Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
LEWISTON — There’s more than one reason to smile at Drews Dental Services. If you’ve paid attention to dentistry advertising in recent years, you probably noticed the emphasis put on “pain free” dental work by many dental-care professionals. Well, at Drews Dental on Sabattus Street, they have added a relaxed atmosphere and an element of humor to this claim. Interestingly, the fully remodeled office is in the former Friendly’s restaurant, 471 Sabattus St.
Their fully-equipped office already offers single-tooth anesthesia, 3-D panoramic digital imaging, laser/water technology (often replacing the drill), 3-D digital wand for accurate impressions, a diode laser working comfortably below the gum line, computer-aided design for accurate dentures and other prosthetics, a VELscope for non-invasive screening, and a Ceramill Motion 2 robotic unit that mills custom-fit dentures from 3-D images.
There’s a lot of technical stuff in the previous paragraph, most of which should put the average patient at ease. However, just as important to Drews’ two dentists — Peter Drews and Kristina Lake Harriman — and their highly-trained staff are the elements of friendliness, humor and compassion.
Their website features photos, short bios and the perspectives of each of its 11 staff members. One look at the photos of owner Peter Drews, D.D.S., M.A.G.D., hints at the sense of fun he brings to the staff and practice.
The website also features testimonials from clients. These speak to the professionalism and attention to detail given to regular dental care as well as the production, by the technicians on staff, of everything from mouth guards to full dentures or implants.
One of the newer additions to the Drews’ practice is a licensed denturist. Megan Higgins, originally from Calais, received her degree and license in 2008 from George Brown University in Toronto. She had gained experience working in the dental field since 2001 and decided to focus her attention toward denturism. Her three years at George Brown qualified her to become a licensed denturist specifically trained in creating dentures. Higgins calls denturism “a perfect marriage of art and science.”
“I like giving back people’s smiles,” she said during our interview. Even though there is a lot of computer and digital technology in her lab at Drews, she enjoys this special part of dentistry because “it’s more hands on.” She was welcomed to the staff two years ago. Higgins occasionally moves from her downstairs lab to assist the dentists upstairs. Her favorite patients are the “older ladies because they have such a fun sense of humor.”
At Drews Dental, she has the opportunity to create them using the most up-to-date technologies. Drews believes it is the only facility in the state, at this point, with the Ceramill Motion 2 machine that robotically fashions individual dentures based on a three-dimensional C.A.D. model programmed into the unit. Higgins and her partner in the lab, Edward Little High School graduate Matt Theriault, a certified expanded functional dental assistant, and their “computer guy,” appreciate that technology helps to eliminate human error.
Disa Fedorowicz is the office coordinator and helps to maintain the light-hearted atmosphere among the staff. She is also responsible for many of the comedic touches one can see on the Drews Dental website. The site includes personal comments from each person on the staff. Regarding each of those Fedorowicz says, “We have an office full of funny, quick-witted people, so it definitely comes out in their respective blog posts. She continues, “one thing that is important, most patients don’t know or care if the filling you placed has an exact margin (although we certainly strive for excellence in that department), people remember how you made them feel. Going to the dentist is the bottom of the list of most people’s favorite things to do, so if we can make it a little more enjoyable and entertaining, all the better.”
Drews Dental namesake, Dr. Peter Drews, is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He served as dentist on the U.S.S. Rushmore until leaving the service in 2008. Drews takes pride in serving many fellow veterans in the Lewiston-Auburn area, including those who may be temporarily homeless. The office strives to maintain contact with organizations in the Twin Cities working with veterans, who may be down on their luck, offering eligible veterans initial evaluations and a program that has both necessary and optional treatment options.
CAPTION: Megan Higgins is a licensed denturist at Drews Dental Services in Lewiston. Higgins takes a break for a smile as she works on designing a set of dentures, surrounded by the most up-to-date computer technology. (Photo by Bill Van Tassel)
