Delite Dental – At first glance, it seems like an oxymoron, one term contradicting the other. But that’s not the case with the highly successful practice in Summerville established just over one year ago by Dr. Hayan Lee and her husband, Dr. Young Kim.
The reason why the name Delite Dental makes sense dates back to Dr. Lee’s childhood in her native South Korea. At that time, dental hygiene was not a priority. She recalled not having her first teeth cleaning until late in her high school years. Also, most dental procedures on children’s first teeth – including drilling cavities and even extractions – were normally done without numbing agents such as Novocain.
As a consequence, when Dr. Lee received her degree, she was determined to practice her dental art and science in a manner that would calm the fears of anxious patients, treat their problems without pain and help them understand what she was doing and why.
After working in several other practices in the United States, Drs. Lee and Kim opened Delite Dental, adding a colleague, orthodontist Dr. Zhou Jing, to complement their general practice.
In addition to offering a complete range of dental services, Dr. Lee provides customized patient education to those eager to learn more about good dental health. Calling on her background as a trained biochemist, Dr. Lee is able to outline specific preventive steps patients can take to lessen their chances of serious dental issues later in life.
Her holistic approach to preventive dentistry includes information on the dangers of processed sugar – she recommends Manuka honey or Stevia as a sweetener; how unsprouted grains contain phytic acid, detrimental to the teeth; and the importance of minerals such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus as well as the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. She is always happy to advise patients on easy-to-follow ways to obtain the key nutrients important to oral health.
“We do a complete health evaluation for each patient,” she added. “And we proceed with the knowledge of what we have learned.”
All dentists instruct patients on the importance of external factors for protecting their teeth.
“These include proper brushing, flossing and treatment with fluoride,” Dr. Lee said. “At Delite Dental, we take this one step further, educating patients on all the internal factors, which can actually be more beneficial than those externals.”
Dr. Lee noted that Delite Dental uses only purified water, avoiding any contaminants in municipal water. Additionally, their X-ray equipment emits 80 percent less radiation than normal X-ray machines, lessening patients’ exposure to potentially harmful radiation. And sophisticated internal cameras are employed to take full mouth pictures as well.
“We will even teach our patients who are interested how to read the X-rays of their own mouths,” Dr. Lee said with a smile.
Dr. Lee admitted that her natural approach can take additional time and effort, adding: “But I never want to tell a patient something has to be done without explaining to them what is involved and why the procedure is necessary.”
A visit to the dentist may never rank high among fun pastimes, but, with the expertise and compassionate approach given to every patient at Delite Dental, being in the chair just might be delightful!
For more information, visit www.delitedental.net.
