Total Care Dental Recognized As “Best of State”

Father-Daughter Dental Team recognized as Best of State

For Dr. Dan Coles and Dr. Michelle Jorgensen, being able to provide health care together, in a new and innovative way, has been very rewarding. The motto at their joint practice, Total Care Dental, is “A New Kind of Dentistry.” Since starting this practice in American Fork, the father-daughter team has worked to provide dentistry the way their patients want - instead of the way it's always been done. This fresh approach to dental care has not gone without notice, and they were recently awarded a Best of State Statue at the June 18th Best of State awards gala.

The Best of State awards were created to recognize outstanding organizations and businesses in Utah. Medals are awarded to businesses in 150 categories, and from these winners, 10 Best of State Statue winners are chosen. “We were honored to be chosen as the medal winner in the category of Healthcare Services,” says Dr. Jorgensen, “but we didn't even know about the statues before attending the gala.” The dental office was included in a group of 24 businesses called Merchandising and Consumer Services, all of which were competing for the honor of winning the statue. “When they opened the envelope to announce the winner in our group, we were completely shocked to hear our name,” continues Jorgensen. “We were grouped with businesses much larger and better known then we are. It is definitely a case of the underdog coming out on top!”

Nominees for the award were judged in three categories. The first is Achievement in the field of endeavor. Dr. Coles explains that “success in dentistry is possible, because people need to go to the dentist - a healthy mouth has a big impact on how we eat, smile, talk, laugh, sing. and are viewed by others.” The problem is many people quickly admit that going to the dentist is not their favorite thing to do. We love our teeth but we don't like the dentist! “We realize this,” says Coles, “so when creating Total Care Dental, we worked to create the “perfect” dental visit. Before making any decision concerning patient care, we ask our team 'what would our patients be most comfortable with?'.”

This approach has been extremely successful in two ways. The first measure of success is the growth of the practice. In the four years the practice has been operating, the patient base has increased four-fold. Total Care Dental is now among the top five percent of dental practices nationwide. The second measure of success is the satisfaction of the team. A patient recently mentioned that working at Total Care Dental was, in his opinion, the perfect job. The team members get to do something good for someone else every day. He commented that not many jobs offer that kind of reward.

The second category, Innovation and Creativity, was very natural for Total Care Dental. Dr. Jorgensen and Dr. Coles have found that dentistry is all about the experience. “You can go anywhere to get your teeth fixed,” explains Jorgensen, “but it takes a special place to help you enjoy the experience.” The doctors decided to evaluate every possible negative experience in a dental office, and create a positive, comfortable alternative.

Contributing to improve the quality of life in Utah is the final category nominees were judged in. “This is our favorite thing,” says Jorgensen. “We have been so richly rewarded in this community, we jump on any opportunity to give help in return.” A few activities they enjoy are hosting an annual “I Hate Dentists Day”, providing a day of free dental care for “Dentistry with a Heart”, and teaching children dental prevention for National Children's Dental Health Month.

Although they appreciate public recognition, the doctors say the greatest reward they can receive is a patient saying they love coming to the dentist. “Children with no cavities, adults with healthy mouths, relaxed dental visits, friendships, having fun at work - these are the things that make Total Care Dental the best dental office in the state,” says Jorgensen. Excellent dentistry, personal care and a commitment to improve every day has helped Dr. Coles and Dr. Jorgensen stay at the top of their field. They love what they do, and it shows! For more information contact Total Care Dental at 801-756-3737 or online at totalcaredental.com.

Total Care Dental Recieves “Best in State” Award

Click here to watch the video.

To view the video, you must have QuickTime on your computer.
To download QuickTime for free, click here.