Erica Polk, DDS, delivers consistently on her promise of treating all of her patients with the strongest commitment to their safety, needs, and comfort. If you want to know if she's meeting expectations? Just check out her exceptional online patient review, a testament to the 18 years she's dedicated to dentistry.
"More than anything, I just wanted the ability to help my community with oral health and hygiene," Dr. Polk says in explaining why she chose the dental profession in the first place. Dentistry is a big part of healthcare and yet underrepresented in the national dialog about health.
Based in Memphis, TN, Dr. Polk provides her loyal patients a wide variety of services, including crowns, implants, root canals, bridges, and TMJ treatments. One of the ways she alleviates the fear and anxiety that keeps many patients away from the dental office is by administering safe, effective oral sedation. "Sedation dentistry is good for the patients because they're typically overcoming a serious fear," she explains. "They're furthering their health and typically can get long-standing issues resolved in [only] one or two appointments."
The key to practicing sedation dentistry with the highest level of safety, Dr. Polk says, is always to pay attention to patients and keep the focus on them. "Listen to your patient and make sure you understand," she says. "That part's important. Not only are you instantly aware if something is wrong, you tend to forge relationships that are going to endure the test of time. It's not just about short-term relationships."
Based on the reviews of her peers and patients, she is well along the path. Writes one patient on a review site: "Best dentist I've ever been to. I hope she never closes. I don't know what I'll do."
Lucky for that patient, and all of Dr. Polk's other satisfied patients, she is not planning on going anywhere in the near future.
The type of dedication that Dr. Polk shows to her patients, their safety, and her ongoing education, make her an obvious choice for our 2016 Sedation Safety Dentist of the Year.