An Invisible Almost Bronx Tale

So, for the longest time I’ve shared all kinds of personal stuff with my patients. And after many years that probably should have included intensive counseling, I’m a modestly improved listener.

I let every single patient know (whether they want to or not) that even with a U-boat commander name like Von Bulow, I’m really a Sicilian half breed. And then, after listening to what matters most to my patients, I offer reassurance that I’ll be seeing them as family. And I don’t know about you, but in my famiglia, we are respectful, caring, and gentle…because Sicilians don’t get mad; they get even.

I never thought I’d ever be part of a family of colleagues. Last weekend, we staged a reunion…for over 1,200 family members…in Las Vegas, at the Encore and Wynn hotels. Everyone showed up, even Lebron (well, I did wave at him as I walked through the casino with a trophy-on-steroids that resembled Lord Stanley way more than Larry O’Brien.)

Thing is, even though I’ve been providing dental care for (gulp) more than 40-years, I’ve NEVER felt compelled to keep track of colleagues the way I used to check-in on my Aunt Clara. And the family of colleagues comes from basically everywhere in North America.

And maybe you’re like me (early on), wondering “What kind of a wide-eyed cult of smiling, hyperactive DDS-type huggers meet in Sin City, already counting the days to the next family shindig?” Well, our family has mostly evolved in the vision of our one-of-a-dental-kind leader.

Just like with every family, the leader is someone who sets the rules, keeps the history alive and the identity clear. When the leader can move families to a new place and into a new daring vision, revolutionary growth bordering on the miraculous can happen (like the birth of America.) In our case, the visionary head honcho lives in Long Island, works in Manhattan, and does amazing stand-up. And yeah, he could be Seinfeld…if Jerry had more skills. Doc David Galler can make loners gregarious, molar jockey dweebs cool, and hardcore competitors collaborative.

At our dental cousin’s social over at Universal City, Galler killed us with laughter as he taught the thirty of us more about Invisalign care than we’d collectively learned since 2003. And half of my cousins were Canadians…who were either dazzled by the sun or waiting to be mugged (not a pushover audience.)

Somehow, when I wasn’t looking, Dr. G named me first cousin (or president) of our band of “Los Aligners.” And no one will ever convince me that we are not the nicest branch of the now vastly expanded family tree.

And while the over 1,000 dentists in the family (residing from Puerto Rico to Nova Scotia and West Coast to East) authentically support one another and feel the love, you don’t acquire 20% of North America’s GP Invisalign market share without individually wanting to make a difference for as many patients as possible.

At our family Vegas picnics like last week's, we have our own version of three-legged races and corn toss. And we vie yearlong for the Galler Cup. The Galler Cup goes to the class member (we’re Juniors from 2015) that makes a difference for the most patients during the year. My lovable group of Los Aligners have always finished in the middle of the pack. I’ve always rationalized we were just too nice.

But from Newport Beach and West Hollywood to Portland, Oregon and Jacksonville, North Carolina; to Slave Lake, Orleans, Edmonton, and Calgary, Ontario Canada, and even little ole Temple City…we remain family. And this year, we are Galler Cup Champs!

And since the Galler Cup more closely resembles Lord Stanley than Larry O’Brien, I freakin’ can’t wait for us all to enjoy sharing it. And I can’t wait to see the pictures. And even more, I can’t wait to see how many lives we can transform in the coming year.

Love you guys.