Jeannie, Dental Assistant
If Jeannie could have it her way, she’d be able to see into the future, win the lottery, and then knock off her top bucket list item of eating vanilla ice cream and fancy chocolate while reading her favorite novel in Ireland.
Watch her carefully when she isn’t looking and you may find her shaking it to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” over the speakers in the office.
Jeannie received her degree in California in 1997, and later graduated from the USD Dental Hygiene program in 2006.
Sara, Dental Hygienist
Sara loves triathlons as long as she gets to use a floaty. She’s quite the runner, a pretty solid biker, but lacks a bit in the swimming department. Some day, just like Ashley, she hopes to gain the skills that are natural for a fish. Until that day arrives, she’ll be sitting on the beach (or in a floaty), soaking up the sun, and (ironically) eating Phish Food ice cream.
If it were up to her, everyone would be required to wear a watch, or preferably a gigantic clock necklace like Flava Flav, so that everyone could see the time and nobody would have an excuse to be late.
Sara is a renowned kickboxer and her talents were recently featured in the Argus Leader. Her great energy is contagious and we have to remind her from time to time that we are not sparring partners.
Rachel, Dental Hygienist
If you're looking to make Rachel laugh, come in for your appointment right after you've eaten a handful of Oreos. Don't worry, even though your teeth are black, she'll forgive you because she loves them too. If you really want to win her over, come to the office bearing an Oreo blizzard or a chocolate sampler platter.
Rachel plans to travel the world some day, and Fiji is at the top of her destination list. Oh hold on a second--I guess cruising the Mediterranean is at the top of her bucket list (and that trumps all other lists, right?). I think it's safe to say that she's quite familiar with a globe.
If she's not jet-setting off to a land unknown (or daydreaming about it), she's probably scrap-booking, hanging with the family, watching wheel of fortune with Janet, or learning to play the violin. Rachel does not dance, but her favorite movie is Dirty Dancing. Something seems fishy there.
Rachel is originally from Sioux Falls and graduated from USD Hygiene in 2004.
Kayla, Office Manager
Bring your brain-melting trivia questions, because Kayla is ready for them. She rarely misses a game of Jeopardy, and she's learned an awful lot of "useful" facts that really only come in handy for this very moment. Don't disappoint her. Keep in mind she speaks a little Spanish and Creole, so for extra bonus points, ask her the question in one of those languages.
Kayla chose (voluntarily) to run for hours during a marathon, yet her favorite movie is "8 Seconds" a film obsessing about riding a devil-beast bull with one hand for a mere eight seconds. So does Kayla really prefer pain slowly or quickly? It's hard to tell from these contradictions.
Whatever you do, don't challenge Kayla to a game of HORSE. She played collegiate basketball at USD and your athletic ego may take a hit after she makes quick work of you. What you can do, however, is invite her to go whitewater rafting. It's her number one buck-list item. She's not looking for a calm, lazy ride though. Instead, it better be on the brink of insanity...like riding a devil-beast bull perhaps?
Kayla's thing is to set goals and be organized. Sounds responsible. She's been perfecting her dental craft for ten years. Sounds like dedication. For these very reasons and more, we are grateful to have her be a part of our team.
Roxie, Patient Relations
Have you seen that viral video of a lady dressed as Wonder Woman who bungee jumped at the Royal Gorge in Colorado? I'm placing my bet that it was Roxie. She's always wanted to fly, and she finally had the chance.
Roxie has recently been in negotiations with Universal Studios to remake Dirty Dancing that features only Michael Jackson hits. She demands to show off her voice and star in it, but the director has reservations since he may have seen that viral video.
She takes tremendous pride in her children and grandchildren. She's obsessed with cleaning, organizing, and details. A perfect evening is watching Wheel of Fortune while reinventing an old run-down table so she can eat her peanut butter chocolate ice cream on it.
If Roxie could, she would spread kindness and peace everywhere. This all starts by sending you a gentle reminder to please use your blinker.
Roxie received her Dental Assisting license at Minnesota West Community & Technical College.
Lisa, Patient Relations
Do you got friends in low places? Wait, wrong question. Do you got friends to reach things in high places? No? Well, you do now--meet Lisa.
She offers more than just high reach though, she's ready to ride in a hot air balloon in Australia while eating vanilla ice cream and singing songs from The Sound of Music if you will oblige.
Her favorite dream is when she is Jessica Fletcher (from Murder She Wrote) and hosts Wheel of Fortune. When she's awake, you'll find her cooking and baking or watching YouTube videos about cooking and baking.
Lisa has some eyebrow-raising stories about the downtown Washington High School here in Sioux Falls where she graduated from.
Darcy, Patient Relations
Darcy claims to have no pet peeves. None. Zero. She also works hard so she can play harder. I envy her attitude already.
If Marvel comics, superhero movies, intense screen-accurate costuming of fantastical fictional characters is your thing, then Darcy has a lot of stories (and "ridiculous knowledge") to share. So maybe ask her, but make sure you are ready for a deep dive into the fictional abyss.
Darcy is an old soul with particular likings of Match Game, quilting, embroidery, blanket addictions, puppy passions, and of course-- caffeine.
If you want to impress, hand her a cup of vanilla bean ice cream from Look's and some comics, action figures, or legos.
Darcy has degrees in contemporary media and journalism, and a Masters in Communications from the University of South Dakota.
Kira, Dental Hygienist
If you'd like to go to the disco, Kira will take a hard pass. Take no offense. What about a leisurely walk through a European garden while eating Rocky Road ice cream? That's more her style.
If Kira had any super power, she'd have omnilinguism. Let that sink in for a moment. Still puzzled? This means having the power to speak, decipher, and understand all languages. Kind of like a human C-3PO. I must say, this is the most evolved, mature, selfless, and brilliant answer I've ever heard. Kudos, Kira.
Her fascination with letters, words, sentences, and punctuation goes even further. She is known for doing crosswords relentlessly in her spare time. She is obsessed with Jeopardy. Be careful to answer her in the form of a question.
The one thing she couldn't live without is a toothbrush. Dirty teeth is her biggest pet peeve. This is all great news for her and for you, quite frankly. She is in the perfect spot here at Dental Essence ready to say "Hello" or whatever language you speak.
Kira was in the Army National Guard for twelve years and received her Bachelor Degree of Science - Dental Hygiene and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Sociology.
Andrea, Dental Assistant
Andrea can't live without ice cream. I knew I liked her from the start. Brownie Batter ice cream is her fave.
Going to Italy is number one on her bucket list. Hawaii is also her destination of choice. She obviously has good taste!
Andrea's superpower would be able to fly, and she wishes she could be traveling constantly to seek out warm sunny beaches. Did I mention she has good taste?
Andrea is overly obsessed with Justin Bieber. This was all going so well up to this point.
Her worst nightmare is sitting in a dark cave stuffed with centipedes, millipedes, spiders, and other creepy crawlers. This may explain why she ran away screaming when Meaghan's favorite movie "Goonies" started up during the Christmas party.
Erica, Dental Hygienist
Did you see that crazy movie trailer with Julia Roberts wearing a hot pink, glow-in-the-dark headband playing an intense game of pickleball against Ben Stiller? I didn't think so. It's just inside Erica's head.
Visiting Greece is Erica's number one bucket list item. If you could make it a cruise to get there, that would be even better. If you could make it Willy Wonka-style, floating through rivers of chocolate and peanut butter, she's ready to drop everything and sign up right now. Whatever you do though, don't let her take that trip alone because being lonely is her biggest fear.
If you'd like to binge the latest Netflix series, go for it, but count Erica out. She'll be over there dancing to Mamma Mia tunes or singing Dancing Queen or vice versa...probably all while daydreaming about that movie or cruise.
Erica received her degree at the University of South Dakota and can't wait to see you soon to talk about pickleball or your next hiking trip.
Tess, Dental Hygienist
Tess loves all ice cream and can't live without coffee and chocolate. She'd love to be Lola Bunny from Space Jam. She had me until the second part.
She's obsessed with teeth and cows and claims that she cannot lick envelopes like everyone else. I wonder if she thinks cows can lick envelopes.
Tess once had a cardboard cutout attend high school homecoming coronation in her place so she could participate in the National Dairy Judging Competition. I guess this confirms that she really is obsessed with cows.
Scary clowns scare her the most. She loves chasing sunsets. I wonder what she thinks about a scary clown riding a champion dairy cow in a pasture during a beautiful sunset.
Tess received her Bachelor's of Dental Hygiene from the University of South Dakota. She also minored in psychology so keep that in mind when you're in the chair.