It’s been six years since we first opened our Surrey Family Dentistry clinic’s doors and much has changed. Sullivan Heights Dental has evolved in many positive ways.

Listening to our patients’ needs and adjusting to incorporate them into the operations has been an important part of our journey. Likewise, acknowledging what our team members need and adding a little FUN into the work environment is also essential to ensuring our jobs are not only manageable, but enjoyable.

All of these changes have allowed us to move forward, while continuing to focus on providing a remarkable dental experience for every visit.

Here are six big changes to our practice that you may not know about:

1 / One part-time dentist to start

When Dr. Himmat Bajwa started the dental clinic, he was the sole doctor and concerned about filling three days of appointment times! It was a little quieter back then. Now we have three doctors, including Dr. Pirbhai and Dr. Kim, and often wish we had more time to fit patients in.

 

2 / Tripled the Team

In 2017 our dental team had one hygienist, CDA, and receptionist (Jas and Shannon are the OGs!). Now we have three of each for a total of nine—plus the three doctors. We like threes apparently. Maybe we should get three office pets? Just a thought. . .

 

3 / We Hired Goldie

Speaking of office pets, in early 2022 we made the obvious decision to hire a Remote Office Manager – these were peak pandemic times afterall – for the clinic. The winning candidate, Goldie, brings patience, a gentle manner, and a willingness to befriend anyone that looks her way. Goldie ambles into the office whenever it suits her schedule but when she’s here, it’s smiles all around and lots of treats.

 

4 / Embraced Our Community

Giving back directly to our community is a deeply important part of our existence. Sullivan Heights Dental began with educational outreach, participating in fundraising events and lending a hand where needed. We now also contribute to four ongoing sponsorships: the Sullivan Stars Football Team, a local unit of the Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps, and two scholarships at our local high schools (see our blog for recent recipients).

 

5 / We Have Five Rooms

Have you ever wondered what’s behind door number four when you’ve walked down the hall to a treatment room? Us too. You’ll soon find out this year, when we fix it up and add it to the treatment room mix. Coincidentally, we started with that magic number of three rooms, then added a fourth, and now we need five. Note: There are doors on two rooms for privacy with specific treatments, or when requested by patients. If you’re still curious, please ask at reception.

 

6 / Working 3 to 6

We’ve doubled our operating hours from three days to six in order to accommodate appointment requests. (If you’re into math it’s more than double if you include the hours each day but you get the idea). We’re very happy to now be able to offer a range of appointment times for different schedules, especially for busy families.

If you enjoyed this anniversary post, take a peek at our Milestones post from our Fifth Birthday to see how we used to make friends when we first opened.