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Evelyn Ascough:
Zen dentistry with a sense of caring
By Leonard Novarro
Special to ASIA
Call her "Dr. Y-bee." Most of her patients do.
The nickname, without the "doctor" part, was given affectionately
to Evelyn Ascough by her parents when she was a child. Over the years,
the nickname stuck.
"I don't know. I end up being friends with everyone,"
says Ascough, whose patients often leave her office with a hug and warm
embrace.
Ascough late last year took over the Fifth Avenue offices of Dr. Walter
Hesse, recently retired, and Dr. Donald McDonald, who moved his practice
to another office. Both were a fixture in Hillcrest for years.
Unfortunately, while Ascough inherited the offices, she did not inherit
the patients of either, but had to build a practice from scratch.
Ascough already had a thriving practice in Canoga Park, north of Los Angeles,
when she and her husband Tim - they have a son, Ymer, 6 - decided to move
to San Diego.
"We always liked San Diego," said Ascough. So when the opportunity
came to relocate, in the form of a job opportunity for Tim, a mechanical
engineer, the couple decided to make the move.
It wasn't easy for Ascough, a person whose relationships are more than
doctor-patient.
"I'm new to the place and don't know a lot of people," Ascough
explained. In her previous practice, she did, which made it all the more
difficult to leave.
"It wasn't easy. I was crying, having to give up that practice, but
I had to do it because my husband wanted to move here," she said.
What made it even more difficult was the relationship she had established
with her patients.
"I'm a very caring person. When my patients leave, they often leave
with a hug and kiss on the cheek. I don't know. I end up being friends
with all my patients," she said.
Ascough developed a unique sense of caring while serving in the field
of mobile dentistry, making the rounds of hospices and convalescent homes
to care for the less fortunate. In many cases, a smile of appreciation
was her only reward. It was a reward, however, that knew no price tag.
"To provide a patient the last wish of a smile was a reward in itself.
For many, it was their last wish before they died. It was touching,"
she said, "but it was also emotionally draining."
Working in the field before that, she was struck by how rushed most practices
were. There must be a way to slow down, to find the time to offer just
a little more, she thought.
That commitment changed the course of not only her life, but the lives
of many of her patients, for here was someone who was ready to take away
much of the edge that often accompanies dentistry.
"I told myself that I will work for these people, and that became
a reward of its own," she said.
One of the first things she did when she relocated to San Diego and the
office at 3333 Fifth Ave. was to redecorate. "I wanted it to look
professional and yet cozy and homey, to alleviate the anxiety of the patient
and to make them feel relaxed and at home."
The large painting on the wall facing the entrance is an abstract lithograph
by a Chinese artist with splashes of soft and dark pink, light blues and
greens, all set on a black background. It is Asian and it is contemporary.
To the right of the entrance, sits a wooden Buddha on an end table. The
chairs in the waiting room are Japanese style.
"I am Asian, and I thought it would make my patients feel at home
if I could represent something that made me feel at home," she explained.
"While designing the office, I wanted to mix Asian and contemporary.
I thought if I put the Buddha there, it would create a Zen atmosphere.
"When I work with my patients, I actually forget about time. I care
for my patients like I would want to be cared for," said Ascough,
whose hobbies include gourmet cooking and sculpting small fig-
ures out of soap. Some of those figures have already found their way into
the office.
"I like art and designing things. Anything you put in my hands, I
will try to make it nice. As much as I want the office to be advanced
in technology and contemporary in style, I want to see something that
represents my soul in the office," she added.
| Ascough
grew up in metro Manila, in the Philippines, where she received
her undergraduate and medical degrees, and came to the United States
in 1991. Before she could practice here, she had to be certified,
which she did through a custom-made program set up especially for
her at UCLA, where she met several "great teachers," who
were later to become close friends, among them Dr. Orlando Cagatao
of Los Angeles. She maintains contacts with past colleagues, many
of whom served as mentors along the way. For Ascough, dentistry is more than dental work. It is a passion and a love. "I don't see it as work," she says. "When you put your heart and soul into something, you don't call it work." |
Photos by Delfin Perena |
