Why my license plate says SMILEDR
People notice my license plate. It's a little Ohio plate that reads SMILEDR — say it out loud, and it's smile, doctor. I get waves, grins, and the occasional double-take at a red light, and honestly, that's exactly the point.
I could have put anything on it. I didn't choose my name, or "dentist," or something clever about teeth. I chose the one word that sums up why I've spent my whole career doing this: smile.
Because a smile is so much more than teeth. It changes how you feel walking into a room. It changes how the world responds to you. I've watched patients who spent years hiding their mouth behind their hand light up the first time they see themselves in the mirror — and it's never really about the enamel and the fillings. It's about getting a piece of themselves back.
So the plate is my daily reminder. Every morning, before I've seen a single patient, it's right there on the way to work: SMILEDR. It reminds me that what I do isn't drilling and filling — it's helping people feel like themselves again.
And it reminds me that a smile is for everyone: the nervous patient who almost didn't come in, the child on their very first visit, the adult with special needs I've cared for for years. Every one of them deserves to feel good about their smile.
So if you ever pull up behind me at a light and spot SMILEDR — now you know the story. And I hope, just for a second, it makes you smile too. That's the whole idea.