Dr. Katherine Whitaker felt like she had arrived when she got her name on the hats of a local T-ball team as a sponsor. The Corbin Family Dental Care dentist says she doesn’t expect people to come to her practice because of it, but she does it because she wants to be part of the community.
She still remembers the names of the businesses that sponsored her ball teams while she was growing up in Bardstown.
It was that hometown feel where she could be part of something that led her to buy a practice in Corbin 10 years ago.
“A small town is very familiar with me. I knew I wanted to go somewhere similar to where I grew up. The Little League matters. The Friday night lights matter. You see people you know in Kroger. That is absolutely what we are getting here for sure,” she said.
Next week, Whitaker will be celebrating her 10-year anniversary as a dentist in Corbin. Her office has some small celebrations planned.
Surprisingly, NIBROC indirectly played a role in her locating here.
Fate lends a hand
Prior to working in Corbin, Whitaker attended NIBROC for several consecutive years. Her husband, Matthew Whitaker, played in the volleyball tournament. He was very good friends with a family here.
His friend, Dr. Keith Gibson, a Corbin dentist, asked at the right time whether Matthew knew anybody, who wanted to buy a dental practice.
“He said, ‘Actually, I do,’” Katherine Whitaker recalled.
One conversation led to another conversation with Katherine Whitaker eventually buying Gibson’s practice.
“Never did I think attending NIBROC I would end up living here. That was just a volleyball tournament we were going to, but it worked out great,” she added.
Whitaker made the initial purchase 10 years ago and Gibson stayed on for one year to help with the transition.
Why teeth?
So, what made Whitaker want to work on people’s teeth for a living?
“I knew I wanted to do something health-related to help people,” she noted. “I watched an uncle, who was an OB-GYN, have to leave dinners and Christmases because babies come when babies want to be born. I just wanted something that I could still have a family and a typical schedule but still be involved in people’s healthcare.”
“I shadowed more than one dentist. Some that were really fun and some that were not, but I just thought what they did was really interesting. Nothing was ever boring or overwhelming. It has a lot of variety.”
Becoming a dentist?
Whitaker got a four-year Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown College before getting a four-year degree from the University of Kentucky School of Dentistry.
Just because she got through eight years of college did not mean Whitaker was done learning.
She has also taken courses in oral sedation, IV sedation and implant placement. The sedation service is something few dentists in the region offer.
“I am always trying to make sure I am on top of things,” Whitaker said. “There is just constant change, and you have to be up on continuing education if you are trying to provide the best care you can.”
After dental school, she worked as an associate with a dental practice for five years in Cookville, Tennessee, before getting her own practice.
People and “the teeth”
Whitaker said the things she likes best about being a smalltown dentist is the people and “the teeth.”
“I do love that I have a direct impact on oral health. I mean, here is this cavity. I can remove that, and I can clean it and I can fill it, and then you go chew with it. That is crazy you can just take a body part and change it for the better and improve someone’s state,” she said.
“I love my hands-on-activity. I do love I can directly affect somebody else in a positive way, but I like knowing people’s names. I like seeing you in the public. I like to say ‘hi’ to you. I think some of my most fulfilling cases are the ones that make you cry a little bit.”
For instance, there are some people, who don’t smile, before their dental work is done.
“They are worried about a job interview. They are worried about, ‘How do I look in this picture?’ They have to re-learn how smile because they have been worrying so long. To be any kind of part of that in changing someone’s confidence is something we should never take for granted and it is very fulfilling. Those are the awesome days where you are like, ‘We had a direct hand in that.’”
Successful practice
What it takes to build a successful practice is something Whitaker admits she is still trying to figure out.
“I think it needs to have elements of honesty, integrity, transparency, and treating people the way you would want to be treated,” she said.
“I try to make sure there is mutual respect because I want to make sure I respect my team too. My team are important. I can’t do any of what I am doing without them. I think it matters very much that you establish how you want to treat people and how you want people to treat you.”
Whitaker has seven employees plus herself.
There are two ladies, who work at the front desk. There are two expanded function dental assistants. This means they have been to the University of Kentucky and had a training course there.
“I trust them to place fillings in my mouth. They are excellent at what they do,” she added.
There are two dental hygienists, who work at the office every day, and one, who works there once a week.
Whitaker has an experienced staff. One staff member has been with her for 10 years, and another for eight years. One employee has worked there six years, and another five years.
“I hope they just retire with me because I like my people,” Whitaker said. “They are great at what they do.”
She and her staff see approximately 25 – 30 patients on a typical day. They see more if three hygienists are working on a particular day.
Whitaker has approximately 1,250 patients who have been there in the past 12 months and come back for other services. In addition, there are approximately 250 other patients, who have come one time in the last year to get something like a swollen tooth extracted and didn’t come back.
Whitaker admits there has been a lot of mistrust built up by the dental industry.
She wants her patients to know she cares.
She tells people when the conservative approach is a filling instead of a crown. She does this so they knew if she recommends a crown, this is what they need, and it is not their dentist trying to make a few more bucks.
To help patients better afford care, Whitaker recently implemented the $468 per year Brilliant Dental Plan, which includes two complete dental exams per year, two thorough dental cleanings, routine diagnostic X-rays and other savings, such as 10 percent off all major services.
Even if you only get two dental cleanings per year and X-rays, you will still save $70, Whitaker noted.
“I know that not everyone can afford everything they need. Just because I tell them they need it doesn’t make it just appear in their wallet. I understand that,” Whitaker said.
Putting down non-dental roots
Whitaker has made Corbin home.
She lives in the Corbin city limits. She has two sons. David, 12, is an in coming seventh grader, and Deacon, 9, is an in coming fourth grader in the Corbin Independent School District.
While Whitaker keeps trying to convince them, she doesn’t think either wants to have anything to do with fixing teeth when they become adults.
Whitaker said she appreciates the fact the community welcomed her when she first started and for their continued support ever since.
“When you aren’t born in this location and to still be welcomed is a big deal to me,” Whitaker said. “I do appreciate the welcoming, the warmth, and the friendliness.”
Celebrating 10 years
Whitaker’s office is hosting a special celebration the week of June 15-19 to commemorate her 10-year anniversary as a Corbin dentist.
The office will have giveaways during the week where people can register to possibly win gift cards to local restaurants and take home teeth whitening kits.
The giveaway will be through the Corbin Family Dental Care Facebook and Instagram pages.
There will also be a board set up in Whitaker’s office, which people can use to take a selfie. If they post selfie with the board, they can have an additional entry in the drawing.
You can contact the office for more information.
