Welcome to “Paying it Forward,” a monthly interview series made possible by Piedmont Health. In this series, we hear from the folks at Piedmont about the importance of community health centers – and why they chose a career in community health.
This month, Aaron welcomes Dr. Katayoun Sadri, the lead dentist at Piedmont’s new dental location in Chapel Hill. She’s been a dentist for nearly a quarter-century with experience all over the world, including Switzerland – but she says she’s especially excited about her current job in community health.
“I’m loving it,” she says. “It’s challenging and I’m grateful….(and) we’re providing care for people who need it the most. (We) have the facility to provide the care that I would provide in my private practice – but for folks that haven’t seen dentists, or can’t afford a dentist, or don’t have insurance. And there are a lot of kids (with) dental needs and parents can’t afford it. So I’m grateful to be a medium here to provide the care for them.”
In her work, Dr. Sadri emphasizes preventative care: consistent brushing and flossing, along with regular dental cleanings.
“It’s less expensive, less work, less frightening,” she says. “(And) I’m so grateful of our philosophy in the US, because when I lived in Europe, preventative (care) was not really a big deal. People would wait till their tooth started hurting.”
Dr. Sadri says she loves working with her staff at Piedmont – but even more than that, she loves helping her patients, especially kids who need help overcoming their natural fear.
“There was this kiddo who was super scared, he was crying in the lobby,” she remembers. “(But) we managed to take care of him and do what we needed…and by the end of it, he was following me. And the mother was like, ‘where are you going?’ And he’s like, ‘I just want to stay with her.’ And I thought that was really sweet. It’s quite telling that if you show some care and some love and some attention, not only does the fear go away, but also it brings a sort of attraction that people are like, ‘okay, I can handle this. I want to be here.’”
Piedmont Health Services is offering free dental services for uninsured kids 17 and under on Friday, February 6, as part of Give Kids A Smile Day. Click here for more information on the program and how to book an appointment for your child.
97.9 The Hill WCHL and Chapelboro.com are your headquarters for local news and local voices in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. Every weekday morning, 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck chats with government officials, UNC scholars, business and nonprofit leaders, area musicians, and others in our community as they share their thoughts, their experience, and their expertise on the central issues of today. Click here to listen back to all of Aaron’s conversations – and tune in to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” at 7:30 a.m. on 97.9 The Hill to hear those conversations live.
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