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Office Visit: Deep in the Heart of Texas Benjamin Lund, Editor, Dentaltown Magazine

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by Benjamin Lund, Editor, Dentaltown Magazine

Welcome to the newest installment of Office Visit, where we visit a Townie's office and profile
his or her equipment, design or unique practice philosophy. If you would like to participate
or nominate a colleague, please e-mail tom@dentaltown.com.

This month, we visited Dr. Stephen Glass' practice in Spring, Texas. Dr. Glass is one of the more
visible faces on the Dentaltown.com message boards, and in this interview he discusses the
redesign of his practice, his recent experience of providing dental care in Honduras and how
Dentaltown has become a part of his everyday routine.
Name: Stephen D. Glass, DDS, FAGD
Graduate from: University of Texas Health Science Center – Dental Branch
Year graduated: 1999
Practice Name: Advanced Dentistry of Spring
Practice Location: Spring, Texas
Year when this office opened: 1976
Practice Size: 2,500 square feet / nine operatories
Staff: 15
Web site: www.advanceddentistryofspring.com

Office Highlights
Bonding Agents
• Prime N Bond

Burs
•Brasseler

Cements
• Fuji

Implants
• Biomet 3i

 Patient Financing
• CareCredit

Restoratives
• 3M

Impression Materials
• 3M

 Technology
• Canon Rebel XT System
• Digidoc Intraoral Cameras
• Eaglesoft
• Flexview Systems
• Instrumentarium Orthoceph
  OC 200D
• Midmark Track Monitors
• Periolase
• Shick digital sensors
• Zap Lasers
Click Here To View Stephen's Top 5
Dr. Glass, why did you choose dentistry as your career path?
Glass: There is no other health field that allows you so many options in the aspects of patient care, location, practice type, practice philosophy and the ability to actually put the patient first.

What is your practice philosophy? How do you cultivate this philosophy in your practice?
Glass: My main goal is to inform patients of what they need and then give them what they want. We developed this concept from Greg Stanley. We want to create an environment where, after patients visit our office they will want to refer their friends and family.
What is the dental competition like in your area?
Glass: We are in a fairly competitive market. In the last several years we have seen many dentists relocate out from Houston and into our area. At the same time, the population and the local community has continued to grow.

What sets your practice apart from other dental
practices in your area?
Glass: When I joined my partner, Thomas C. Miller, DDS, in 1999 he had already been practicing in our area since 1976, making us one of the more established practices in the area.

Since you began your career as a dentist, what are the three biggest changes you've seen in the profession?
  1. The advancement of technology into our daily functions as dentists.
  2. The increasing number of challenging complex cases involving many aspects of dentistry and medicine.
  3. Dentaltown providing an international forum that connects dentists worldwide where we can share ideas without any barriers!
What piece of technology has the biggest "wow" factor for your patients?
Glass: Patients really love the Midmark Track Light Monitors. There is not a day that goes by that patients don't comment how much more enjoyable their experience has been because of this technology integration. It's a pretty easy concept when you think about it. Who wants to stare at the ceiling for the length of any procedure?
What is your biggest source of new patients? How do you market to new patients?
Glass: We currently do little to no advertising. Our main source of new patients is direct patient referrals. Other than that we primarily rely on our location, sign, and our Web site.

In your current practice situation, what is a typical day's schedule? What kinds of cases are you doing routinely?
Glass: During a typical day in our practice it is not at all uncommon to perform the following services: orthodontics, prosthodontics, oral surgery, restorative dentistry as well as sleep dentistry. Because our office has integrated almost all aspects of dental treatment we are better able to serve the patient in one location. Patients love not being referred out of the office.

What is your favorite procedure to perform?
Glass: Orthodontics is my favorite area of our practice and the Powerprox 6 Months Braces technique has got to be my favorite orthodontic treatment.
In your current practice situation, what is a typical day's schedule? What kinds of cases are you doing routinely?
Glass: During a typical day in our practice it is not at all uncommon to perform the following services: orthodontics, prosthodontics, oral surgery, restorative dentistry as well as sleep dentistry. Because our office has integrated almost all aspects of dental treatment we are better able to serve the patient in one location. Patients love not being referred out of the office.

What is your favorite procedure to perform?
Glass: Orthodontics is my favorite area of our practice and the Powerprox 6 Months Braces technique has got to be my favorite orthodontic treatment.

What is the most rewarding experience you've had as a dentist?
Glass: My partner for more than 25 years has been going to Honduras providing dental care. This last year I accompanied him on a trip along with one of our hygienists. Without a doubt, as Howard Farran always says, everyone must do something like this at least once in their dental career. When you find out that if a person in Honduras actually has a toothbrush, and that they probably share it with the whole family, it really puts a different perspective on things.
Who are the people on your staff and in what capacity do they function?
Glass:
  • Lorrie: Team Leader
  • Jenny: Treatment Coordinator
  • Heather:Hygiene Coordinator
  • Marlene: Insurance Coordinator
  • Maelene: Administrative Assistant
  • Hygienists:Jackie, Carmen, Donna and Mary
  • Clinical Assistants: Debi, Anita, Jenny, Charlene,
    Jennifer and Lisa
Charlene (left) takes a cephalometric X-ray on an orthodontic patient using the Instrumentarium Orthoceph OC 200D.
Tell me about your office's new design. How did you update it? What would you have done differently? Is there anything you wish you could have done that you did not?
Glass: Over the past year we remodeled our entire office and converted from an open concept design to individual treatment rooms. We accomplished this in phases, never shutting the office down. In conjunction with the remodel we added digital radiographs, computers in the operatories, overhauled the sterilization process including converting to a cassette system, and we're presently making the conversion to a chartless office. This remodel added three additional chairs to the practice going from six to nine treatment areas. We made every square inch count in the office. There is nothing I would do differently, however I wished we always had more space. Due to the fact I was working with a limited space, there were decisions to be made including sacrificing a consultation room for an extra operatory and a larger lab/sterilization area.

If you weren't a dentist, what do you think you'd be doing right now?
Glass: I see this question asked many times and I seriously don't have an answer. There is nothing I would rather be doing when all things are considered.

You've been a member of Dentaltown.com since 2003 and you're pushing 10,000 message board posts. How has Dentaltown changed the way you practice?
Glass: It could literally take more than 10,000 words to answer this question completely. In short, Dentaltown is part of my dental practice. It is an everyday event that occurs just like looking at my schedule. It has become a 24/7 dental news channel for the practice. I never would have been able to do the remodel and all the changes to our practice had it not been for the support of so many Townies taking time to share their experiences and provide help along the way. The remodel was truly a Dentaltown project, in a sense, considering I had "Jawbreaker" helping me with the design, David Ahearn giving me advice, and too many others to name including all the computer geniuses such as James Russo helping me along. If there was something I needed to buy I always started my research right here on Dentaltown first. Where else can you post a question and get 10 answers in less than an hour in many cases?

Can you tell me who your favorite Townies are on Dentaltown.com, and why?
Glass: The number of friends that I have made via Dentaltown are too many to count. I have so many favorites it's hard to make a list. For implantology I really like Jerome Smith. For endodontics I love Charlie and Peter. For orthodontics there are many but Rick DePaul has been a great friend over the years. For restorative and prosthodontics I know I can ask people like Mike Melkers and get an answer usually the same day. I love reading so many posts. I must mention Howard Goldstein who has been helpful. He was instrumental in our acquisition of a Periolase and probably will be the one who ultimately makes me get a CEREC. I know I can log on and ask a question and there would be tons of Townies who would try to help. That is what makes Dentaltown so great – it really is a dental community
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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