How a female-owned, female-operated dental practice is impacting industry in Rockford area
A Rockford-area dental office is changing the face of dentistry is more ways than one.
Dr. Alissa Anthony took over Schoening Dental Care a little more than two years ago, rebranded as 815 Dental Studio and has grown the practice to more than 1,500 patients.
But that's not all. The business is entirely run by women, something the 31-year-old said was a happy coincidence.
"I didn't plan on that," Anthony said. "It just kind of turned out that way. But it's pretty cool because dentistry has definitely been male-dominated. I think people see an all-female practice as more nurturing."
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The 10 women who work for Anthony feel the same way.
"Times are changing," said Meg Palmer, assistant office manager. "Women are feeling more empowered — Women supporting women. And men, too, are more supportive today of their female counterparts."
A 2019 graduate of Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine, Anthony's class had 50 students. Eighteen were women.
"It was almost half," she said. But, even like 10 years ago, it wasn't like that. There weren't many females."
Anthony said though she is embracing the fact that her practice is a place to empower women, it was something else that drove her to own a business before she was 30 — an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to lead others.
"I never really wanted to have to work for somebody else," she said.
With a practice that includes cosmetic dentistry, Anthony said she chose the field because it is fits nicely between two of her interests.
"It mixes the arts with the sciences," she said. "Giving someone their smile back, which gives them their self-esteem back, is my favorite thing to do."
Anthony said she is also building a practice that champions advances in her field that are quickly integrating themselves into other areas of health care. She said research continues to show that common, often serious conditions are directly linked to how patients take care of their teeth.
"It's definitely new thinking," she said. "But doctors are starting to realize that there is an oral systemic connection. Everything starts in the mouth. Bad bacteria in the mouth can get into your bloodstream and affect diabetes, chance of stroke, heart disease—all of those. So we educate our patients on that connection."
Jim Hagerty writes about business, growth and development and other news topics for the Rockford Register Star. Email him at jhagerty@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: 815 Dental Studio: Changing the face of dentistry in the Rockford area
