Registered dental hygienist Kara Parcells wants you to know you have choices when it comes to your dental health.
That’s why late last year, Parcells opened Lindsay’s first independent brick-and-mortar dental hygiene practice called Evolve Dental Hygiene. Now, after just a few months in business, Parcells will be moving her practice out of Adelaide Clinic and into her own space at 232 Kent Street West this fall.
At Evolve Dental Hygiene, Parcells offers all the preventative care you would get from a dental hygienist in a typical dental office, even though there is no dentist on site. Her services include oral assessments, stain removal, oral cancer screening, fluoride treatment, professional whitening, and more.
For Parcells, one of the major obstacles she’s had since starting her business is educating people on independent dental hygiene as a wellness option. Many people don’t realize that registered dental hygienists are allowed to work independently from dentists.
“Dental hygiene is a preventive therapy while visiting the dentist is restorative,” she explains, adding that she still largely encourages her clients to see a dentist as well. “You see a dentist to fix things basically, but with dental hygiene we’re looking at maintaining health and preventing disease.”
Parcells was motivated to open her own practice after years spent commuting to work in Whitby. With two young children at home, the two-hour daily commute was not how she wanted to spend her time.
Additionally, between pandemic protocols, staff shortages, and Lindsay’s growing population, Parcells felt that opening her own business would let her be in more control over the time she spent with her clients, rather than having to squeeze them into a time slot.
“It was just the right time,” she says about starting her own practice and now moving into her own space. “Lindsay’s growing — they say we’re doubling the population within ten years, so there’s a definite need.”
For Parcells, operating independently allows her to provide personalized care in a comfortable space where she can really get to know her clients.
“People want to get to know us, and they want somebody that knows their mouth,” she says. “They like the idea of not seeing a different provider every single time.”
A key piece of Parcells’ practice is letting her clients have a say in the care they receive.
“People should play an active role in their treatment,” she explains. “It’s informed consent, and people should know their options.”
She adds that she often hears people say they feel shame or embarrassment when visiting a dental hygienist, or they feel like they’re being judged. But, Parcells assures, that’s not at all the case at Evolve Dental Hygiene.
Rather than trying to pressure clients, Parcells says she celebrates she “small victories” while working towards a solution that fits the client’s needs.
“The best thing to do is what’s going to work the best and what you’re going to do,” she explains. “So if you’re not going to floss, let’s look at some other tools that maybe you might do.”
She uses the example of a time in her own life where she found she wasn’t flossing in the evenings because she had been working night shifts and would come home late. Rather than shaming herself, she found a solution in using a pick floss that she liked and would floss while commuting home from work.
This is a technique she now often recommends to people who don’t have the time to floss, and it’s other solutions like these that she finds works best in getting people to take care of their oral hygiene.
“I have the time to be personal with people,” she points out. “We develop a relationship, so they like me and trust me.”
In getting to know her clients, Parcells has found that many people prefer holistic solutions, so she now stocks her office full of the natural alternatives that aren’t always easy to come by.
In gaining this deeper trust with her clients, Parcells adds that her practice can often be the moderator or in-between for clients who have a phobia of going to the dentist. In spending more time with the client, she’s able to understand where their phobia stems from, and she can make recommendations for local dentists who she feels will be a good match.
“Some people have allowed me to make referrals to dentists I feel would complement their values,” Parcells explains, adding that she’s gained the trust of several clients who hadn’t been to see a dentist in years because of these fears. “I have a handful of people I can refer [clients] to and look at those people and consider who’s going to vibe well with them.”
At the new building Parcells is moving into, she hopes to share the space with other wellness practitioners.
“If there was somebody kind of looking to get started with their practice, it’s a really great opportunity for them and maybe we could join forces,” she says, adding that she’d love to show other practices the same great support she got from Lindsay when beginning her practice.
“It keeps it local. It’s such an exciting time to be an entrepreneur — especially a woman entrepreneur — right now, because there’s a lot of really amazing people doing things here in the Kawarthas.”
When she opens her new space in early October, Parcells says it will offer the same “non-intimidating” atmosphere as her current office, with local artwork and plants decorating the waiting room.
“You don’t feel rushed, and you don’t feel like you’re just a number,” she notes, adding that she makes sure not to schedule appointments back-to-back so she ends up running late. “You’ll never wait in my waiting room.”
Parcells uses her social media accounts as a platform to educate people on independent dental hygiene as a wellness option. Through Instagram and Facebook, she share information, interesting facts, and misconceptions about oral health and wellness.
“I like to think it’s done in a fun way that people might actually read it and kind of understand,” she says.
Evolve Dental Hygiene will be opening at 232 Kent Street West in Lindsay in October. Until then, you can visit Parcells at her current location at the Adelaide Clinic at 1 Adelaide Street North.
For more information or to book an appointment, visit www.evolvedentalhygiene.ca. You can also follow Evolve Dental Hygiene on Instagram and Facebook to learn more about dental hygiene from an independent practitioner.
