My Favorite Job

I love being an orthodontist. The enjoyment I get from seeing the changes in people is really uplifting. The idea that I get to choose who I work with for a staff is awesome- to be able to hand pick whom you get to work with is so cool. But my favorite job does not start until I get home- DAD.

These days with six kids it can get rather challenging to keep everyone happy, healthy and headed in the right direction. The challenges just add to the joy of seeing your children grow and mature- sometimes with your guidance and sometimes in spite of it.

I spent five years as a swim team coach molding kids to compete and along the way watching them grow in body, mind and spirit. This was just an early glimpse of the joy one gets from teaching your own kids. The early sleepless nights, wet and dirty diapers blur into days of the first steps. Then in an eye blink they are off to learning to talk, pray, read, write, swim and ride a bike.

It is an amazing privilege to be able to spend time just playing with them. As school and personal problems arise, I find myself guiding and counseling them as they turn into young adults. I look back to my own parents as examples of how to show selfless love while guiding with discipline. My “job” as a parent is never dull, at times stressful, but always the greatest gift God could have ever given me. My only hope is that someday my kids will feel the joy and love I have known both as a Dad and a son.

Because a Smile Matters….

"A SMILE costs nothing, but gives much. It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor but that he cannot be made rich by it. A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business, and is the countersign of friendship. It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and is nature's best antidote for trouble.”—Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsh

When we smile we are opening up our emotions to those around us. Psychological research shows that humans are, above all, social creatures, toiling with our emotions toward ourselves and what others feel about us. The cosmetic industry is proof that people have a strong desire to be accepted and appreciated. A pleasing smile has been shown to make us appear more cooperative, confident and trustworthy; something makeup just cannot accomplish.

Dale Carnegie spent the entire first chapter of his book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” detailing the importance of a smile for success in business and joy in life. The mere act of putting a smile on your face induces a neurological response in the “Smiler” and the one receiving the smile. This is a basic instinct as even babies respond to a smiling face with playful joy.

Since a smile is so critically linked to our acceptance and well being, why would a person not carry a smile they like and feel confident about, as often as they can? Many people have told me that they avoid smiling because they don’t feel confident in their teeth. My job is to eliminate this lack of confidence and give people a heightened opinion of themselves, improving the mood for those around them as well. This is why I so enjoy what I do….. Improving the World one Smile at a time.