Anybody who has seen us in the last 12 months, or called in for their six monthly check-up will have noticed that there have been some changes made. The last time we were able to celebrate our successes in the dental world pre-COVID19 was at the Irish Dentistry Awards 2019.
There we celebrated being the Most Attractive Practice, The Most Child Friendly Practice, and The Best Dental Practice in Munster. On that night, Dr. Sarah Rymer and Dr. Will Rymer paid homage to their small dental team. This is because it is their effort and commitment that brought us to that level. It was actually that night that the 1st COVID19 case in Ireland was confirmed.
Fast forward two years, and we are still in the midst of the pandemic, with Christmas parties cancelled and socially distanced weekends still de rigueur. We were to attend the 2021 Irish Dentistry Awards nominated in five categories, sadly these have been deferred until July next year. (There was me hoping it would be our Christmas party!)
What has also changed in that time is the business. There have been many changes to our staff. Fiona our receptionist left us to pursue her career in Th
e Arts, and was involved in the Apple TV+ series Foundation”. Norma has gone back to college to retrain, now transitioning from dental nurse to dental hygienist. This will enable her to have a much more direct impact on patient health, in a role I know she will excel in.
We have a new look dental team, with Ruth, Paula and Marie brought in over the last 12 months. Ruth is our lead dental nurse, and has previously worked with Dr. Will Rymer in Portumna. They have worked as a team together for years, and she is one of the most organised and conscientious team members. Absolutely a key cog now in the Expressions machine. Ruth works in surgery, as receptionist and as an indispensable practice manager.
The Surgery also needs to expand (an anyone who has tried to book an appointment with us will tell you!). So in November 2021, we recruited a new dentist. Dr. Gibbons is another former work colleague of Will, Caoimhe is an experienced dentist having previously worked in Portumna for many years. Caoimhe is now housed in Will’s surgery, whilst we convert what used to be the staffroom and the staff bathroom into a third surgery. Caoimhe is able to offer:
Advanced restorative treatment
Composite bonding
Gum treatment
Crowns and bridges
Orthodontic treatment
This will enable us to offer more appointments, with less wait time. We hope to have this fully operational from February 2022.
That goes someway to explain why the place is a building site now. We know that things have been a little disrupted, but we are hoping to get back to normality as soon as possible.
The new team members have adapted to life in Expressions effortlessly, and we are doing our utmost to make them feel welcome and part of the team.