I love being an orthodontist. It’s truly my dream career. To be chosen by an adult patient, or by parents to care for their child, transforming not only their smile, but also their self-esteem, confidence and character, will always be one of the most humbling and gratifying parts of my job.
My two favorite visits that our patients’ make with us include the first visit after braces have been placed, when they see changes in their smile, and I see a whole new confidence developing; and the final day, when their braces are removed. When they see their new smile and look back at their starting photographs, they beam from ear to ear. It’s nothing short of awesome! To have this instrumental role in a young person’s life, or to provide an adult patient with the treatment they have longed for their whole life, is tremendously gratifying. To be chosen as ‘their orthodontist’ makes me the lucky one!
This is a story, so settle in.
Arriving in Charlotte, deciding to call NC home, and then to start my own orthodontic office in Waxhaw, was an adventure all in itself!
Every story has a beginning, and in this story, Chapter 1 begins with a good-looking Irish couple that, by urban myth, spotted each other at mass, in New Jersey, in the early 1960s.
Seamus and Eileen, (super Irish, I know), both ‘fresh off the boat’, spotted each other, wearing Irish ‘Pioneer’ pins, on their coat lapels. It was a sign from on High, or at the very least it was meant to be. They chatted after church, a romance ensued, and the rest is history!
That lovely young couple went on to have five children, a daughter and four sons, and they thought that on child number four, they had won the lottery. I’m making that part up. That would be me (number four and the smallest of the litter), but sure I’m the one telling the story here. Rumor has it, my sister cried on the day I was born and sobbed ‘another boy, seriously’?
America had been very kind to that young couple and their family, but ultimately, they wanted to raise their children in Ireland, and Seamus had always wanted a farm of his own. So, when I was but a ‘wee boy’, Seamus declared: ‘Eileen, disco is dead, it’s time to go back home!’ Again, artistic license. As we’d say in Ireland: ‘sure why not’.
I had a wonderful childhood, and couldn’t have asked for better parents. My father indulged his love for all things country, and at one stage or another, kept every animal under the sun. The goats, however, lasted only a few days, as they ate all of my mother’s apple trees.
Ireland, north and south, is known for it’s great education system and of this, I took full advantage. I excelled at school and peaked in my nerdiness by finishing High School as the Aer Lingus (Irish) Young Scientist of the Year and subsequently, the European Union Young Scientist of the Year. I still, to this day, love learning. Continuing education forms a large part of my professional life.
After High School, I did the unthinkable, treasonous act of leaving the island for a place at the University of Liverpool School of Dentistry, in England, where I earned my BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) degree, and received a variety of academic awards for my hard work.
I remained in England, practicing as a general dentist, starting my own successful office and along the way becoming a Diplomat of the prestigious Royal College of Surgeons, London. One of the world’s oldest educational institutions.
There’s never a dull moment in the life of a small man and, just when I thought I had this whole professional, adult life malarkey all figured out, I got itchy feet and a desire to achieve even more. I determined that another adventure was in order. I decided to move to the United States, having always loved visiting family and friends Stateside.
As if one round of dental school wasn’t enough, I bit the bullet and went back for more punishment. I undertook my DDS degree at NYU College of Dentistry, and was inducted into OKU, the National Dental Honor Society at graduation. While at NYU, I volunteered my time and skills with a variety of projects, from being a Teaching Assistant to incoming student doctors, and participation in charity events, to multiple trips with the NYU Public Health Outreach Team caring for the school children of Grenada, in the Caribbean.
Orthodontics has always been my passion, and I was blessed to be accepted as one of only six postgraduate students to pursue both a Specialty Certificate in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, and a Masters Degree (MS) in Clinical Dental Science, at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, University of Rochester, NY. My time there was wonderful, and about two years after I left that wonderful city, my peripheries began to thaw! Man, oh man, it was cold. Brrrr.
A year in Arizona, working with a wonderful team at a friend’s beautiful orthodontic office, catching some much needed rays of sunshine, and I was ready to return east. Boat shoes and button down shirts just aren’t appreciated out west!
Friends from NYU had toted Charlotte as being beautiful, green, friendly and with wonderful weather. I had to see this mythical place. They were right. I came for a visit and fell in love.
In choosing a location for my office, the Waxhaw/Weddington/Marvin areas won me over immediately. Fun families, close community and the feel of a rural Irish town (but with more traffic!). It felt like home.
‘Three Leaf Orthodontics’ would be built in Waxhaw. Kevin Costner, in ‘Field of Dreams’, said ‘If you build it, they will come’. So build it I did, and it’s beautiful. It’s truly been a labor of love, and I know you’re going to feel that when you visit. We promise to make your experience with us the very best it can be. From the green water at the brushing station to entertain the kids, to the private treatment room for a quieter adult visit, we have you covered.
Wait…. What happened to the other characters in the story? Well, they’re still very happy, in Ireland and England, deep in daily prayer that I’ll visit at least once a year. Thankfully video calls reassure them I haven’t changed too much, although they do tease me that my accent has!
My parents, like in most Irish families, had a saying for any occasion. One that we have all heard is: ‘treat others the way you would like to be treated yourself’. Words I live by, and a mission that I, and my team at Three Leaf Orthodontics, strive for, everyday.
Making Friends. Creating Smiles.
See you soon!
