Why I Chose Dentistry and Why I’m Still Here
People ask me sometimes why I became a dentist. I’ve talked about it before, but the answer still isn’t very polished or dramatic.
The honest version is this. I didn’t grow up dreaming about dentistry. It wasn’t a childhood calling or something I imagined myself doing forever. I became a dentist because my parents wanted me to be one. That may not sound inspiring, and I know it doesn’t resonate with everyone, but it’s the truth and it’s an important part of how I got here.
I grew up in a family shaped by both ambition and loss. My parents experienced a significant trauma early in my life when we lost my brother, and I witnessed how deeply that changed them. Even as a kid, I felt a sense of responsibility to make their lives a little easier if I could. My dad is a physician and always believed healthcare would offer stability and purpose. At the same time, he knew how demanding that path could be. He spent years in training and working long hours, and he wanted something different for us. Dentistry, in his mind, offered a way to build a meaningful career with more flexibility than he had early on.
So I didn’t stumble into dentistry. I made a very deliberate choice to pursue something difficult because I believed it would eventually give me the kind of life and balance I wanted. At the time, it wasn’t about passion. It was about responsibility and commitment. Over time though, that choice became my own.
Integrity, Trust, and Building a Career on Purpose
What kept me in dentistry wasn’t obligation. It was realizing that the profession actually fit how I think and how I work.
Dentistry is technical and precise, but it also relies heavily on trust. Patients sit in a vulnerable position and rely on us not just to treat them, but to explain things clearly and recommend care honestly. That responsibility is very real, and it shapes how I approach my work every day.
For me, integrity shows up in the small decisions. Taking extra time to plan instead of rushing. Explaining options without pressure. Thinking about long term outcomes instead of quick fixes. Those values were influenced by watching my parents struggle to trust their own dental care growing up, while also encouraging me to become a dentist myself.
That contrast stuck with me. It eventually became part of the foundation for how I practice and how I built my company. I became interested in solving a problem I had seen firsthand. Patients who felt uncertain, overwhelmed, or unsure who to trust. Creating systems and experiences that feel thoughtful and transparent was never an afterthought. It was intentional from the beginning.
As my career evolved, orthodontics and clear aligner therapy became a place where many of those values came together. Aligner treatment requires careful planning, patient participation, and honest expectations. There is no shortcut that actually works long term. When it’s done well, it reflects the kind of dentistry I believe in.
Fulfillment, Growth, and Owning My Path
I meet people all the time who tell me their parents wanted them to follow a certain path, and they chose something else. And honestly, that’s great. There isn’t one right way to build a life.
I never really gave myself space to question my direction early on. For a long time, my focus was simply on doing something that would make my parents proud. What I didn’t realize then was that choosing something hard and seeing it through would also build confidence and resilience in me.
Dentistry continues to be fulfilling because it never becomes automatic. Every patient is different. Every case requires thought and adjustment. There’s always something to learn or improve, whether that’s technique, communication, or how I show up for my patients.
Today, I’m proud of where I’ve landed. Not just because I made my parents proud, but because I proved to myself that I could do something challenging and build a life around it with intention. I didn’t arrive here in the most traditional way, but I’m genuinely happy to be here now. I care deeply about the work I do, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to keep doing it.
