AMANDA MORRISON / NNY Business
Chelsea Eppolito, right, has jumped into the dental field in Clayton, taking over for her grandfather, Doc Eppolito, left, who was the area dentist in Clayton for generations.
By HOLLY C. BONAME
NNY Business
It’s said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. But what happens when you don’t mean to imitate and your journey inadvertently guides you to do just that, but with a twist?
In the St. Lawrence River community of Clayton where family and friends always come first, one young doctor is working to ensure her mentor’s legacy continues through her own work — the continuation of trusted, heartfelt care.
Dr. Chelsea Eppolito’s journey back to the north country to practice pediatric dentistry might have begun before she knew it. Her grandfather, Dr. John Eppolito, a Clayton general practitioner for 48 years from 1958 to 2004, is a small-town legend in his own right.
“For longer than I should probably admit I thought my grandfather’s name was Doc,” Chelsea said. “In my defense, not my family, not friends of ours, not community members, no one called him anything differently. And there is something to be said for that.”
Her grandfather spent his life serving Clayton residents, earning the name “Doc” and building a reputation that his granddaugthter, Dr. Chelsea Eppolito, hopes to continue. “I admire him for this work, and it is one of the reasons that I made the decision to come home to practice. I know full well that there will only ever be one Doc Eppolito, but I am honored to be given the chance to make my own imprint on the north country.”
The young Dr. Eppolito didn’t always know that she wanted to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps. While in high school, fixing teeth was the last thing on her mind.
“I wanted to be an architect, a lawyer, a veterinarian, a teacher, but never really contemplated becoming a dentist,” she said. In grade school she excelled in math and science and knew that those interests would be included in her career, but it wasn’t until she was 14 and working her first job at Clayton Dental Office watering flowers that inspiration struck; she didn’t want to water flowers anymore, she wanted to get through the doors and see what all the fuss was about. After her first year with Clayton Dental she started to shadow Dr. Scott LaClair, who now owns the practice.
“Chelsea was the first person who greeted me in 1995 when my wife and I arrived from Buffalo where I had just finished my dental training,” Dr. LaClair said. She was 6 at that time, and their continued relationship has led to her return to practice in her hometown, more specifically as one of only three pediatric dentists in the north country.
HOLLY BONAME / NNY BUSINESS
She completed her undergraduate studies and dental school at the University of Buffalo. She never intended to study there; she instead wanted to begin her adult life in a big city, New York to be exact. But family and friends guided her to the University of Buffalo where she spent eight years studying — four as an undergrad and four in dental school.
“After weighing all the options we decided that (University of Buffalo) would be the better fit,” Chelsea said. While at the University of Buffalo, students completed rotations that focused on different specialties in dentistry. Chelsea says it was in her senior year while working rotation in the pediatric clinic that she came to the realization that working with children was her calling.
“I was working on a 6-year-old girl who wasn’t interested in having any sort of dental work done. With some patience and time we were able to get the treatment completed and she left the clinic smiling,” she said. Upon completion of the child’s dental work, her peers asked her how she was able to ease the child’s stress. “I told them I didn’t know that I just did. And it was that moment that I knew pediatrics was for me.”
She credits her passion for pediatrics to the different types of challenge youth present different than adults; how they are inquisitive, and sometimes fearful which she said can be challenging. But for Chelsea, there is nothing more rewarding than being able to guide an apprehensive patient through treatment and they leave with a smile on their face.
“I sing, although I probably shouldn’t, I tell stories, and most importantly I laugh out loud every day. I am a kid at heart with an obsession for everything Disney and this job allows me to have it all,” she said.
Now, 10 years later she is thankful she attended that specific school and found her passion and upon completion of her degree her grandfather again stood by her side having the honor of presenting her with her doctorates degree on stage at University of Buffalo.
“It was fun,” Dr. John Eppolito said. “I knew she would have a strong impact on her community wherever she went.”
But before she could make her way back to her hometown, Chelsea needed to complete her pediatric dental residency. For the next two years following graduation she worked at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, serving as chief resident during her second year.
“I think the north country is a hard sell to most new dentists,” Dr. LaClair said, “recruitment across all health care professions to our area is a chore.” While there are greater professional and financial opportunities in larger metropolitan areas, where there is greater access to teaching hospitals and dental schools that attract the attention of many graduates in their profession, Dr. LaClair said the north country is lucky she chose to return and knows the quality of care she provides will remain for years to come as she works in his office and practices as only one of three pediatric specialists in the area.
“She has helped our practice by assuming responsibility for most of our pediatric patients. This has freed up time for our practice to engage deeper in other areas,” Dr. LaClair said. “Her specialized training will help us offer procedures and options for care that we have never been able to offer. Operating room affiliations with local hospitals, sedation dentistry and a full range of more contemporary pediatric treatment options will be introduced to our practice and add to the short supply of these services to the tri-county area.”
For Chelsea and her family, her return is much more than just having her closer to home; they know that her impact on the community professionally and personally will become her own legacy.
“I know she will certainly have a strong impact on the community if she remembers that she is a member of it,” Dr. John Eppolito said. “This was a great place for me to raise my seven children and it was a great place for them to grow up. To me it’s a way of life that is so much nicer then to make your way in a metropolitan area.”
“As I got older I learned to appreciate everything a small town has to offer. The camaraderie of supporting your high school sports teams, the lemonade stands you are happy to stop by, the neighbors who bring home your dog that got loose. These are the things you can’t get in a big city,” Chelsea said. “Coming home has been a truly humbling experience. The more I reflect, the more I realize my accomplishments are not just my own. I attribute much of my success to a lifetime of support from friends, family and my community, and now it’s my turn to five back to the community that helped raise me.”
When asked where she would like to see her career in five years, the answer was clear for Chelsea: “With any luck, not much will change from where it is now. I am home, back where it all began and I couldn’t be happier.”