Office Visit: Dr. Daniel Bunn by Kyle Patton, associate editor

by Kyle Patton, associate editor

Dentists spend most of their working hours in their practices, so they usually don’t get many opportunities to see what it’s like inside another doctor’s office. Dentaltown’s recurring Office Visit profile offers a chance for Townies to meet their peers, hear their stories and get a sense of their practice protocols.

Every year, we select one Townie at random from those who completed ballots in the Townie Choice Awards to win our grand prize: the chance to be featured on the December cover of Dentaltown magazine as part of an Office Visit profile. This year’s winner, Dr. Daniel Bunn of Peak Dental in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a U.S. Navy veteran who leverages the experiences he picked up in the service to shape his everyday approach to dentistry.

Read on to discover more about what it’s like to practice on an airfield— and if dentistry is much different in the neon capital of the world.

You have an interesting take on this bit of trivia. What’s the difference between DDS and DMD?

Two hundred dollars. The year I graduated was the last year Case Western Reserve University was using Doctor of Dental Surgery for the degree. After graduation, I received a letter asking if I wanted the designation of Doctor of Dental Medicine; the diploma wouldn’t be reissued but I would get a certificate with the designation and could officially use it instead of DDS. All I had to do was send them a check for $200. I kept DDS. It’s funny the looks I get when patients ask this question.

What first piqued your interest in dentistry?

My father was a physician assistant and, because I’d grown up comfortable with the medical environment, I looked at the medical side of my major after the biology side didn’t pan out. My older brother was determined to go to medical school, but I didn’t like the odds of somebody dying on me while practicing, so medical school was out.

I looked at optometry, podiatry and others. Dentistry was one of the last fields I looked at but it clicked with me: I liked the aspect of working with my hands, controlling my employment—and there was not much risk of patients dying on me. So I started shadowing dentists, and liked what I saw.

I felt confident in my decision after I shadowed our family dentist, Dr. Allen Cameron. One day he was short-handed and asked me if I would assist instead of observing. I vividly remember a patient who came in on an emergency with a big swelling in the anterior—a front tooth needed to be extracted.

So we set up for it, and Dr. Cameron told me be ready with the suction when the tooth came out. I got right in close and when the tooth came out, so did smelly pus and blood—just pouring out—and I started suctioning as best I could. I remember thinking, “This is gnarly.” We got him all cleaned up and the guy was really grateful. I thought to myself, “I can do this!” I felt the same way after my first day in Year One dental school gross anatomy.

You served in the U.S. Navy for four years. Tell us what it’s like to practice on base.

Working in a clinic with multiple dentists is nice because of the camaraderie.

The most interesting place was an annex clinic on the air base in Atsugi, Japan, where I was responsible for getting everyone “dentally ready” before upcoming deployments. It was a Quonset hut right on the flight line. So the sailors taking care of the planes didn’t have to disrupt their day as much, a clinic was placed out near where they worked.

On a lunch break, I would open the back door and watch the planes zip by. The whole building rumbled. I also had a portable X-ray unit and went to the hangars to get annual exams done and scheduled them over at the flight line clinic. It was more efficient to go to them instead of trying to get them to come to me. They are some hardworking men and women!

You’ve traveled all over Japan, immersed yourself in the culture and even speak Japanese. For doctors who would one day like to travel and vacation in Japan, what advice do you have?

I would say, “Do it!” Japan is awesome, and very Western-friendly. I traveled all the way up north to Sapporo and down south to Okinawa. The people and culture are wonderful, the scenery is great. I have never felt safer in a place traveling around by myself than there. If I were out and about and looked lost, someone would always ask if I needed help. If you get a chance to climb Mount Fuji, do it. It was one of the highlights of my stay there.

After the Navy, you went on to work as an associate. Years later, you opened your own practice. Tell us about that first year’s challenges and successes.

My first year felt like trying to go deep-sea diving with just snorkeling gear: The water was freezing and I should’ve brought a wet suit and probably scuba gear. It was rough! It was a challenge to understand the power of insurance and its impact. I thought it was a good idea to keep all the insurances the previous provider had, and the one I had experience with from my days working as an associate. I also have to give credit to Kristin Nickell (Executive Dental Coach), whom I found through Dentaltown, and was a big help when I realized I needed help.

Did experiences in the Navy help prepare you for private practice?

Yes, especially the opportunity to get the repetition of simply doing dentistry. My last duty station was the U.S. Marines recruit depot at San Diego, where there was extra emphasis on getting the mission done. The commander of the clinic would set the workload, and you stayed until it was done. If it didn’t get done during the week, then the weekend was fair game.

We called Wednesdays “Exam-oramas.” The new recruits would come through for their initial dental examinations, and we would determine the work that needed to get done. The Exam-orama crew started about 5:30 a.m. and was tasked to do usually between 500 and 600 exams between all the doctors. You went home when everyone was done. This helped me with the mindset that the job has to get done no matter what the clock says.

Why are you such an advocate for the AEGD program?

It was a great opportunity to get the repetition of dentistry done with a safety net. It also offered the opportunity to practice and run into difficult cases and have multiple mentors there to guide you through the cases. I learned the most in doing it. I also learned that you might not always agree with the mentors!

Give us a virtual walkthrough and tour of your Las Vegas practice.

Once you walk in, you’re greeted at the front desk, where there’s a curved half wall. The reception area has a light green accent wall and three mountain scenery pictures—all the same. (Funny story: Those are just the stock images that came with the frames. They’ve grown on me.) Past the front desk there’s the treatment area, offices, the consultation room, and farther along you run into the pano/CBCT. Down the hall we have the operatories (set in between with a small lab nestled in the corner), breakroom and equipment room.

How do you approach the clinical, administration and business side of your office?

I try to take a hands-off approach with the business side; I let my front office staff do their jobs and follow up with reports. Clinically, I want my patients to feel comfortable: I want to help them have and maintain healthy mouths, and I want them to feel comfortable asking questions. I want patients to be involved and know what needs to be done and how we’re going to do it.

What sort of treatments make you excited to be chairside?

My fun procedure is teeth whitening. The patients are excited for it and it’s noninvasive. The before-and-after pictures are fun to look at with the patients. Extractions are the most satisfying: Either it’s out or it’s not. The most exciting for me is implant placement and restoration. I don’t do a lot of them, but it’s amazing to look at the 3D imaging, plan out the case and see how accurate things are when you physically look at the surgery site.

What are some of the challenges or interesting aspects of living in one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country?

Growing up in Las Vegas, I’ve seen a lot of changes. When people think of Las Vegas, it’s usually the hotels and gambling, but I usually don’t go to those areas unless guests come to visit. The summer weather is always a little rough with the heat, but the challenge right now is the impact of this pandemic. A lot of people here are out of work due to the shutdown and slow reopening, so the repercussions of this are going to be felt for a while.

An interesting aspect is the 24-hour nature of the town. So many businesses are open late, if not 24 hours, which is something that you take for granted until you move out of the community. Also, you can find just about anything you want here. If it’s not the real thing, then there’s probably a replica.

(I usually am spending time with the family and don’t really utilize that benefit.)

Tell us your favorite patient story.

I have a special kinship to patients who let me try new procedures. One that stands out was my first large case that required opening the vertical dimension of occlusion. The individual had severe wear on his anterior and premolar teeth with acid erosion. We discussed different treatment options and decided on crowns from #2 to #15 along with opening the VDO. The new position worked well, and we planned to complete the anteriors #4 to #13 first, then maxillary molars. I suggested full-contour zirconia crowns for strength but had to consider opacity. After discussing this with my lab, Precision Dental, we gave it a try. I still had him wear an occlusal guard at night. The composite for the posteriors held up the past five years and the patient is still happy.

What aspect of dentistry are you most excited about? How will it affect your practice?

Implant dentistry: I’m excited to learn more and place more, and I’m glad to be able to say yes when my patients ask if I can do that for them.

Walk us through how you navigated your office through the start of the pandemic and where you’re at currently.

Like most offices, I paid attention to the governor, the state dental board and the local dental society. When the shutdown order went out, we followed the rules and stayed available for emergencies. After only emergencies for two months, the restrictions were lifted, and we started slowly opening back up to routine care following the new guidelines. I’ve been fortunate that my staff and patients came back and have been understanding of the new guidelines.

Give us a snapshot of your life outside of dentistry.

It’s in an interesting phase right now! I have four kids under the age of 10, and the youngest just turned 1. For now, my life revolves around my little family, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a real pick-me-up to have a cheering squad when you come home. When they hear my car pull up, they meet me at the door for a hug or try to surprise me. I know I only have a few years of this before they become teenagers and want nothing to do with me, so I’ll hold on to it for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previous Next