Sonoran Hills Dental first opened its doors in 2001 in Ahwatukee, AZ. Dr. Collin Ito’s private practice was only the second business in the Ahwatukee Hills Plaza at the time. Ito’s goal since he first went into private practice was to be known as a people-friendly dentist. He looked at other practices and knew what he had to do to make himself stand out from the others.
Ito didn’t want to have patients crammed into his waiting room with long wait times. He also didn’t want to be the dentist that just sent patients to other specialists. Ito wanted his patients to feel like he cared about them and his approach has meant his patients have stayed with his practice.
Tess Powers has been a patient since 2001. She says before she found Dr. Ito, she was filled with dread at just the thought of visiting a dentist. Ito erased those fears and fifteen years later she says she still comes back because the care is fantastic and it feels like family. In fact, her grown daughter flies in from out of state for her cleanings.
Ito said that he has seen a lot of changes in dentistry since he first began. Digital X-rays, electronic patient charts and porcelain crowns are some of the biggest updates that he has seen in his career. He also pointed out that patients are much more concerned with aesthetics these days and services like tooth whitening and adult braces are much more prevalent than they once were.
Though Ito says he offers all of the latest dental services, he does like to wait until the changes have been rolled out awhile before adopting them. “I like technology to have the bugs worked out before I use it,” he said.