At an early age, I was always interested in the science. The reason I became a dentist was initially as a child, I was interested in how the human body worked and functioned. So I got a little older, I realized that there was something that I could actually learn more about the human body and I wanted to be, later on I wanted to become a doctor. As I realized that…my childhood experiences were very good with my dentist, I had a wonderful dentist. Just kind of putting it all together, the fact that I enjoy sciences, I was wanting to become a doctor, and the fact that later on I was very interested in art. So the combination of those two, the arts and science, and the high school and college level, for me it became very evident that dentistry was a very good profession for those two likings. And later on, the ultimate reason I became a dentist is because during my volunteering, community service and outreach, I just enjoy helping people and working with people. And so as a dentist, I’m able to really take care of patients and take care of people and help with their health services. So that’s the number one reason.

Being a dentist is very rewarding because you’re able to help a wide variety of patients from the very young to the very old, from the very simple things such as a cleaning and a filling to a full mouth reconstruction. Some folks come in here with the dentitions and teeth that are just beyond what we call terminal dentition where nothing’s fixable anymore. And they’re tired of teeth breaking and having had root canals and crowns. And so the ability to give patients’ teeth back to them that they can actually function with, eat better, look better and feel better, that is very, very rewarding. And that’s one of the best things that we as dentists in our profession can do for patients.

I graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry in 1991. I’ve been in practice for over 30 years. And I came straight to Lawton from Oklahoma City. Had family here and family in Oklahoma City. So it wasn’t too far from home. I grew up in Oklahoma City. I have raised children here in Lawton and become part of this community at Lawton again for the past 30 years. Our staff and our doctors are on a continuum of learning. I think when you’re a perpetual student about anything, especially something that you’re passionate about like dentistry, continuing education is a way to stay on top of the new technology, the new procedures, the new treatments and modalities. So we, the state and your licensures has a certain number of hours that you are required to put in for CE. We always double or triple the number of minimum requirements. We like to stay on the edge of technology so that we can service our patients to the best of our abilities.