Ann Silverman Clinic

In 2021, I joined the volunteer staff at the Ann Silverman Clinic at Doylestown Hospital in Doylestown, PA. In my capacity as Dental Assistant, I work with a rotating group of volunteer dentists from practices around the Philadelphia area. We provide exceptional service to residents of the region who lack access to adequate dental care due to financial constraints. I provide chairside assistance during restorative procedures, and manage patient communication for our primarily non-native-English-speaking population. I am very much enjoying my experience with the Ann Silverman Clinic, and I hope to continue volunteering here throughout my prerequisite and dental school years, and later as a practicing dentist.

Additionally, given the difficulty of accessing dental care in some developing countries, volunteer dentists are working to provide services globally, and I look forward to joining in these efforts. Dentists I have met through the clinic have shared with me their stories of international service trips, and provided tips and insights for when I embark on a similar journey.

These types of connections have been invaluable to me. In the last few years, every dentist in whom I have confided my plans to become a dentist myself has been overjoyed, has had questions and advice and offers for me. I was told by one, “We are a small community, and we have to stick together.” This sense of camaraderie, of unity in pursuit of a common goal to help and to heal, is uplifting and exciting for me. I am looking forward to joining and contributing to this network of professionals in as many ways as I can, and to utilizing my skills to serve at home and abroad.