A Healthy Foundation
At All Smiles Family Dental, Dr. Nermeen Rifai and her dedicated team understand the importance of dental maintenance and the power of a sparkling smile.
Someone who has never experienced dental discomfort has no idea how debilitating that pain can truly be. Dr. Nermeen Rifai not only understands that pain, but doesn’t consider her job finished until she can help a person move past it.
“I have always loved helping people, and for me, going into dentistry was more about helping patients get out of that pain,” she says. “The fact that I know I can help them is a very satisfying feeling. That is probably the biggest reward I get.”
Dr. Rifai owns All Smiles Family Dental, where she has established a reputable practice with an expert, longstanding team that helps patients feel welcome and comfortable from the door to the dentist’s chair.
She is proud of her office’s family-oriented vibe, too.
“We are more personable with our patients. It’s not a normal patient-doctor relationship,” Dr. Rifai says, adding that a lot of her patients have her cell number. “They can text me. We’re available after hours.”
In addition to scheduled appointments, All Smiles Family Dental offers emergency services and try to accommodate walk-in patients. The practice specializes in all manner of dental services, from repairing broken teeth to advanced restorative treatments, as well as an array of cosmetic dentistry procedures.
Of course, Dr. Rifai ensures her patients understand the importance of regular dental cleanings—typically every six months, although that timeframe can be shorter for someone who needs deeper treatments. Missing those regular cleanings can lead to serious issues.
“Our health starts in our mouth,” Dr. Rifai says.
When patients come to the dentist, they often don’t understand that their broken tooth or superficial issue they want to fix stems from the foundation—the bone, the gum structures—and oral hygiene itself. Plaque and tartar harbor bacteria that can enter the body’s system through bleeding gums or through eating. This can be dangerous especially for those with a weakened immune system or a health issue of which they may not even be aware.
However, for many patients, Dr. Rifai knows regular trips to the dentist are not always simple excursions. She understands most patients have some level of dental anxiety—but she also knows what it takes to overcome this fear. It can be a long process and affects everyone differently, often stemming from a previous bad experience, according to Dr. Rifai.
“Practically everyone has dental anxiety,” she says. “I want to ease off that anxiety by letting them know we’re not here to hurt them, we’re on the same side.”
The office offers medication to calm nerves and laughing gas to ease tension. Dr. Rifai says typically one or both of these techniques can help an extremely anxious patient move through a procedure. And helping patients in this way—seeing them return to the practice more confident and calmer with every visit—makes even the bad days worth it.
“It makes a huge difference, knowing I have helped these people,” she says.
That extra care is typical of Dr. Rifai and her staff. She prides herself on the fact that they go above and beyond to ensure patients are happy and satisfied with their service.
“I think that really sets us apart from other dental offices,” she says.
Her patients, Dr. Rifai explains, are often on her mind. If she has completed a difficult procedure, she calls the patient the next day to check in. If a new patient presents with a complex case, she doesn’t rest until the issue has been resolved. Sometimes, a patient who is overdue for a cleaning will will pop into her head, and Dr. Rifai will have the office reach out to check in. “We care about our patients,” she says.
While dentistry is challenging—“It’s never black and white,” Dr. Rifai says—the team at All Smiles Family Dental will do everything in its power to help every patient that walks through the door in a straightforward way.
“Getting the runaround is the worst thing in medicine, whether it be dental or medical,” Dr. Rifai says. “I will always give patients their options, the pros and cons and what they can expect.”
It’s that level of expertise that has helped solidify Dr. Rifai as a leader in the field and All Smiles Family Dental as a practice where patients can rest assured they are receiving the gold standard in comprehensive dental care.
