Dr. Vivona did not know that she wanted to be a dentist. She wanted to be an artist; however, coming from a family of musicians, she was encouraged to pursue science and received a degree in chemistry on a pre med track. Not wanting to spend her life in a lab, she took off to Peru and taught English at Lima's Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano for four years.
She decided to return to the US to go to medical school, but her trajectory changed after reading a blog by a woman who switched from medical to dental because it satisfied her desire create art and work with her hands. This blog resonated with Dr. Vivona and she quickly changed her course and pursued a dental career. Fueled with a new passion she sent out a bunch of resumes to local dentists looking for any position in their office. Starting as a sterile tech for minimum wage, she soon was promoted to dental assistant for the office's periodontist. After a year in the dental office, she moved to Baltimore to attend dental school.
Dr. Vivona graduated from University of Maryland School of Dentistry at the top of her class. During her senior year she was inducted into the prosthodontics honor society and participated in a dental implant internship. During her residency at University of Colorado she became IV sedation certified.
Dr. Vivona is passionate about helping people who are scared of dentists because she can help make them feel comfortable enough to get their dental work done, "I've always sought purpose in my life. Being able to help dental phobic patients, special needs patients and even other local dentists with their more challenging cases, gives me that purpose."
Another way that Dr. Vivona helps her patients who are nervous about having dental work done is by using a therapy dog. Although Dr. Vivona's Carolina dog, Otis, was not intended to be a therapy dog, she noticed how he would try to comfort her daughter when she was upset. So now Otis helps patients by allowing them to scratch his ears or placing his head in their lap until they are comfortable, after which he goes to sleep. The office teases that the dog gets to sleep on the job!
Dr. Vivona recently partnered with Dr. Harmeet Kaur. This has allowed both women to share admin duties, cover each other for vacation and to be present for their young daughters. Dr. Vivona says, "It's nice for both of us to share our gripes and triumphs with someone else who completely understands!"
After meeting her husband, Dr. Andrew Dow during their Colorado Residency, they moved back to Andrew's hometown, Eugene. Although, Dr. Vivona had pictured herself living in Colorado to enjoy skiing there, she has learned that Oregon Skiing isn't too bad and is happy that the dental community here is much more close knit than she had experienced in Denver.
One of the biggest challenges for Dr. Vivona is balancing motherhood and work. When her daughter was younger she had associates working in her office, allowing her to work only 2-3 days a week. With her daughter in school, Dr. Vivona now works a four day a week schedule and takes time off when needed so she can be present for her daughter's school and sporting events. Dr. Vivona and her family all enjoy outdoor activities together including hiking, camping and downhill skiing.
In 2022, Dr. Vivona and her daughter became Italian citizens. Her husband will be eligible to apply for citizenship through marriage in a couple years, but will need to pass an Italian proficiency test first. Having EU citizenship has allowed Dr. Vivona and her family to dream of a ski cabin in the Alps. Should her daughter, who loves languages and traveling, wants to study in the EU that will be an option for her as well.
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