Wait, isn’t the saying “A wolf in sheep’s clothing?”

Yes, it is.  It comes from the Book of Matthew, where Jesus says “Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15, NIV).  But I have begun to realize dentists are not what many people think they are. Allow me to explain.

Do you ever feel misunderstood?  Do you ever feel as though no one actually knows or fully comprehends what goes on throughout your day?  If you do, I can relate…and if you don’t, well then hopefully by the end of this you can at least relate to me in some way.

I ask this question because I recently asked some of my friends and family what they thought I did on a daily basis.  Simply put, I asked them, “What do you think a dentist does every day?” It seems like a simple question for the most part.  However, at the end of it all I felt as though no one understood what I actually do. Here are some of the responses I received:

“You dig in people’s mouths all day.”

“Easy…you drill on people’s teeth for a living.”

“I would say you help people with the pain and infection in their mouth.”

“You put needles in people’s mouths and then drill on cavities”

“I would say you mostly shave down teeth or pull them.”

“Honey, you evaluate people’s oral health care, tend to their needs, and give them the beautiful smile they deserve.”  

Yes, that last one was from my wife after I complained about how I felt misunderstood (she always has the right response to make me feel better).  I think she has been around dentistry long enough to give me a satisfying answer. But I noticed that all of the responses I received were centered around and attitude of apprehension, fear, pain, and negativity…”shave down teeth,” “pain and infection,” etc.  I began to slowly realize that all of my friends and family think I enjoy going to a workplace that is centered around these things every single day. What the heck?

I’m writing to set the record straight.  Contrary to recently discovered popular belief, I do not enjoy going to a workplace that is steeped in negativity, apprehension, fear, and everything else horrible you can possibly imagine.

That is exactly why Corridor Dental exists, because I wanted to create a workplace my staff and I enjoy and a dental office my patients can feel at home.

I believe my days as a dentist can be summed up in two things:

Educate my patients as best as I possibly can

Treat my patients as best as I possibly can

If you are not educated, how in the world can I expect you as a patient to help yourself?  You don’t know what you don’t know. My job is to create an environment where you can learn and understand your oral health, enable you to ask any and all questions, and put you on a path to where you can help yourself (hear more about the importance of education here).  So many times I have seen patients come in for an exam to reveal all kinds of issues that could have easily been prevented if the patient was made aware of certain things previously…small, easily treatable issues have now become larger, more expensive, and more complex treatments.  Unnecessary and frustrating to say the least. And when it comes to treatment, I treat everyone like they were my grandmother. My grandmother is the sweetest, most kind-hearted, loving person I have ever met. When I treat everyone like they were her, I feel confident it’s the best I can possibly do…I just know I won’t be getting banana bread when we’re done.

A sheep in wolf’s clothing, that is what many dentists are.  We are a misunderstood profession, and yes that is totally a bias coming out.  My days are spent in a much different way than you may think, and I implore you to come in to Corridor Dental and see that for yourself.