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Cloth face coverings have been mandated in all public places, but very little guidance for their proper use has been provided. This would be like us giving you dental floss and then not telling you how to use it. Likely some would figure out the proper technique and some would just flat refuse to do it, just like mask-wearing.

Here are some instructions and thoughts about wearing your face mask: Continue reading “Let’s Be Serious About Wearing Our Masks”

….to have been blessed with these amazing women in my life!

Many of you have heard me talk about my grandmother, Shirley. I was attached to her side as a teenager. I would spend countless hours on the weekend learning how to sew, knit, cross-stitch, and bake. She also got me involved in the American Red Cross as a water safety instructor. She was an amazing, strong, supportive woman. I am grateful for every moment I had with her. Now as I spend countless hours in my sewing room, I feel close to her and thankful for what she taught me. She gave me something that brings me much joy and during this COVID crisis, I have been able to use this joy to spread the love to so many deserving charities. Continue reading “A Grateful Heart…”

…since we have to wear masks everywhere!

Even though we are back in the office, I can’t stop sewing. One, I LOVE it! Two, you NEED it!! Three, charities are BENEFITTING!! Stitches by Mrs. Funk is still working around the clock to produce fun, FUNKY and fashionable face coverings. I have finally added elastic ear loops to the masks that I offer. I did so reluctantly because I see so many masks under people’s chins. DON’T do this!! Continue reading “Can’t Stop Now”

I heard it suggested that Father’s Day is the forgotten holiday. I am not sure why this would be but I thought this would be a good time to say ‘Happy Father’s Day’ to our patients who are dads of any kind! Good to celebrate dads early and often 🙂

Many of you were lucky enough to meet my wonderful father while he was working in our office. For those of you who did not, you missed meeting an amazing man! He is kind, patient, hard working, loving and always available with a helping hand or a listening ear.

Some may think he encouraged me to go into dentistry but it was just the opposite! He wanted to be sure I chose a career path that was for me. At a young age, I was drawn to learning about what he did and wanted to be just like him. He cared for his patients so deeply and provided them excellent dental care. We could not go anywhere in my small hometown without running into a patient and sweet conversations followed. He had a loving staff that was with him almost his entire career. Thanks for being a great mentor and role model, Dad!

This photo was taken when I was in high school. My dad encouraged me to become a runner and we loved to run our annual hometown race, Run for the Diamonds, on Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Father’s Day!!

Jessica

Yesterday marked 19 years since I opened my dental practice and 19 years that the four women with me in this photo have worked together. It is such a blessing to work with these strong, patient, kind, hard-working individuals. We are not just work partners, we are best friends who have gone through all sorts of life trials and tribulations. Thank you to them for being so committed to our practice. Thank you to you, our patients, for allowing us to care for you all these years. We are working on ways to celebrate next year’s milestone of the big 20! Continue reading “19 Years and Still Counting!”

….is the way we communicate with you! We annually complete our OSHA/HIPPA training and we are being encouraged to only communicate with patients through encrypted sources. This completely removes any personal communication that we have prided ourselves in providing to our patients.

We are here for you almost 24/7. Patients can email, call, text me anytime and I do my best to answer quickly during waking hours. This is often from my phone or my laptop and this source of communication is not encrypted (I honestly don’t even understand how all this works). But, to get ‘around’ this, I have been advised to have patients sign a consent that will permit me to continue to be able to answer your dental questions, concerns outside of my normal office hours. Continue reading “The Only Thing That Is Not Sterile”

…DON’T!!!

As a healthcare professional, I take for granted knowing how to properly wear and use PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). In my previous about how to wear a face mask, I discussed how it must cover your nose and mouth completely, to be effective.

Wearing gloves in public should never be done! Once you put on a pair of latex gloves, everything you touch (your purse, your wallet, your car door, your groceries, your hair, etc.) becomes CONTAMINATED!! Wearing gloves to the grocery store does NOTHING to protect you from the Coronavirus. The Coronavirus is an airborne pathogen, it cannot gain entry into your body through skin contact. Continue reading “How to Properly Wear Gloves Out in Public”