News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Dr. Nicole Youngers and staff have opened Advantage Dental in Sisters. They are working to keep dental care accessible in hard times.
Dr. Nicole Youngers feels right at home in Sisters.
The dentist, who leads the new Advantage Dental clinic at 354 W. Adams Ave. in Sisters, enjoys the small-town atmosphere she's found here.
"My husband and I are both from smaller towns in Iowa, so we wanted more of a small-town feel," she said. "Sisters is a small town, but there's a lot to do here."
Dr. Younger is acutely conscious of the problems facing people who need dental care in Sisters. The first is universal: Most folks are at least a little scared to go to the dentist.
Dr. Younger handles that by making a special effort to make patients comfortable and to help them understand the "why" of any procedure.
The second hurdle is financial. Most people don't have dental insurance and it's tough right now to scrape together the cash for dental care, even though you know it's important - and saves money in the long run.
"When there's a recession, people have to cut corners," Dr. Youngers said. "We're trying to make it so that dental care is still feasible and affordable."
Advantage Dental has set up a program for uninsured patients, and they offer in-house financing. Dr. Youngers also recognizes that people have to be realistic about the gap between what they ideally need to do and what they can afford to do. So she helps her patients set priorities for their care.
She also emphasizes that it's important to get kids started early on a good dental- care program to prevent problems down the road.
Dr. Youngers comes to Sisters from Advantage Dental's Medford clinic. That's where she landed after she and husband Chris, an engineer, decided to move west right after their wedding. In fact, their honeymoon was moving to Oregon.
"We just wanted to do some exploring on our own," Dr. Youngers said. "We didn't know anyone out here; it was completely random."
When the opportunity came to take on the Sisters clinic," Dr. Youngers was eager to do it. The area provides lots of outdoor recreation opportunities, and that small-town atmosphere suits her style, both personally and professionally.
"I like the small town, the personal touch, where you know whole families and read the newspaper and you see them in the newspaper," she said.
They will host a barbecue for the public on Friday, October 14. Call 1-888-468-0022 for an appointment.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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