Flying High with Suwanee Family Dentistry
Flying and dentistry aren’t two subjects that are traditionally related, but one woman named Tina Herington manages to bring them together in the bravest way possible.
“From flying to running a business to all tasks really, you have to have a checklist and a system. You have to follow it and do it exactly the same way every single time,” Herington explains. “Usually if something goes wrong, it’s because there’s some system that’s not being followed. Believe it or not, flying a plane and running a dental office are actually very similar.. but you have to have your systems!”
Herington’s first step into flight began during her years in college studying in an electrical engineering lab, where her lab partner mentioned he was going flying after class. She asked to tag along, and twenty-five years later, she has her own flight license and aircraft.
The Beech Bonanza, as Herington’s plane is called, is an unassuming name for such a powerful machine. The aircraft rumbles while on the runway, announcing its presence to the skies before launching into the air. The sheer force behind its mechanisms remains observable long after liftoff.
While flying over familiar sights like the Suwanee Family Dentistry building and Lake Lanier, Herington imparts a bit of advice she’s used countless times over the years: don’t be afraid of anything.
“I really did work as an engineer for about six months, which was enough time to convince me that I really didn’t wanna do it forever,” Herington says. “In my continuous vein of not knowing I should be afraid to do things, I graduated from dental school and started a practice from scratch right away.”
Herington displays her fear of nothing right away by relinquishing control of the plane. Somewhere between that and landing, the plane flies over downtown Buford.
As always, Gwinnett Magazine is nestled right in the heart of town.
The world from an aerial view looks and feels different compared to being on foot, walking the landscape. Yet either way the world is looked at, everyone shares the same view: home.
Suwanee Family Dentistry is located at 2566 Lawrenceville Suwanee Rd. Suwanee, GA 30024-2537. For more information, visit the Suwanee Family Dentistry Website.
For a more comprehensive interview with Herington, listen to her on the Gwinnett Podcast!
