Lisa Tovcimak: A New American Hero
“The British are coming; the British are coming!” As Americans, we have all been taught these famous words of Paul Revere since a young age. We Americans value our freedom. We hold Paul Revere in high esteem and remember him as an American hero for helping to safeguard our liberties.
What if…instead he had yelled through the night “The cavities are coming; the cavities are coming.” What? Why in the world would he yell that? You may not know but an interesting fact about Paul Revere is that he also was trained as a dentist by John Baker, America’s first dentist.
I would like to introduce you to a woman I believe is a hero! Meet Lisa Tovcimak, RDH, PHDHP, TTS. If you have ever had a cavity or worse yet, an abscessed tooth, you know there may be no greater preventable pain on earth. Yet many people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities experience poor dental health due in large part to limited access to preventable dental hygiene and practitioners with little experience working with people with an IDD diagnosis. To further complicate things, some people have sensitivities that make going to the dentist seem like an overwhelming chore. Still others have received such poor care in the past they refuse to visit a dentist. I’m sure in this field we could all share horror stories of dental visits.
Lisa Tovcimak is doing her part to change history. Lisa began a mobile dentistry unit named “Link the Valley.” Lisa recognized that “access to dental care is a major problem for some. The benefit of mobile hygiene is to give patients access to preventable dental hygiene. Dental hygiene helps reduction in sensitivity, decreased inflammation, and increased overall health for a patient.”
Lisa provides dental cleanings, screenings, and exams. Further she can provide oral hygiene instruction, nutritional education, tobacco cessation, and oral cancer screenings. But why stop there? This woman is on a mission. She even does X-rays from her mobile unit!
As many of you can attest from working in this field, often trying to find a dentist for someone also means driving anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. This can be excruciating for people with physical trouble that gets compounded when stuck in a car in the same position for 2 hours or for people with anxiety about dental visits. The bottom line is Lisa understands that and much more. She doesn’t say ‘no’ she says ‘when.’
Does it get any better than this? Funny you should ask. As I said, this woman is a HERO! Lisa is working with “Special Smiles” from Philadelphia, PA. Together, they are trying to provide this same type of dentistry on this side of the state. You may be wondering – what is so special about “Special Smiles.” If you know, you know. Let me rephase that- if you have ever been told by a dentist that yourself or the person you are supporting should be seen by a specialty dental clinic, then you have also called that clinic only to be told there is a 2-year waiting period. Not so with ‘Special Smiles.” The average wait is 2 weeks. 2 WEEKS! Lisa is working hard with Special Smiles to make this happen here. There is a great deal of work involved in this as it is not just a ‘dental office.’ This is a dental phenomenon. Imagine, if you will, a place where all your needs are met based on your own personal preferences. Lisa does all this in her mobile unit or out of her office. As she said,
“No one needs to be in a dental chair for dental practice to occur.”
If the person is more comfortable on a beanbag on the floor because its less clinical, then Lisa will be on the floor right beside them providing them the care they need! The more you hear the better it gets!
I end with this, if you thought all this was astounding, it still gets better. Lisa provides all this care for FREE. If a person has insurance, she will bill insurance. Again though, this is a FREE service!
For more information, contact:
724-308-7476
