Hello friends! Meghan here, the newest face at Dental Touch Associates. Some of you may have already seen me hanging around the practice, possibly on the newest Dental Touch commercial on KCRG, or I may have been privileged enough to see you in the dental chair during my first few weeks in the office. I figured this would be a great way to introduce myself so you all can get to know me a little better!

I grew up in Cedar Rapids; just my mom and I, and of course our two pups (I still am and will always be a dog lover).

I graduated from Jefferson High School in 2010 (GO J-HAWKS!) and went on to major in biology at Mount Mercy University. There, I also played volleyball and met some great people who are my closest friends to this day.

My college days were truly some of the best days of my life, which is exactly why I decided to add four more years to the experience ?.

On to December 1, 2013 aka THE best day of my life, I found out I got into dental school (insert screaming, crying, laughing, basically any positive emotion here). For those who have had goals, aspirations and dreams, no matter how big or small, you understand the incredible feeling of finally attaining some, or all, of them. And after countless hours of studying and stressing during school, my efforts were finally worth it. I completed my dental education at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and officially graduated on May 25, 2018 (probably the second-best day of my life ?).  I am not sure who was more proud, my mom or myself.

Some of you may be wondering how I encountered the goofy guy that owns Dental Touch and blessed me with a job after graduation.

About a year and a half ago, I was put in contact with Dr. McLaughlin after hearing about an associateship opportunity at his practice. I was in my third year of dental school and prayed that he wasn’t looking for someone to start immediately, since I still had to complete another year of school. We chatted through email, he showed me around the practice, I shadowed at the office, and within a few months, he was offering me a job.

Even after such a short amount of time in the office, I knew this was a team I HAD to be a part of. Each of them had treated me like a part of the team since the very start, and I knew that not only would I have a great team, but I would also have the best mentor. The atmosphere just felt right ­– it was amazing being around a group of people that had similar goals, hobbies and humor as I did. It all still seems so surreal, because now here I am a year later, sitting in my office writing to you all, waiting to see my next patient. Life can be truly amazing when everything works out.

So, to wrap up my first, and probably only blog, I want to say thank you to all my friends and family for their endless support throughout these last eight years. I would not be where I am or who I am today without you all. I cannot wait to see where dentistry takes me now that I am finally out in the “real world.” I also want to say thank you to the Dental Touch team, especially Dr. McLaughlin. In my short time here so far, the Dental Touch team has opened my eyes to how a private practice can improve the overall health of its patients while still maintaining a fun, relaxed environment. I truly believe that starts from within. I am continuously striving to improve myself in order to provide the best individualized care for each of you that I can. Thanks for taking a little time out of your day to get to know me better. I cannot wait to get to know you!