Reaching New Heights
Continuous self-improvement and groundbreaking technology help Dr. Jason Petkevis and the team at Dental Distinction make a profound difference in each patient’s life.
After working in the same profession for a number of years, some people choose to coast, to continue with all of the methods that have proven effective to that point, and to resist change unless completely necessary. Jason Petkevis, D.M.D., FAGD, cannot relate.
At Dental Distinction, Dr. Petkevis’ comprehensive dental practice in Chester Springs, finding better ways to treat patients has always been a priority. Every member of the practice has embraced this pushing-the-envelope mentality, but it all begins at the top.
“I wake up every day and I want to be better than I was the day before,” says Dr. Petkevis, who has been in practice for 17 years. “I want to be at the top of the mountain and keep climbing higher and become a better dentist, because ultimately that’s going to lead to better dentistry and give people results that they’re not going to be able to get at other places.”
Sure enough, that philosophy has allowed Dr. Petkevis to become one of the region’s foremost dentists when it comes to smile restoration, cosmetic dentistry, and handling complex oral health issues. While other doctors may shy away from such cases either because of the difficulty involved or because they don’t want to devote an extended period of time to each patient, Dr. Petkevis can lean on his commitment to continuing education and his desire to give struggling patients the attention he feels they deserve.
A fellow of both the Academy of General Dentistry and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, Dr. Petkevis is also as an ambassador in The Dawson Academy, part of the faculty club for Spear Education, and a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
“I enjoy the challenge, and I spend a lot of time working on my craft,” he says. “I have done that pretty much from year one in practice. So I’m trained for this, and I put my practice in a situation where, because we’re quality-driven, I have the time to dedicate to these cases. People come to me because they have problems that haven’t been solved somewhere else, and I pride myself on being able to solve these complex issues.
“I see patients with the simplest cases, and I see patients who are completely debilitated,” he continues. “I’m confident that I can handle any of them and guide them through the process of getting healthy and looking great.”
The cosmetic services offered by Dental Distinction include everything from dental implants for missing teeth and veneers for chipped or discolored teeth, to teeth whitening and clear orthodontic aligners. Unlike other practices that may focus on seeing a large quantity of patients every day, Dental Distinction focuses on personalized attention and thorough exams to identify the source of the problem, be it malocclusion, teeth grinding, or some other issue.
“When we repair a patient’s smile, we’re trying to avoid the outcome that led them to that point,” Dr. Petkevis says. “We’re engineering the case to prevent damage from happening again after we make our repairs or enhancements. Health is the most important part of all of this, and our goal is to give patients a long-lasting smile. But it has to be comfortable and it has to work—they have to be able to chew comfortably. Of course we want to knock it out of the park with the aesthetics, but if it doesn’t work functionally, the best-looking teeth will fail.”
General dentists and even some oral surgeons refer patients with complex cases to Dr. Petkevis. Pre-planning is an important part of the process, and embracing technological advancements allows him to analyze a patient’s anatomical structure with three-dimensional imaging. In a case involving dental implants, such technology enables him to position each implant with exacting precision to ensure the best possible outcome.
In addition to restoring good oral health, Dr. Petkevis enjoys boosting patients’ self-esteem, especially after missing or chipped teeth have prevented them from smiling for so long. He shares the story of a recent young patient who received veneers while in college and saw his confidence soar as a result.
“What his dad told me was that when his son got veneers, it was like Superman getting his cape,” Dr. Petkevis says. “He had never realized that his son—who was always bright, was a super nice kid, and always did well in everything—was lacking some confidence. When he got his veneers, a switch flipped and now he’s got a whole new level of confidence that he never had before. He ended up graduating college and getting a great job in finance.
“So guess what dad wants to do,” he continues. “He’s been coming in for years, and aesthetics had never been his focus, but now he wants veneers as well.”
Such heartwarming stories are common at Dental Distinction. While Dr. Petkevis hopes those stories motivate others to take steps to improve their lives, he admits they also inspire him and his team to keep striving for excellence in every aspect of the practice.
“We love the actual dentistry that we do, but the end result is that we’re looking to make a difference for patients,” he says. “That’s a driving factor for us—why we do what we do and why we’re structured the way that we are to handle larger cases. Being able to have a positive impact that can change their life, that’s what it’s all about.”
Dental Distinction
126 Pottstown Pike
Chester Springs, PA 19425
(610) 904-9274
ChesterSpringsDentist.com
126 Pottstown Pike
Chester Springs, PA 19425
(610) 904-9274
ChesterSpringsDentist.com
Photo by Jeff Anderson
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, June 2023.
