Specialty: Periodontics
Education: Dentistry school, University of California Los Angeles, 1996; Periodontics, Baylor College of Dentistry, 1999
Years practicing: Eight
Hometown: El Cajon, California

Have you wanted to go into dentistry your whole life?
“I decided in college. I don’t even like the dentist, if that tells you anything. I still dread going to the dentist the way most people do. I just had really bad experiences as a child, and I still get apprehensive. I first thought of going into dentistry when I had orthodontics done.”

What makes a good periodontist?
“Probably to me, someone that’s very caring, that’s very patient, because most of our patients are very apprehensive, so you have to have that patience and take the time. Most periodontists are technically really good, but it’s very important to develop a comprehensive treatment plan and something that’s long-term for the patient.”

How do you make patients feel calm?
“One of the things is we always do a full consultation, and we spend a lot of time getting to know our patients, from on the phone with the receptionist to their first visit. The first visit is usually about an hour and a half.
“We know a lot about our patients: their children, their grandchildren, their vacations. You’d be surprised what our office knows about our patients. We recognize anniversaries (and) stuff like that. We try to do everything to make the patients just as comfortable as we can so they like us. We want them to like us, because then they will trust us. I don’t know if they think of us as friends, but they at least think of us in a friendly way.”

Before coming to Arizona, you taught students in the periodontics program at Baylor University. How has that affected your work in private practice?
“It allows you to be able to teach and explain procedures. It’s much easier explaining what we’re doing to patients and why. That’s why the initial exam is such a long process, because the whole office is explaining what we’re doing.… We talk a lot with the patients. We listen to what they say, and we try to develop a treatment plan that meets their needs as well as takes care of the problem.”

When did you find out the tooth fairy wasn’t real?
“Probably age 7 or 8. (Until then), the tooth fairy was still coming and delivering money, not a whole lot of money… usually about 10 cents. Some of our kids now get five or 10 dollars.”

Describe your office.
“We like to have a fun time, because we all enjoy what we do. We come to work excited to see each other, and we enjoy what we do, and I think that’s conveyed to the patient. There’s a lot of laughter in our office. My staff is incredible. I want that to stand out, because it’s an honor to be in Top Dentists, but it’s an office achievement, not an individual achievement.”