Priceless

Years ago, I thought dentistry was all about fixing teeth. Later, I realized the magic was all about serving people. A while back, I had an epiphany.

What’s better than learning, cultivating relationships, and looking and listening for opportunities to have fun in the process?

And I have to admit; the epiphany was dormant for almost 40-years. But I’ve never claimed to be a quick study and it’s a good thing I’ve taken fairly good care of myself.

Yesterday, my TCDC team and I convened at a local hotel for our quarterly all-day offsite meeting. The hotel was undergoing a total facelift engineered by our patient, the General Manager, Luis.

I don’t know about you, but to me managing a major hotel and remodeling it at the same time seems practically as stressful as doing some brain surgery, watching a DC news conference, and listening to Michael Bolton all at the same time.

Years ago, we met Luis following his diagnosis and referral by an elite TCDC patient (Susie) who shared some Starbuck’s time and space one morning with Luis. From the eye witness report, Luis was visibly suffering from headache, neckache, back and shoulder pain. Who knew Manager Luis needed a dentist? Well…the Elite One did (Susie had been there; she was a voice of experience.)

We made Luis a custom removable appliance that helped his bite and resolved the pain nearly immediately.

The long-term solution involved realigning Luis’ bite; we proceeded with Invisalign care and gained a result that still sustains comfort, balance, and function…plus an awesome, healthy So Cal smile that had been masked by chronic pain.

Today, the non-stop headaches have virtually disappeared. Luis does admit to two headaches per year, quickly resolved with a massage. He’s now in the process of re-building his second hotel.

Yesterday morning, Luis was the first person I met walking into the hotel. Construction workers and hotel employees were in action and on a mission; you could sense the pulse of energy and optimism. Luis’ smile was about a mile wide.

“You really love this, don’t you Luis?”

A healthy, confident, happy, energized smile coming from a friend is worth about a million words. And that’s what I love about dentistry.