Tutus, Pies, And Quakes

Don’t know about you guys but it isn’t every two-days-of-the-week I get to dress up like the Tooth Fairy, take a delicious Whip Cream pie in the face at the end of a long interesting day and then treat 200 or so of my fave friends and family to a ballgame hosted by an LA Dodgers’ farm club aptly named, the Quakes.

And upon escaping the horrors of dental school, I woulda never seen stuff like this coming; and never experiencing it would have been a tragedy…even way beyond the typical Clippers NBA playoffs experience.

We have a sign posted in our reception area stating our mission: “Making a World-class Difference for others and Making Dentistry Fun.” And the fun really began about 18-years ago.

Back in 1998, we were invited to become members of an elite organization, represented by leading edge dental practices committed to making a difference in the community. The organization, the Crown Council, developed, shared, and taught us a playbook for living into our vision.

The Crown Council’s Smiles for Life campaign was our very first opportunity to really do something impacting the lives of friends and family as well as those we’d probably never even meet. So when you get to provide teeth whitening at vastly reduced fees for the folks you’re honored to serve and all of the proceeds go to children in need, it’s very cool getting to be the Tooth Fairy all day. And I must say wearin’ a tutu can be very comfortable in 100-degree SoCal globally warmed day in June. The wings were awesome too, taking me back to The Day when I had major hops, street cred, and appropriate tag, Air Dentist.

We’ve loved being part of Smiles for Life for the last 18-years and we’re now proud members of the Smiles for Life Hall of Fame. And you’d probably have no problem understanding how much better we all are when we’re working together for a cause; when you’re doing stuff like that it’s very easy making dentistry fun…especially when you get a pie in the face for hitting a goal…and even more especially when that’s the only Whip Cream you get all year.

And yesterday marked the 18th straight year we’ve hosted Oral cancer Awareness Night at the Ballpark, funded by the Crown Council with some of the proceeds from Smiles for Life. Once every hour, oral cancer steals away a life in the United States. The five-year survival rate is less than 50%; when detected early, oral cancer’s survival rate is 80-90%. An oral cancer screening is painless and takes less than 5-minutes; only 50% of Americans sees a dentist on a regular basis. Oral cancer exams are standard of care.

Learning, retaining information, and being driven or inspired to action more effectively through humor and fun is a proven fact (at this time, still unknown by most dental schools). And even as a doctor, enjoying the company of the people we serve and having a great time at the ballpark renews my commitment to energetically look for ways to make a difference…and maybe even save a life.

And up in the booth for my radio spot, I reminded play-by-play Mike that his predecessor, Jeff, used to share three innings with me on the air and that Jeff was now broadcasting in the Majors for the Milwaukee Brewers…and it was cool seeing Mike was still safe and sound here…in Rancho Cucamonga.

Unimpressed and unresponsive, stingy Cucamonga Mike again limited me to a measly one-half inning.

But this time I dropped the mike…after a USC Trojan “Fight on!” a reminder for listeners to please see a dentist for an oral cancer exam, and a big thanks to the Crown Council, the guys who make it easy for us to make a world-class difference for others and make dentistry fun.