Meet Vanessa Dawson of Village Grove Dental Care

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Dawson.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Vanessa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in Scottsdale, the daughter of a teacher and a lawyer. I’ve always loved school and learning and I knew I wanted to do something in the healthcare field from a young age. Although, it has drastically changed from my days of wanting to be a veterinarian! It wasn’t until college that I realized my passion for dentistry and saw the difference a caring and compassionate dentist could have on a person. I had some horrible dental experiences when I was younger that truly traumatized me.

As a young adult, I began seeing a new dentist that changed my whole perspective on dentistry and going to the dentist. I realized that I could be that person who maybe changed someone else’s fear of the dentist. Nowadays, nothing makes me happier than hearing from someone how comfortable I made them feel after years of being too scared to set foot in an office! It hasn’t been the easiest, quickest, or straightest path to dentistry and for that, I am forever grateful. The journey has made the experience that much better and made me more appreciative of the lessons learned along the way.

After graduating high school, I went on to Emory University in Atlanta, GA, where I got a BS in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. After graduating, I moved back to Arizona trying to figure out where I would go next in life. I joined the workforce, first as a preschool teacher (didn’t see that one coming hahaha) and then a billing specialist for a medical office, before going to Barry University in Miami Shores, FL, for an MS in Biomedical Sciences. From there, I moved to Indianapolis, IN, to attend Indiana University School of Dentistry.

I graduated in May 2018 and quickly made my way back to sunny AZ where I now practice in Buckeye, AZ.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It definitely has not been a smooth ride. I can appreciate the ride now looking back at it but there were times where I was so unsure of where my life would lead.

After graduating from Emory, I knew I wasn’t a competitive candidate to be applying for dental school. My grades weren’t stellar and my scores from the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) needed improvement. When I moved back home, I had to make a decision on whether dentistry was still something I really wanted to pursue.

I appreciate my mom for sitting me down at the kitchen table and having a very real conversation about what the heck I was doing with my life. THANK YOU, MOM! While working full time, I enrolled in courses at a couple of the local colleges. Some courses were retakes from my days at Emory and others were new to me like creative writing to round out my coursework.

This went on for YEARS and I definitely wanted to give up multiple times. There was a period of time where I was getting to my job by 6 or 6:30 am so I could leave by 3:30 to make it to my 4-9pm class and lab, then coming home and studying or working on lab work, then doing it all over again the next day!

When I was accepted to my master’s program four years after graduating from undergrad, I finally felt like I was moving forward with my life! And after two awesome years in South Florida, I was granted acceptance (after being waitlisted) to dental school.

Fun tidbit – I married my best friend, Bryce, one month before starting dental school!

Two weeks after our honeymoon, we packed up our few belongings (haha) and drove across the country to start the biggest chapter of our lives! Being newlyweds in a new city where you know only one other person during THE MOST stressful schooling of my life had its own challenges, and there were many of them, but we survived, we prospered, and we built a life together that we’re proud of!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Village Grove Dental Care – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am a general dentist at Village Grove Dental Care. The office is part of the amazing company Heartland Dental! I am most proud of my relationship with my patients.

I always show compassion, understanding, and kindness towards every patient, because I know, personally, how difficult it was for some of them to be in that chair in front of me. I strive to bring consistent, high-quality care to every patient and to always do it with a smile!

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
There should be no regrets, right?! I don’t know if I would do things differently. Would I have liked to finish school and start my career sooner? Absolutely. But I learned so much about myself during this journey.

If anything had been different, I wouldn’t have met some of the people I have along the way. I wouldn’t have had the maturity and stability going into grad school and dental school. I wouldn’t appreciate the experiences I had as much as I do.

Contact Info:

• Address: 4120 N. 197th Ave Buckeye, AZ 85396
• Website: villagegrovedentalcare.com
• Phone: 623.289.1873
• Email: vdawson@mydentalmail.com
• Instagram: villagegrovedentalcare

Image Credit:
Miranda Jeanette Portraits

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