Sexton Fixes teeth, yes, but offers more...
by Rob Laymon
Special to the Business Journal excerpt
There's an old joke about dentists:
Q: Why are dentists all so grim?
A: Because they're always looking down in the mouth.
In fact, dentists are not all grim, as a few moments with Dr. Tara Sexton of Bala Cynwyd will prove.
In the still reputedly dour profession of dentistry, Sexton can credit at least some of her success to a persistent refusal to drab down her practice. Big overstuffed chairs fill her office waiting room. The place is alive with bright colors, catchy design features and enough technology to make a geek drool.
But credit must inevitably go to the fact that Sexton, a Penn graduate, has become something of an authority on smiles.
by Rob Laymon
Special to the Business Journal excerpt
There's an old joke about dentists:
Q: Why are dentists all so grim?
A: Because they're always looking down in the mouth.
In fact, dentists are not all grim, as a few moments with Dr. Tara Sexton of Bala Cynwyd will prove.
In the still reputedly dour profession of dentistry, Sexton can credit at least some of her success to a persistent refusal to drab down her practice. Big overstuffed chairs fill her office waiting room. The place is alive with bright colors, catchy design features and enough technology to make a geek drool.
But credit must inevitably go to the fact that Sexton, a Penn graduate, has become something of an authority on smiles.
She knows how to keep them shining on the outside. But she also knows how to produce them from within. This skill they don't teach in dental school.
Sexton calls her office ambiance a "light-and-lively atmosphere." She has a staff of six women, and the place is always filled with joking and an interest in patients that goes beyond cavities and bridgework.
Six years ago when Sexton rented the office in Bala Cynwyd, she made sure it was big enough to accommodate the massage therapist she like to work with. Now patients at Sexton's practice can experience a foot massage while sitting in the dentist chair.
It's actually not foot massages or the ambiance that have brought her renown.
Rather, it is her clinical work. Last year Sexton founded something called Smiles At Work, a program offering free cosmetic dentistry to victims of domestic violence, fixing broken, missing or generally bad teeth.
Sexton calls her office ambiance a "light-and-lively atmosphere." She has a staff of six women, and the place is always filled with joking and an interest in patients that goes beyond cavities and bridgework.
Six years ago when Sexton rented the office in Bala Cynwyd, she made sure it was big enough to accommodate the massage therapist she like to work with. Now patients at Sexton's practice can experience a foot massage while sitting in the dentist chair.
It's actually not foot massages or the ambiance that have brought her renown.
Rather, it is her clinical work. Last year Sexton founded something called Smiles At Work, a program offering free cosmetic dentistry to victims of domestic violence, fixing broken, missing or generally bad teeth.
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"I had a few patients who worked with domestic violence victims," Sexton said, "and I guess that got the idea rattling around in my head. I wanted to do something special to help women.
"And I'm sure that because I'm a woman, and because I came from a modest income family and worked my way up, there was a feeling of camaraderie there with people trying to move forward, women in particular." |
Sexton offers this service in cooperation with the Working Wardrobe, a non-profit organization devoted to helping victims of domestic violence get back to their feet and re-enter the work force. Their program provides clothing, counseling and much else.
"I realized I couldn't just open my doors and offer free cosmetic dental work to anyone who needed it and couldn't afford it," Sexton said. "So, I started thinking of ways to limit the number. That's how I found Working Wardrobe."
Working Wardrobe screens patients for Sexton, who in turn screens them herself. Typically she accepts as patients those women who have fled a violent relationship, are undergoing counseling and have proven their dedication to staying on the right track.
Sexton is also president-elect of the Academy of Stomatology, a 107-year-old dental study club that meets four times a year. Stomatology means the study of the structures in and around the mouth.
She serves in several capacities for the Arthur Ashe Tennis Center, where she has volunteered for 12 years. Recently Sexton was elected a board member of the center, and this year became the chairwoman of annual giving, to raise money for the proposed new building.
She sits on the Trustee Council of Penn Women, which addresses issues running the gamut from on-campus safety to fund raising to academic advancement for female professors.
"I realized I couldn't just open my doors and offer free cosmetic dental work to anyone who needed it and couldn't afford it," Sexton said. "So, I started thinking of ways to limit the number. That's how I found Working Wardrobe."
Working Wardrobe screens patients for Sexton, who in turn screens them herself. Typically she accepts as patients those women who have fled a violent relationship, are undergoing counseling and have proven their dedication to staying on the right track.
Sexton is also president-elect of the Academy of Stomatology, a 107-year-old dental study club that meets four times a year. Stomatology means the study of the structures in and around the mouth.
She serves in several capacities for the Arthur Ashe Tennis Center, where she has volunteered for 12 years. Recently Sexton was elected a board member of the center, and this year became the chairwoman of annual giving, to raise money for the proposed new building.
She sits on the Trustee Council of Penn Women, which addresses issues running the gamut from on-campus safety to fund raising to academic advancement for female professors.
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"I guess my friends would say that I'm active in community service, which is a big thing in my life," Sexton said.
"After I finished school and got my students loans under control, I wanted to focus on giving back something to the community, in view of opportunities that had always been given to me. Dentists don't really have a reputation for being philanthropic, but they can be as philanthropic as anyone else." |
THE SHORT OF IT
Name: Tara Sexton
Birthdate: 11/28/1962
Title: Dentist, Owner
Practice: Sexton Aesthetic Dentistry, Bala Cynwyd
Name: Tara Sexton
Birthdate: 11/28/1962
Title: Dentist, Owner
Practice: Sexton Aesthetic Dentistry, Bala Cynwyd