Return of former resident brings a big smile to the area
By Elizabeth Morgan
With a smile as big and warm as
Texas,
Dr. Karen Sept met with me to discuss her return home and the new Palouse
Pediatric Dentistry Clinic which opens on
A Street
in Moscow this month.
Karen (Markuson) Sept grew up in Orofino, graduating from Orofino High School in 1992. She is the daughter of Mick and Ruth Markuson, who owned Rexall Drug in Orofino for decades, before the family relocated to Boise. Dr. Sept continued her education at Idaho State University where she met her husband, Matthew. They each received Navy scholarships and went to dental school in Louisville, KY before being commissioned into the Navy as lieutenants to continue their assignments in San Diego, CA and later, to Italy for three years.
After the Navy, Dr. Sept wanted to specialize in pediatrics and was accepted into the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. It was there that she finished her medical specialty of pediatric dentistry.
In June of 2007, she graduated from medical school the same day her father retired from serving 20 years on the State Board of Pharmacy and one year as President for the National Board of Pharmacy. They made a toast to each other‘s accomplishments from across the country from Boise to Charleston, by phone.
Dr. Sept and her husband, (also a dentist, whose practice is in Pullman) had looked at other places to live before deciding to return to Idaho. “We’ve lived in some pretty amazing places.” she shares, “… the whole state of Kentucky was so picturesque…We lived in San Diego, CA, Charleston, SC and even Italy. But I’m an Idaho girl. I really think that people are nicer in Idaho. I mean, they talk about southern hospitality, but people in Idaho are really just the friendliest people on earth. We’re so happy to be back. I had a great childhood here.”
The dental healthcare profession has taken many steps to promote lifelong habits of good health. By initiating healthy habits at an early age, using prevention as the first line of defense, the child is more likely to continue those routines for life.
Anytime between the first tooth and the first year, the American Dental Association recommends that every child have their first visit with a dentist by the age of one. The first visit is often more about how to help parents care for their children’s teeth and gums before problems arise. Dr. Sept stated that she has seen infants as young as six months old with cavities.
At Palouse Pediatric Dentistry, everything about a child’s first visit to the dentist promotes a pleasant experience. Designed especially for children, the whole environment is more inviting and comfortable. To include: smaller dental chairs and flavored pastes, and TV screens located above every chair. “Distraction is my best friend,” she grins.
Oh to be a child again with a dentist such as Dr. Sept! Had my first experiences been so comfortable or reassuring I might not be so reluctant to go regularly now. The manner in which dental hygiene is introduced to children makes such an impression. And everyone knows that positive first impressions are essential.