Cara Chatellier, Founder and Creative Director of Bubbly Creative recently sat down with Dr. Rob Lipkowitz to discuss his practice, his patients, and his overall approach to dentistry. Learn more in their interview below.
So, Doctor Rob, a lot of your patients have commented on feeling really comfortable in your chair. How do you put them at ease?
Well, I like to keep things light. So a lot of times I’ll tell a joke. I just think humor is really important, it really puts people at ease. And also I think it’s really, really important to find out exactly what it is that people are anxious about. And sometimes it’s the smell of the office, sometimes it’s the sound of the drill, sometimes it’s the fear that there’s going to be pain and that whatever is being done isn’t going to stop. So I put that up right out there on the table and let them know that they’re in control of the situation. If they want me to stop they can raise their hand and I always do what they ask me to do.
You pride yourself on helping your patients keep functioning and healthy teeth for a lifetime. Now, obviously, that’s a tall order, how do you account for that?
Well, it all starts with helping them understand what their goals are and if their goal is that they want to keep their teeth for a lifetime, I do a thorough examination that identifies what puts them at risk for losing their teeth, and then we create a plan together that helps them develop skills and strategies to lower those risks as low as possible so that they can keep their teeth for their entire life.
The patients love you, and it seems like you love them right back. Now, how have you maintained that relationship for the past 10 years?
Well, people come in here year after year, I know them and I know their families, and they are more than just the patients to me., We become like a patient family. So they come here, and they’re treated with care and dignity. I do my best to give them the best care that they can get. They appreciate that, I appreciate them. And it all works out.
So what is it about being a dentist that you’ve enjoyed so much over the past 30 years?
As I think dentistry has been a tremendously fulfilling career for me, for a number of reasons. One is I’ve always enjoyed small intricate detailed tasks, and you certainly get that with dentistry. I love people.
I love relationships with people, and I certainly get that with my patients and the people that I worked with. I love making significant changes in people’s lives by enhancing their smiles, giving them self-confidence, letting them be able to chew their food and eat and function again. Changing people’s lives in a significant way means so much to me.
That’s wonderful. I think a lot of people see going to the dentist as an obligation, but here at Lipkowitz Dental Associates, it’s really about the relationships and the people. So thank you so much, Doctor Rob.
