Staff Spotlight

Ross Silver, Dentist

By Clare Jensen

For Puyallup Tribal News
cjensen@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: August 07, 2008

Ross Silver got a slightly later-than-usual start in the dental field.

After years as a medical technologist, he realized he needed to go back to school in order to support his future family.

He considered becoming a lawyer and a businessman among other things before his uncle, a dentist, gave him some invaluable advice.

He suggested Ross Silver pursue dentistry. After all, he already had the medical prerequisites. So, at 30 years old, he got into dental school, and today Ross Silver is happily fixing, pulling and improving people’s teeth.

He spent nine years at his own private practice in New Jersey before making the move across the country and into public health.

He said he moved into the public health field because there is no need to discuss financial aspects of oral treatment. This allows him to provide the best possible service to his patients, because they will not be distressed over a high dental bill.

“Here I just tell them what the treatment is, and how many visits it will take…not how much it’s going to cost them.”

Ross Silver said it is truly rewarding being able to see a patient leave the office in a better way than they were when they came in. Whether the procedure is cosmetic or pain relieving, he appreciates the difference a dentist can make in a person’s life.

But he does see some problems with the clinic he has worked at for the past eight years. Level of service is an issue for his patients as well as himself. He suggested the clinic double in size, as well as provide Sonicare toothbrushes and Waterpiks to each patient.

Maybe it is just a pipe dream for Ross Silver, to be able to see his patients more often with less oral issues, but it is a dream nonetheless. And since he plans to stay at the Puyallup Tribal Health Authority until he retires, he may be able to see part of his vision for the dental clinic come true.

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