Abdelrehim was born and raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and moved to the United States in 1989. She earned a chemistry degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where she also met her husband, Ihab. After graduation, the two began a series of moves around the country, first to California where her husband was going to school and then to New York University College of Dentistry, where Abdelrehim earned her DDS degree.

After one year of residency, Abdelrehim and her husband moved to Scarborough, Maine, where she joined Dr. Morgan as an associate, performing conscious sedation on high-fear cases. “Everything they did at the practice was with Patterson and that was my first exposure to dental team support and reps,” she says. “It was a great experience. Always in the back of my mind was the idea of partnering with Patterson if I open a practice.”

In 2002, Abdelrehim landed her second associateship, this time in southern New Hampshire, and in 2004, became one of two partners at the practice. While she was in her partnership, she was thinking about private ownership, polishing her dream in her mind.

“I’m 45 years old and I started thinking about how much longer I would be in dentistry,” she says. “I reflected on my past career and recognized I never got the chance to own my own practice, which is every dentist’s dream right after dental school. For me, I took the first opportunity that came my way as a new graduate. I was focused on learning dentistry.”

“I called Patterson when it was time to initiate the plans and was introduced to Scott Lasser,” Abdelrehim says of the Patterson equipment specialist. “He’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, and a good friend too. Scott walked me through the whole process. He was so supportive, he was such a great listener.”