Tanja Sinanovic in 2009
Tatjana “Tanja” Sinanovic has been a familiar face at Dentistry of the Carolinas since 1997.
After the outbreak of war displaced her family from her native Yugoslavia, Tanja found herself in the United States just four days after completing a degree in nutrition. A routine doctor checkup and a visit to a dental office would change her life.
“I can never think of dentistry as an industry,” says Tanja. “In my mind, I always picture a happy place where you get rewarded for taking care of people and their needs. I do everything in my power to make sure my patients are seen the same way.”
Tanja’s first dental check-up was with Dr. John Walsh, owner and founder of Dentistry of the Carolinas, whom she describes as “unforgettable” and “the reason I am in the field of dentistry.” She remembers her check-up with Dr. Walsh was on a Thursday and her first day at work was the following Monday. She says, “Dr. Walsh told me I was hired, but I didn’t then know the meaning of the word. He explained, ‘You can come to work tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.'”
DOC hygienist, Dee Dee, on left; dental assistant, Tanja; not long after both were hired
Those first days were challenging as Tanja struggled to improve her English and adjust to American culture, but says, “Dr. Walsh and the entire staff, were incredibly nice, patient, encouraging and loving; it was truly one big happy family.”
Tanja and her patient, Paige. Paige has been her patient since she was five years old
Tanja still sees patients from those early days, some whom have followed her from office to office for twenty years.
“It’s a joy to see patients that I have seen since they were just 5-years-old. I am so blessed to be here – it’s a feeling that is hard to describe until you come to our happy place.”
Tanja is happily married (to a dentist no less) with an adorable son. Away from the office she enjoys gardening, reading, antiques, watching foreign films and recently started learning to play the violin.