Staff at an Okotoks dental office is all smiles after earning the title of best dentist and best dental hygienist this year.
My Family Dental’s Dr. Helen Robinson was named Best Dentist and Leila Lafontaine Best Dental Hygienist in the Western Wheel’s Best of Foothills Readers’ Choice Awards this summer. Robinson said she and Lafontaine, who retired in the spring, had been working together for 26 years.
Humbled by the recognition, Robinson views it as a credit to her entire staff.
“We all work really hard – not just me but every staff member that we have here,” she said. “I have a great staff and it’s a whole team approach. Everybody here is just so kind and energetic and, of course, the patients are amazing.”
Having the community’s recognition for the hard work of her staff means the world to Robinson.
“It feels so good because it’s coming from my patients and the community,” she said. “To get that kind of feedback is a real honour.”
Robinson, who has owned the practice for 22 years, said she and her staff at My Family Dental do everything they can to make their clients feel comfortable.
“Dentistry is a hard career because there is so much anxiety around coming to a dentist,” she said. “It’s not always the easiest thing for patients, yet people come and say this is such a happy place.”
In 2020, My Family Dental was faced with its toughest challenge yet - the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is always risks in dentistry, especially with COVID-19, but our patients were so happy to come back,” she said.
Robinson said she is passionate about the work she does and the relationships she continues to develop with her clients.
“I’ve been here 20 plus years now so I love seeing the different generations growing up and the little ones going to university,” she said.
This year has brought some exciting changes to the team.
My Family Dental welcomed the addition of Dr. Lisa Mallett, who joined the team to offer sedation dentistry on a part-time basis for such procedures as implants and wisdom tooth extractions, and Robinson’s new associate Dr. Jeff Barr, who previously practised in Red Deer.
