Family dentist brightens smiles on mission trip
“I think I say, ‘Enjuagey escupa’ in my sleep,” says the exuberant Erin Elliot. “It means, ‘Swish and spit’.”
Elliot, a Post Falls dentist, has just returned from a mission trip to Honduras, where she performed dental work for the needy. It’s a trip she’s eager to repeat.
“I am hooked. Dr. Brett Dirks and his wife, Michelle, lead each trip so we have a medical and dental component as well as clothing, food, eyeglasses and pharmacy. Lake City (Community Church) has several opportunities each year to go to Africa, Nepal, etc., but I loved the Honduran people and will probably be going as often as I can.”
Yet she didn’t know what to expect after arrival.
“Tiffany Williams (a hygienist from Elliot’s office) came with me and we had only a few expectations. I had a dental unit with a drill, so we did cleanings and fillings. We were surprised at how little decay there was because they don’t have much sugar in their diet. Many patients came in with black front teeth due to decay and they walked out with white teeth.”
Elliot’s husband, Tom, and Tiffany’s husband, Del, also came along on the trip. The group made do with what was available.
“We would set up each brigade in schools,” Elliot says. “We used hard-backed chairs as our dental chairs and they would spit in a bucket. Our only light was whatever sunlight that creeped through and an occasional flashlight. It was hot, but after you’ve sweated for a half-hour and are soaked, you don’t notice anymore.”
Post Falls Family Dental, 313 N. Spokane St., is a world away from Honduras. The office is an amalgam of a cozy woodland lodge and high-tech conveniences, with staff and family pictures adorning walls. Patients can opt to fill in their dental history via a computer at the entrance. After the patient is whisked into a dental chair, an employee swings an LCD screen into view and asks, “What channel would you like to watch?”
The busy staff includes another dentist, Kenneth J. Lynn.
“I came out to meet him while I was in dental school, and decided I was working here whether he liked it or not,” Elliott says. “We clicked; similar philosophies, personalities and priorities; i.e., families are important, too.”
Elliot grew up in California, then attended Houghton College in upstate New York on both athletic and academic scholarships. She obtained more than just her undergrad degree.
“Tom Elliot and I met the first month I was at college. We went on a date because by that time at least 10 people told us we would be perfect for each other … and we are.”
Tom Elliot graduated with a K-12 physical education degree and the couple married after his wife’s junior year. They moved to Omaha when she graduated, where Elliot attended Creighton Dental School, graduating in 2003. They have two sons.
“Jameson is almost 4 and Jensen is 27 months,” Erin Elliot says. “Two boys and no plans for more.”
Her husband stays home with the boys while his wife works at the dental practice.
“When we first moved to the area – in the summer – Tom was doing personal training, landscaping, and trying to substitute teach and coach.
When we decided to have kids the original idea was for me to work two to three days a week and him teach full time, but when there were no teaching opportunities for him and the baby was due we said, ‘Why not?’ Tom is very funny and laid back – a wonderful father. But he keeps the boys disciplined and scheduled, the house clean, the yard maintained and dinner is ready when I get home; after some growing pains, of course.”
One growing pain was deciding who would cook dinner.
“One of the first days back at work I came home exhausted. Tom asked, ‘What do you want to make for dinner?’ After he realized what he said, he took it much more seriously and hasn’t asked me since.”
He often brings the boys to see “Dr. Mom” at the office.
“I plan my lunch two days a week so Tom can bring the boys in. He can get out of the house, and I can get out of the office for a half-hour. It works nice and the boys love coming to Mommy’s office. They automatically run to our little kids area to play and wait for me.”
Elliot volunteers at the Dirne clinic and attends study clubs and continuing education courses. Her dedication hasn’t gone unrecognized; she’ll be the president of the dental society this coming year.
“We have a strong dental society component in the Panhandle and many dentists involved in the community to help with dental care. I also like to do school visits and talk with young moms at groups such as MOPS. Anytime you can educate young adults and children to prevent decay it’s a positive experience.”
But family always comes first for the Elliots, even at work.
“We truly are Post Falls Family Dental. We genuinely get along, work well together, and respect each other. We’re a good team.”
For an appointment for your own family with Elliot or Lynn, call 773-4579.