Handed down, Carried forward

From a very early age, dentistry has always been a part of my life. Growing up, I watched my grandfather and father working side by side and always saw myself doing the same someday.

The field of dentistry has had its greatest growth in the last century, and we as a clinic have been growing with it.

The first-generation dentists, Dr. Joseph and Dr. Harry, were ‘dentists by trade’. In the early 1900s, dentistry as a field was very limited and there was no formal dental college education. They built their reputation on the skillful treatment they provided through their time in the practice.

When my grandfather graduated from dental college in 1947, the Dental Council of India was still not founded. He joined the practice with an upgraded level of knowledge and skill and was one amongst a handful of licensed dentists at that time. His generation saw the introduction of air-powered high-speed dental drills, amongst many other advancements which changed the scope of dentistry. He was especially passionate about teeth replacements and known for the quality and comfort of his denture work. Even today, some older patients speak highly of the dentures he made for them or their parents.

At the heart of all the technology and advancements, the values and principles on which my father and forefathers built the practice still shine through in the work we do every day.

My father joined the practice alongside his father in the year 1985. He was exceptionally skilled at his work and very early on took a strong footing in the practice. His attention to detail and eye for quality made his work a class apart. Their father-son duo built the name and reputation of the practice into what it is today. Their patient-centric approach to treatment laid the foundation of trust amongst the generations of families that visit our practice.

Towards the latter part of my father’s career, dentistry in our country had reached a new height. He made the most of the better access to continuing dental education and availability of the latest technology and materials to keep the quality of treatment on par with the growing field.

I joined the practice in 2019, eager to learn from my father. The practice was busy and flourishing, and I was amazed at how he was managing it all by himself. As the fourth-generation dentist in a century-old dental clinic, I knew I had to make sure to keep up the standard of care while at the same time taking it forward. I specialised in implantology and worked towards introducing the newest systems and techniques, and implemented the use of the latest in digital dentistry.

Today I am proud to say we have entered the next century of our legacy with a state-of-the-art digital dental practice, where the treatment we provide is at a level on par with the rest of the world. But at the heart of all the technology and advancements, the values and principles on which my father and forefathers built the practice still shine through in the work we do every day.