By JOHN LYDEN
Contributing Writer
As a young man, now 21, leaves the dentist’s office, the full time dental assistant cannot help but to reflect back on her professional journey. She has known the young man since he first started coming to the office for teeth cleanings back in 1995.
Karla Wing, 55, has been working as a dental assistant at Family Dentistry on Western Avenue for the last 31 years. As a dental assistant, Karla’s responsibilities encompass doing impressions, making temporary crowns, assisting the dentist, ordering supplies needed and doing desk-work. Although very satisfied and fulfilled with her career, Wing was not always certain about what occupation would sustain her.
When Wing began attending Springfield Technical Community College in the 1970s as a biology student, her goal was to become a dental hygienist. Her professional goals soon shifted dramatically.
“I didn’t want to be stuck in a room for eight hours a day, scraping teeth,” said Wing. Wing developed an interest in dental assisting work and consequently decided to pursue that as a career instead of dental hygiene.
The dental field appealed to Wing in large part because of the accomplishments of her older brother, Stanley Lis, who is now a dentist in Delmar, New York. Once Lis was accepted to dental school in the 1970s, Wing wondered if she could find success in the field too.
Wing’s dreams became a reality when in 1977 she became a registered and certified dental assistant. The job has sustained her for 36 years and she shows no signs of losing the enthusiasm that has made her successful in the field.
For Wing, the field has not only given her a healthy income, roughly $42,000 a year, but also has given her some emotionally taxing experiences.
“I worked on some Vietnam kids in Massachusetts. I did a lot of extraction work on them,” said Wing. “It was really sad because their teeth were rotted out. And these were little kids.”
On many occasions, Wing has had to try to console patients who have been petrified of getting dental work done. “It’s imperative to make the patients comfortable, to calm them down, and explain all the treatment,” said Wing.
Wing’s duty of helping patients to relax has created some very meaningful relationships that have lasted decades. “It’s special to work on the kids that were little when they came and now they’re in their 20s,” Wing said.
“We believe in cross training in our office and she is just as competent at running the front desk as she is at dental assisting,” said Pamela Alcombright, a registered dental hygienist at Family Dentistry. “She also has a nice rapport with our patients and that’s so important when you are dealing with people who have a fear of dentistry.”
“She’s always willing to help anybody with anything,” said Lynn Kesseling, a receptionist at Family Dentistry. “She gives her opinions, but she doesn’t sugar coat it. I really enjoy working with her. She’s a lot of fun.”
For Wing, it is exciting to be in a field that is advancing so rapidly. “Dentistry is changing a lot. Virtual impressions. Everything is going digital. It’s getting a lot better,” said Wing. “It’s really exciting to see.”
