I am a native of Lancaster, New York, a suburb of Buffalo. Growing up in the middle of twelve siblings, the concept of teamwork was deeply ingrained in my upbringing. I began my career in dentistry as a 17-year-old enlistee of the United States Army. After completing the military entrance test known as ASVAB, I discovered that my best aptitudes are in general science, mechanical comprehension and spatial relations. Dentistry has proven to be a great fit for me.
While stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, I studied Healthcare Management at Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC. With eleven years of great hands-on experience as a Dental Assistant, Dental Hygienist, and Dental Clinic Manager at U.S. Army Dental Clinics in North Carolina and Europe, and with the encouragement of my senior dental officers, I left active duty to enroll in dental school and graduated from the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine with a minor in Periodontics. After completing a Post-Graduate Fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle, I purchased the longtime practice of Potsdam dentist Dr. Gerald Regan upon his retirement. I continued in the U.S. Army Reserve and retired with a total of 21 years of service.
My husband, Bill Howlett, is a fellow military veteran, and Potsdam native. My first visit to the North Country was in 1983. I fell in love with the area, raised our family here, and have been proudly practicing family dentistry in Potsdam since 1998.
Since becoming part of the Potsdam community, it has been my absolute pleasure and honor to have actively served at various times with Potsdam Rotary, Special Olympics Special Smiles, Habitat for Humanity International, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, as a past President of the St. Lawrence County Dental Society, and to currently serve on the Canton-Potsdam Hospital Foundation Board.
My family and I are forever grateful to the local community for the enormous support received as we hosted a 5-year series (2009-2013) of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Walk for a Cure, in memory of our son, Billy Howlett. Locally known as Walkin’ for Willz, the walks raised over $110,000 for the CNY chapter of JDRF, which serves people dealing with Type 1 Diabetes, including those in St. Lawrence County.
I truly enjoy working with patients of all ages and practicing comprehensive restorative dentistry, including implant restoration, endodontics, and periodontics. My only goal is to help you achieve your dental goals, by providing you with or referring you to, a team of professionals who can help you accomplish your long term dental goals.
As a local small business owner, I strive to serve the community with a stable dental home that provides the best customer service, the highest quality of clinical workmanship, and the fairest of business practices. I am most proud of my team and grateful to our patient family as our practice was selected as the 2018 Business of the Year by the Potsdam Chamber of Commerce.
I sincerely appreciate the confidence and loyalty our patients have with us and I hope that Sandstone Family and Cosmetic Dentistry will become your family’s dental home for many generations.