Dentist's Day: March 6th

Did you know March 6th is Dentist's Day? I didn't either until I saw it come up on an app that lists various lesser-known celebrations. So, in honor of Dentist's Day, let's meet the dentist, Dr. Jennifer Robb!

I grew up in Lake County, Ohio where my mom still lives. One of the familial traits on my dad's side was having a space between the two front teeth--a trait I unfortunately inherited. Correcting this required me to wear braces--and not the braces of today, but the type of braces where they put a band around every tooth.

One of my assignments at school was to write an essay on "What I Want To Be When I Grow Up". Unfortunately, I had no idea! So my mom started listing off various occupations, and when she got to orthodontist (the dental specialist who straightens teeth), I was intrigued by the idea of helping people have a better smile. While researching that essay, I discovered that to be an orthodontist, I first had to go to dental school--and to go to dental school, I first had to go to college. 

My mom wanted me to have the experience of going away to college. She also felt that attending a college or university that had a dental school would be advantageous. I heard about the Siena-Georgetown Dental Program through a mailer. When I visited Siena College in Loudonville, NY, I interviewed with both Siena College and Georgetown University and fell in love with Siena's campus. Luckily, I was one of the 12 students chosen for the program, a perk of which was being able to complete my bachelor's degree in 3 years instead of 4. Another aspect of the program was spending a week at Georgetown University's Dental School and writing a paper on Infection Control in Dentistry, which was a new topic back in the late 1980s.

So . . .those of you who know me professionally know I went to the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, not Georgetown University and are probably wondering what happened. Partway through the Siena-Georgetown program, Georgetown University decided to close its dental school, leaving me (and my classmates) to apply to other dental schools to complete our educations. I think meeting Dr. Francis Miklos (the Dean of Students at the time) was what decided me on attending Pitt from 1988-1992.

During dental school, I discovered many aspects of dentistry that I loved--unfortunately, bending orthodontic wire was not one of them! General Dentistry allows me to perform many different procedures: fillings, crowns, bridges, partials, cosmetic dentistry--and even a few root canals, tooth removals, and dentures. I like the variety. And, even though I'm a shy introvert, I enjoy meeting people and getting to know them. 

After I graduated, I returned to Lake County and worked for a dentist in Willoughby Hills. I came to Lorain County in 1994 and worked for a dentist in Elyria. In 1999, I purchased the practice of Dr. Thomas Timko in Lorain and worked for 20 years at his location on Cooper Foster Park Rd. In 2017, Marlene Karpinski chose me to take over the practice of her late husband, Dr. Donald Karpinski. After 20 years, I decided to move my office to a new location--but still on Cooper Foster Park Rd. There were several reasons for this decision, and it was not one I made lightly. The main reason was that the building I'd occupied for 20 years was having foundation problems. 

If you're reading this, and you don't have a dentist, I hope you'll consider my office.

Dr. Jennifer Robb, 1320 Cooper Foster Park Rd. W, Lorain, OH 44053
440-960-1940
www.drjrobb.com
www.facebook.com/DrJenniferRobb