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• What I’ve Learned

What I Learned:

Dads impact us in profound ways.

This week, I asked five orthodontists—who also have fathers as orthodontists—their biggest lessons, advice, philosophies, and stories of how their Dad impacted their practice, career, and life. The orthodontists include:

Dr. Jesse Carmen

Dr. Charles Buchsieb

Dr. Andrew Wade

Dr. Liz Johnson

…..And my own CEO, Dr. Alfred Griffin.

1.  How much did your father impact your career path?

Dr. Jesse Carmen: My father was orphaned as a child.  He had a hard upbringing.  Everything he did, he did on his own.  No help.  He embraced a very self-reliant mindset.  People used to ask me, “Are you going to follow your Dad?”  And I denied it.  I wanted to do my own thing.   I was interested in psychology.  But, as I started, I gravitated towards dentistry—and do I credit my Dad for this—yet he never pressured or pushed me into orthodontics.  Like his philosophy, he let me choose on my own.

Dr. Charles Buchsieb: I initially admired my dad's work ethic. Starting in middle school, I started visiting his practice.    I thought his work wasn’t that hard—boy was I wrong about that!  I eventually set a goal of attending dental school and being in the Ohio State Marching band.  My father connected me with another provider who was a trumpet player, and I also took inspiration from him.

Dr. Andrew Wade: My father modeled what an exemplary professional looks like:  How a professional presents himself, speaks, discusses treatment, and how he works together with the team and colleagues. He also devoted significant time to teaching future generations of orthodontic residents and imparted that value on me from an early age.

Dr. Liz Johnson: My Dad had a profound influence by introducing me to the profession of orthodontics and demonstrating how wonderful it can be to practice.  While I was growing up my Dad spoke frequently, in great detail, about how he came into the specialty, the aspects of the field, and what it meant to him to be able to change peoples’ lives.  I was involved in his offices from a very early age and felt an affection towards dentistry and orthodontics right away.  While my Dad never pushed me towards the field, he was always very encouraging of my journey, even if it was a bit convoluted at times.   

Dr. Alfred Griffin: Massively—He never said I should be an orthodontist, and pushed me to intern with many physicians and surgeons who were friends of his, which I did. I liked the "blood and guts" part but really did not like the lack of autonomy created by insurance systems. Having the freedom to choose what is best for every patient is important to me, and the physicians I met with felt that medicine was taking a bit of a "cookie-cutter" approach to patient care. He empowered me to connect the dots myself, and with a knowledge of what else was out there, it made me even more confident that orthodontics is an incredible field.

2.  What’s the most valuable life advice your father gave you?

Dr. Jesse Carmen: “Don’t try to be successful, do a good job, and success will find you.”

Dr. Charles Buchsieb:  “NO ILLIGITMUS CARBORUNDUM!”  That’s Latin for don't let anyone else grind you down.   His other favorite: “Do the right thing—and do things right.”

Dr. Andrew Wade: “Be kind and respectful to all people.”  “If money is your only goal in life, you’ll never have enough.” The importance of ABO certification. The value of living a balanced life. The importance of being generous with your time and giving back to the community. Unintentionally, he also taught me never to assume you’ll live to age 95. My father passed away much younger than expected at age 57.

Dr. Liz Johnson: “Put yourself in a position to be able to support and take care of yourself so then you can go on to support and enhance the lives of others.” He would stress that you never know what challenges you will face and championed the dual concepts of self-sufficiency and camaraderie to us girls. 

Dr. Alfred Griffin: “Dentistry is about patient care first, everything else follows.” Especially in a small community.

3. What practice philosophy did you adapt from your father?

Dr. Jesse Carmen: “How do we do this without pulling teeth?”  We would try to find a way to avoid extractions as best as we could. He also stressed that “too many people are thinking about the numbers instead of why we fell in love with this job—to help people! Also, have fun at work!

Dr. Charles Buchsieb: My dad was an ardent Roth-Williams orthodontist (a gnathologist who believed in mounting ortho cases on a sophisticated articulator.)  While I didn’t follow gnathology, my father introduced me to Dr. Ron Roth, Dr. Larry Andrews, Dr. Bob Ricketts, and other old-time superstars of orthodontics during my residency.    I learned how to bend loops and use light wires because of my Dad.

Dr. Andrew Wade:  “Prioritize patient care and profits will follow.” A couple others include, “Bending wire is still an important skill, despite technological advancements. “ “Keep the team together and get the job done.”  Finally, “Always make your family a priority—Family comes first!”

Dr. Liz Johnson: “To consistently take into account the whole person when planning and executing treatment.” He imparted to me the concept that each patient is unique and requires an individualized treatment plan that enhances their self-esteem, overall health, and esthetics. Dad has advised on many occasions such principles as, “Resist altering a good jaw to match a deficient one,” and “People are more than the plaster.” I also absorbed from Dad an appreciation of the reality that for some patients, a visit to our office, might be the best part of their day; to treat all patients with kindness, compassion, and acceptance, and understand that they may be getting more from us besides straight teeth and a healthy bite.

Dr. Alfred Griffin: Wow! My Dad is my "phone-a-friend" in clinic when I see something new, so it's hard to pinpoint one thing, other than on Fridays when I make sure he has his cell phone on. So many things are influenced from him. One would be the value of early torque expression in lighter wires.

4.   Tell me a short moment about a patient case, interaction, or instance that reminds you of something your father would have done?

Dr. Jesse Carmen: What you see is what you you get.  The guy at work is the same guy at home, and my patients appreciate the genuineness of both our personalities.  My father and I crack jokes at morning meetings like we do over dinner at home.  Everyone gets the fully authentic version of us, and people appreciate that and respect that.

Dr. Charles Buchsieb: I once consulted my dad about a severe skeletal Class II with a very large overjet and a 100% deep bite with impingement. He advised me that this type of case is “a surgery or no treatment” because the compromised result is not good enough. His high standards help me strive for better treatment outcomes daily.

Dr. Andrew Wade: Any time I find myself being generous with my time or going out of my way for patients, or whenever I’m teaching residents at OSU, I feel connected to my Dad—“That’s what my Dad would have done.”

Dr. Liz Johnson: There are some treatment methods that I like to term “Denny Specials.”  My staff knows which ones these are and all I have to say is, “We are going with the Denny Special.”  Like ordering a meal.  For example, installing a Class II distalizer arm.  Or using a piggyback NiTi archwire that engages newly bonded second molars.  Also, we frequently josh each other on who will take on which case when a patient walks in.  My Dad will conveniently “need to go to Rite Aid” to “pick up snacks” if the patient is a complex, anxious surgical adult over age 60.  And I will say something like “But it looks like it’s your turn!  Let’s pretend you are the faculty and I am the resident…”  That gets him every time:)

Dr. Alfred Griffin: My Dad had a big influence on me during residency. He would wake up at 3am to catch a flight from DC to Boston to teach in the HSDM clinic, and then would fly back in the afternoon. That time we were in the clinic together was so valuable to me. I learned so much clinically about the profession of orthodontics from him that greatly influenced me.

He also has had a major influence over what we built at LightForce, given that he runs a fully digital practice.

No one tells you the truth like your Dad!

Of all the titles, accolades, and privileges ever given in orthodontics, “Dad” might be the best one.

Happy Father’s Day to all our Dads. We wouldn’t be here without you.