Intro to My Sherman Dentist
Welcome to my first blog post! I’d like to take a few minutes to introduce myself, describe how My Sherman Dentist came to be, and give you my vision for the office.
I was born in Denison, TX just a few miles from where my office now stands. At the time my parents lived in Whitesboro as dairy farmers, but when I was three years old we moved to Arlington and then shortly after to Burleson where I grew up. I graduated at the top of my class in Burleson High School, then went to Baylor University in Waco, TX graduating Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in chemistry. Dental school was next at Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, TX (now called Texas A&M University Dental School, a sore subject being a Baylor grad!), followed by a residency at the Olin E. Teague Veteran’s Hospital in Temple, TX.
After residency, I worked for 3 years in Temple, TX as an associate Dentist, then moved to Burleson where I practiced for 8 years as an associate at Alsbury Dental. When the owner doctor sold the practice to corporate dentistry without asking me if I wanted to buy it, I knew I had to get out. I no longer had any family in Burleson, they had all moved back to Whitesboro. Even all my in-laws lived in Whitesboro! We wanted to be within 30 minutes of family, so we decided Sherman was our target.
When we began looking for a suitable location to start a practice, I had no idea how complicated and hard that search would be. I spent six months looking for a practice to buy out with no luck, followed by six months of looking for real estate to buy and build out a practice from the ground up. That option also failed to produce a suitable solution, so I turned to the lease space option where I found our current location at 3113 N Hwy 75. Visible from 75, 82, Loy Lake Rd, and all the access roads, I knew it was a great spot. Being in the same parking lot as Tractor Supply Co, Aldi, Harbor Freight, and even Sam’s was a huge bonus too.
Those who have been in Sherman long enough may remember that this building used to be a Luby’s cafeteria. My wife and I have jokingly suggested we offer a LuAnn special for an exam, x-rays, and cleaning! My suite is the center unit, but that means I got the front awning. No more getting rained on while wheeling out sedation patients back to the car in the wheelchair! And courteous husbands can drop off their wives for their dental appointments right at the front door out of the weather.
As for vision, I want my practice to be an anti-corporate dentistry practice. No guessing about whether your dentist will still be working there on your next visit. Taking time to answer questions you may have and actually getting to talk to the doctor face to face. Providing high-quality dental care at reasonable prices. Having sedation options available to alleviate anxiety and make dentistry as enjoyable as possible. Having a dentist who cares about you and treats you like family. Having a dentist that’s going to be around for the long haul.
Though we are currently starting at just opening 3 days per week, I plan to be open Monday-Friday as soon as possible. We have seven operatories in the office, ideally 3 for hygiene patients and 4 for doctor’s patients. As we grow, I will likely bring in one or two additional associate dentists that also care about patients, want to be here for the long-haul, and look to push back against the corporate takeover of dental care in America.