients if there is anything else they want to talk about. There’s always an opportunity to bring something up if it didn’t make it into our conversation organically.

Empowering Patients

I like to spend time with our patients to inform them about what’s going on inside their mouths—whether it’s getting a mirror
out so I can demonstrate contoured flossing and making sure they can do it, getting the intra-oral camera out to give them a better idea of what my lens sees, or taking them on a tour inside their heads following a CBCT scan. Every patient is different. I enjoy being in a small private practice where I am afforded time to
connect with and educate patients.

Saltwater Therapy

Patients often hear me recommend saltwater. You can do so much with it—swish with it, put it in your Waterpik or sinus rinse. Saltwater is a natural and effective antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent that the soft tissue responds well to after injury or for an annoying ulcer. Not all salts are created equal, so stick with kosher or sea salt. An easy recipe is 1 cup of warm water to ½ or 1 teaspoon of salt. 

Before & After 

This case is an example of listening to what patients want and need instead of doing it my way. The patient didn’t like his chipped teeth and wanted a more even smile. Most patients want to dive into a smile conversion; not him. He preferred to work in pairs, which obviously would take us longer to finish. But that is what his comfort zone needed, so I went along with it. By the time we finished the last pair, he was super happy with the smile he eased into on his terms!

Open Airways

My sleep apnea patients love the Panthera appliance. It is super thin (less stuff in your mouth) and flexible (it does not feel rigid). It maintains a specific posture of your lower jaw to support your airway. Patients can adjust the position, which is like reducing the volume of their snoring.

South Bay Spring

Weather in the South Bay is often so nice year-round that I find it’s easy to get lost in the calendar. The only seasonal cue I ever really notice is the gorgeous bloom of jacarandas to signal that spring is here. I love how their purple flowers fill the trees and later litter the ground. Stunning!

Sustainable Practices

I believe the most sustainable thing we can do for our patients is to educate them to take care of their oral health well at home. If they can do that, their smiles will last them a very long time!

Photographed by Fabien & Laura Castro