Office Visit: 2017 TCA Winner Mary Webb Brown by Kyle Patton, associate editor Dentaltown magazine

As a dentist, you spend most of your waking hours at your practice, so it’s understandable that you might not get many opportunities to see what it’s like in another doctor’s office. Dentaltown’s “Office Visit” profile offers a chance for you to meet peers, see their practices and hear their stories.

This month features Dr. Mary Webb Brown of Greenville, Kentucky, a small-town doc with a big heart. (She’s seen at left hugging a patient.) Brown was selected from all the Townies who cast votes in the 2017 Townie Choice Awards. In addition to appearing on the cover of this issue, Brown also received a $1,000 prize from Dentaltown.

How’d you find your way into dentistry?

Dr. Mary Webb Brown: Well, mine is a very unusual path. I was a junior at Western Kentucky University when my adviser, Lowell Shanks, called me into his office and said, “You are a junior and have still not declared a major. I have an interview set up with the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry next week.” At the time, I was majoring in chemistry and had a double minor in business and biology. I went to the interview, was accepted and started dental school the next semester.

Tell us about your practice.

I love working in Greenville—it’s a beautiful small town in Western Kentucky that’s popular for fishing and hunting. Both my husband and I were born and raised here.

I have the best patients any dentist could wish for; many have been my patients since I opened my practice 29 years ago. They’re like family—we celebrate births, graduations and weddings of their children and mourn with them during the loss of a loved one.

The biggest challenge we have is that our specialists are 60 miles away, which makes it difficult for a lot of our older patients. The biggest challenge for me is being on call 24 hours, seven days a week.

One of the funniest stories my husband likes to share is about a patient who came in for a routine prophylaxis. After the hygienist finished and I checked him, we sat him up; he looked at me and said, “When is the dentist coming in?”

What’s your practice layout?

This is my second office; my first was a building that we rehabbed, which worked out great until the county decided to build a jail beside it. It was time to relocate and build an office that suited the needs of patients, staff and practice.

I built this office in 2000, with attention to details. I love the layout and it works well for us. There are windows in all our operatories that make it light, bright and airy. Televisions on the ceilings allow patients to lie back and relax while we help them with their smiles.

I wanted my waiting room to resemble a family room, so my patients would feel like they are at home.

What’s your practice philosophy?

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” A timeless statement but at our very core. Our work is about people and we want to put them first through a positive influence of excellence, respect, integrity and generosity—in the office, in the community and around the world.

We recognize patients by name, we begin treatment on time, and we treat patients like family members, delivering excellence, respect, integrity and generosity.

What sets your practice apart from others?

I try to practice my philosophy and treat patients as I would like to be treated myself. My team is an integral part of this practice; they not only support our core values but also believe in them. I also have a great group of specialists who practice in the same manner I do. If one of our patients calls having a problem, we say, “Come on up—you may have to wait, but we will see you today.”

What’s your favorite marketing technique?

This team here— what can I say, marketing at its finest! The best marketing approach we have is being ourselves and remaining true to our philosophy and values. Don’t get me wrong—we will place advertisements in the local media outlets to support our students and the activities of our schools. (Go, Mustangs!)

I’ve gotten a lot of internal marketing from Dentaltown. (Thanks!) We like to thank patients and friends who send us referrals—a simple gift card to a local restaurant with an attached thank-you card shows our appreciation. We recognize the value of our patients’ time, so if we’re running late we want to do more than apologize. We give them a simple gift, like a bottle of Eucalyptus Stress Relief lotion from Bath & Body Works (my personal favorite) with a personal apology for the delay. We also have a massage chair in a relaxing room that our patients can take advantage of by coming in early for their appointment or while they wait to get in the dental chair.

What would you say are some of the biggest problems that dentists face today?

First, time. As a female dentist who’s always worked full time, there are many hats that I have to wear—mom, daughter, wife, cook, cleaning lady and so on. (You get the picture.) Plus, I am a time fanatic—simply put, I’m one of those people who believe that if you arrive “on time,” you’re actually late! I always work my office to run on time. Patients have very busy lives, so when they arrive at my office I want them to be seen on time.

Decreased insurance reimbursements. I’ve been practicing dentistry for almost 30 years. During that time, the cost of dental insurance has skyrocketed while reimbursements decreased and patients’ maximums have never increased. Most dental offices are insurance dependent. Dentists need to be stronger together, and the ADA needs to remember that it is an association designed to represent their members—dentists across the United States—and not the insurance industry.

What’s been the greatest advancement in your tenure?

Well, the Cerec was a great advancement, but it did not fit well in my style of practice. The best procedure that I’ve added to my practice that has improved the physical health of my patients has been implant-retained overdentures. I will never forget the first mandibular implant-supported overdenture—I placed the appliance, and the patient returned the following day in tears. She said, “Last night I ate a salad for the first time since I was 16 years old.” She is in her late 60s. Now that’s a great feeling!

How would you like to see dentistry change or improve?

I really think there needs to be one dental exam. We should be able to practice in any state if we have a valid dental license. An increasing number of students are graduating with a dental license, because of an increasing number of dental schools. Education is big business now! These kids are getting out of school with debts of $300,000 and greater. Most of them will have to go to work for a corporate office because they can’t afford to borrow more money.

Corporate dentistry has an advertising budget that most solo dentists cannot even imagine. But an advantage we solo dentists do have is that we can establish a relationship and trust with the patient because we are the stable person in our practice, while corporate dental offices usually have a high turnover.

Which procedure will you never get tired of?

I really love doing several things, but I really enjoy doing stainless steel crowns on children. We let the kids pick out the color of their soap bubbles and then proceed with a story about sugar bugs and soap bubbles. Kids are amazingly good; they are better than most of our adults.

What are some things you could not live without?

No. 1 is my team; they are awesome and they represent me well in all that they do. No. 2 is having a great circle of specialists who I can always call. Also, my headlights, my loupes, Septocaine and rubber dams.

What’s been your most rewarding experience in dentistry?

This past winter I was invited by one of my patients to be a volunteer on a mission trip to Grace English School in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. The mission was to build houses, to teach Bible school and music and, best of all, to set up a new dental clinic—something that had been on my bucket list for some time. After much prayer—and a commitment from my sister, her husband and one of my best friends—I signed up.

When we arrived we were delighted to be joined by another female dentist, Dr. Mary Gephardt, who had been to several remote villages in other countries and provided us with a wealth of knowledge and hard work. We began setting up the clinic on Monday morning and started seeing patients that afternoon. Most of the kids in the school had never seen a dentist. We had a bit of a language barrier, but managed to overcome it quickly with the assistance of some hand and face signals and a great staff at the school who tried to meet all of our needs with grace and love. They wanted all of the kids to be seen in the few days we were there.

Since we set up the clinic there have already been a couple of other dentists who’ve volunteered to provide care for the kids and their families. The school still needs a lot of dental equipment. We had the equipment to provide basic dental care, but they need more.

What are some of your passions outside of dentistry?

One of the first things I bought when I got out of dental school was a kayak. Several years later, we bought a cabin to go with that kayak. Now, I have a passion for CrossFit, taking classes three nights a week.

What has Dentaltown done for you?

It has been amazing. A big thank-you to Howard Farran, from all the solo dentists practicing in rural places! If I have a question on a procedure or on a technique,

I can usually go to Dentaltown and within minutes I’ll have an answer. I am no longer practicing “by myself”—I have a lot of talent and skill at the touch of my computer.

When I am having a bad day, I can usually go to the “GTFOOMO” message board and get a good laugh, because we all go through the same things and can relate with one another.

I am a Type-A personality and there are a couple of gestures that pop into my mind a lot.

The first one is, “Don’t care about someone’s teeth more than they care about their own.” The second is my favorite, and puts a smile on my face: “If the tooth that God gave you didn’t last, why do you think the one I gave you will?” Got to love Dentaltown!

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