New dentist enjoys helping people

Jill McDermott might have been the only kid who enjoyed going to the dentist.

The newest dentist at Associated Dentists started July 16 and said she likes working in Newton so far.

“As always, it takes a little while to get in the swing of things, to figure out the lay of the land and  routines that everybody has.” she said. “Everyone has been very welcoming and great at helping me.”

McDermott graduated in June 2013 from dentistry school and said she decided to pursue her career when she was a senior at her undergrad.

“I still hadn’t decided what I wanted to do,” she said. “I knew I kind of wanted to do something in the health field but I wasn’t really sure, so I got set up with this program called Mentor Me.”

During the program, she was set up with a mentor and job shadowed an orthodontist and fell in love with the job. She also said when she was a kid, she looked forward to getting her teeth cleaned.

“I started thinking, ‘This is a real possible career option for me,’” she said.

Dental school took her four years to complete. She said her enjoyment of going to the dentist as a kid is uncharacteristic of most children.

“A lot of times, they’re scared, but I grew up having a lot of younger kids around at home and so I always felt really comfortable around them,” she said. “Actually most of the kids I’ve seen around here have been really pleasant and excited to get their new toothbrush.”

McDermott said she enjoys treating children and she hasn’t had her finger bitten by a kid, yet.

“That will happen at some point in time,” McDermott said.

McDermott said she enjoys her job because she gets to interface with many patients and solve their problems.

“It’s really nice because I can help them get out of pain,” she said, “Or say their front tooth broke and they’ve walking around without a front tooth and I can fix that for them. You can tell the difference on their face when they light that they have their tooth again.”

Right now, McDermott only works in Newton every Wednesday and Thursday. The other three days of works she works in Osceola. In both locations, she’s taking extra hours from doctors who are cutting back as they plan to retire.

“I haven’t quite made a decision to go one way or the other,” she said.