Who is Dr L?

Who better to write an introduction about Dr L than... well... Dr L!

First things first, I choose to have no hair! I haven’t yet reached the ‘thinning on top’ stage of my life, though looking at my father, I think I’m pre-empting the inevitable!

I was born in China in 1979, to my parents who were both University Lecturers. Their field of expertise was English Literature which, as exciting as it was for me to read ‘War and Peace’ in Primary School, I felt perhaps my calling was something more ‘technical’. I had my first front baby tooth removed in a hospital in China and, ‘gap in tow’, moved to Sydney at the age of 5.

Primary and Secondary Schools were as you would expect... girl germs, packed lunches, exams, formals...

Before I knew it, the time came to decide what ‘career’ I was going to embark on. Dentistry was not an obvious choice at the time. If I met an 18 year old who was jumping out of their boots to stick their hands in strangers’ mouths... I would be concerned even now!

What I did know was that I loved working with my hands, loved variety and I had much more of an inclination toward the science path.

One big decision and 5 arduous yet strangely enjoyable years later, Sydney University gave me a sheet of paper which was my ‘licence to drill’!

I worked in Sydney for a few years, different practices, different conditions, different philosophies. It was apparent to me even at that early stage in my career that there is a person attached to every tooth I’m working on! What a revelation! It was also obvious that improving a person’s smile, even something small, made a big difference in their confidence, how they smile, how often they smile and how happy they are as a person. They sure didn’t teach this in dental school!

Another aspect which my university training didn’t address was ‘How to deal with Sydney Traffic’. In hindsight, it would have been more effective to buy a bigger car and just sleep in the parking lot!

My partner (now dear wife) suggested that we look at Canberra for a short term change. The rest, as they says ‘is history’! I love being a dentist!

My philosophy of dentistry is to assess a client holistically and ‘set you up for success’. Achieving balance and harmony is vital to long term stability. Prevention is so much better than cure and so being pro-active and responsible for the health of your mouth is key. I believe loving your smile is the best intrinsic motivation for a person to maintain oral health. Loving your smile may not even be a ‘cosmetic thing’... just knowing that you have a healthy feeling mouth might be enough!

My philosophy for treating clients is to treat them as if I were in their shoes. I would want to feel cared for, have my concerns tended to and have the type of treatment that I would be proud to have in my mouth.

My passion within dentistry is the aesthetic aspects of creating or enhancing a smile. This is the ultimate challenge in mixing art and science to achieve an amazing and long lasting result. Nature gives us many variations in shape, size, colour, texture and alignment of teeth. To have the ability and science to enhance what nature has created is truly humbling and I’m extremely grateful to be practising dentistry in this era.

Now that you’ve gotten to know me, I look forward to getting to know you!

Until next time.....Dr L