A decade ago, Dr. Alex and I were sitting in a windowless meeting room at the UNC School of Dentistry. We were listening to other pediatric dentists who’d gone before us, hearing stories about their careers and how they liked to practice pediatric dentistry. During a break, Alex and I looked at each other and said (and the author is paraphrasing here): “I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN A PRACTICE BUT I DON’T WANT TO WORK IN A CORPORATE MACHINE.” If I remember correctly, we actually sang these words to the tune of “My Heart Will Go On” with me taking the high parts and Alex taking the low parts, and the two-part harmony that reverberated around that meeting room made everyone else weep instantly. We then each got texts from Celine Dion thanking us for really getting to the theme’s emotional center.
And that was the plan. Instantly. For the rest of their residency training, in addition to learning about managing dental trauma, complicated medical histories, and finding a place to park on campus, our two plucky young (or, more accurately, one plucky young Alex and one near-dead-grizzled-walking-corpse of a Kev) spent a lot of time thinking. What we decided was that we couldn’t work for anyone else AND do it exactly the way we wanted.
The community we were already in was the community we wanted. Before the Veranda at Briar Chapel opened, we waltzed into the corporate real estate office that was managing the development and said “Who’s in charge here? Get us a practice location, STAT.” Then, just to show them how serious we were, we knocked over everything on their desk. Then, just to show them how empathetic we were, we carefully picked everything back up and put it back in place and apologized profusely.
Meanwhile, residency had ended. We each took jobs. We both worked for a practice that had spun off from Duke Medicine, where we continued to gain experience collaborating with medical colleagues on complicated medical cases. I spent half of my time there in Duke Children’s Hospital, working on patients under general anesthesia. Alex worked exclusively in the clinic. I also worked for traditional pediatric dental practices in several locations throughout the state.
Thankfully, my original plan for “Dirt Floor Pediatric Dentistry” was overruled by Alex, and the rest is history.
Through all of this, we LISTENED and WATCHED CLOSELY. We saw the parts we liked about all of these practices. We saw the parts we didn’t like about all of these practices. And in the end, we came to the philosophy of practice that you see every time you bring your children to Chatham Pediatric Dentistry. Child-first, compassionate, evidence-based dental care provided in a non-judgmental environment that talks down to no one. The appointments are scheduled to make sure we have time to get your child acclimated and to answer your questions, not scheduled to maximize profit.
We’re not in-network with your insurance. We’ve seen where that road leads firsthand. When it comes to making treatment decisions for your kids, we want to give the real list of options, not the list of options in your contracted dental plan. In our opinion, it leads to better care for your children. That being said, there’s one exception: we see patients with Medicaid. Kids deserve the kind of care we provide no matter what the financial status of their parents. We do this because we’re invested in our whole community, not just the parts of the community with private insurance. We’re not leaving anyone behind.
When you come to Chatham Pediatric Dentistry, you’ll be treated by Alex or by me, and we own the place. If you have a concern, you’re speaking directly to the boss. We have complete authority to make changes on the fly as the patient’s situation dictates. Our tiny staff works very hard to make each child feel welcomed, important, and successful. Some of our staff have known your kids since they were infants and have enjoyed watching them grow up almost as much as you have.
There’re no rotating doctors moving through the space, trying to keep track of which patients are from which locations, the staff is all permanent, and we’ve never compromised on on our equipment or materials. There is no gimmick care designed to take advantage of your insecurities, and the care we provide to your kids is literally the exact care we provide to our own - they’re also patients of our practice. We wouldn’t take them anywhere else.
We’re glad to be here in Chatham. It’s where we wanted to be. We’re members of the community. Our kids go to school with your kids. We support the local schools financially and sometimes by Dr. Kev showing up with his guitar and singing to your second graders about flossing, as well as giving them floss because we’re all about closing the loop. We’re not opening a second location, or getting direction from a hedge fund, and we’re not answering to anyone but our patients and ourselves.
We are very grateful for the investment the community has made in us. We like to think we’ve repaid it right back to ya’ll with the kind of dental practice you wish you had when you were kids. It’s the kind of practice we always wanted, and the only way to get it was to build it ourselves. We’re never going to be the Walmart of pediatric dentistry, because we’ve never wanted to be the Walmart. In fact, that may be the next thing we print on our next batch of shirts. “CPD - We’ve never wanted to be Walmart. We’ve never even been to Arkansas. In fact, we pronounce it like R-Kansas, because we want to be clear we have no understanding of that state or its largest business.”
We’re right where we want to be. Not Walmart. Not Arkansas. We’re Chatham Pediatric Dentistry. We’re glad it’s the kind of practice you want, too.