MONROE. Conn. — Dr. Hee Soo Kim, a dentist of 12 years, now owns his own practice, enabling him to have a stronger focus on providing quality care for his patients. Over the course of his career, there were times when he opened his office after hours when a patient had a true emergency, especially when it involved dental pain.
Kim opened Blooming Smile Dental, at 162 Purdy Hill Road in Monroe in September, where he offers a full range of treatments, from routine teeth cleanings to oral surgery.
“Here at Blooming Smile Dental, I take care of the whole patient myself as an owner/dentist,” he said during an interview at his office Monday. If there is ever an emergency, Kim said, “they can send me a text anytime.”
Kim graduated from the NYU College of Dentistry and worked in Stamford for two years, before a multi-specialty private dental office in Hampton, N.Y., offered him a position. He treated patients there for eight years before moving his family back to Connecticut.
Kim and his wife, Holly, live in Norwalk with their two children, Hana, 6, and Hayden, 3.
After the move, Kim began searching for a location for his own practice, where he could use what he learned from his exposure to multi-specialty dental treatments in New York.
Kim looked at listings in Bridgeport and several surrounding towns, before finding ample space in the building at 162 Purdy Hill Road in Monroe, which also houses Purdy Hill Bakery.
He said the facility is larger than the typical dental practice, with nine patients rooms, giving Blooming Smile Dental plenty of room to expand. Kim also said he likes the visibility from traffic along the busy Monroe Turnpike thoroughfare.
He expressed his gratitude for support he received from David D’Ausilio, the owner of the building, as well as from zoning and Building Department staff at Monroe Town Hall.
Prior to coming to Monroe, Kim said he looked at listings in Shelton, Bridgeport, Wilton and Westport.
“Every time I made an inquiry to a town, nobody cared. I couldn’t get a simple answer,” he said. “I stopped by Monroe Town Hall with a question on how to fill out the documentation. She actually helped me fill it out,” Kim added of a Monroe town employee. “When I told my contractor about it, he was kind of shocked.”
A grand opening
On Monday morning, First Selectman Terry Rooney, State Sen. Jason Perillo, R-Shelton, Economic and Community Development Director Bill Holsworth and members of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Monroe Economic Development Commission held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of Blooming Smile Dental.
The event was attended by David D’Ausilio and his wife, Terrie.
Prior to Blooming Smile Dental moving in, the space had been occupied by Monroe Pediatrics, whose doctor recently left to merge with another practice, Terrie said, adding the building is now fully occupied again.
“Dr. Kim had a good understanding of what he wanted and his own construction team,” David D’Ausilio said. “He did the fit out. We always want quality service providers for the community and Dr. Kim has the most state-of-the-art facility in the town of Monroe, and he does all of the procedures and dental work. It’s one stop shopping.”
Rooney thanked Kim and his family for coming to Monroe and David D’Ausilio for his role in bringing the dental practice here.
“You never fail when it comes to bringing the right things to the town,” he said to D’Ausilio. Rooney turned to Kim and said, “I heard about your journey and how hard it was to find a location. I’m glad you found a home in Monroe and we wish you a lot of success.”
The first selectman told Kim he was happy to hear the staff at Town Hall was helpful, adding town officials are always here for him.
“I think the one thing we can say about dentistry is be true to your teeth or they’ll be false to you,” Rooney joked.
“We are so happy to have you,” Monroe Chamber President Ray Giovanni said. “New York is missing a wonderful opportunity with a wonderful family and Monroe is inheriting it, so we’re grateful. We’re very fortunate. We wish you all the best.”
“You make the citizens of Monroe smile brighter and whiter,” said Previn Patel, a member of the Chamber’s board of directors.
Holsworth thanked D’Ausilio for finding tenants for his buildings, congratulated Kim and told him to contact him if there is anything he needs.
Perillo said, “this is a great example of how town leadership comes together with a property owner, who teams up with a small business owner and makes great things happen. Credit goes to town leadership here and the entrepreneur who makes these things happen in our community.”
Right at home
Kim said his office is now fully equipped and fully staffed. In addition to Kim, Blooming Smile Dental has Patient Care Coordinator Adelicia Mogollen and a dental assistant.
Kim still works part-time at a dental practice in the New Haven/Bridgeport area, while growing his own. Since a soft opening in September, some patients have followed him to Monroe, while some new ones stopped by, often leading to their family members also becoming patients.
“The patients are really kind,” Kim said of Monroe. “Hampton was a nice town where everyone knows everyone. I feel the same way here. Hopefully I will be here until I retire.”
To learn more about Blooming Smile Dental or make an appointment, call the office at 203-884-8887, visit its website or follow it on Facebook and Instagram.
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Impressive! Thanks for sharing this.