Dear Patient Family,
I address you as a family since I have probably spent as much time with you over the years as I had with my “other” family.
It is with mixed emotions that I write this letter. It has come time for me to “lay aside my drill”, and will be retiring as of Monday, June 10, 2024. I will be turning over the practice to the very capable hands of Dr. Madhavi Karnam. I will be around for a while during the transition period.
Some of you have been with me for 40 years or more. I sincerely appreciate the confidence you have expressed in allowing me the honor of providing your dental care during this time. I sincerely hope that I have lived up to your expectations. I will miss seeing you all on a regular basis, and wish the best for all of you in the future.
It is not just you all that I will miss. I will greatly miss my office staff, who have kept us running on an even keel, and put up with me for all of this time.
I will miss Freddie, who has been like a brother to me. I have often said that without his presence, I would have been committed long ago. He is the best dental assistant with whom I have ever had the pleasure of working. Not only that, he has been my man “Friday”. He is so much more than a dental assistant. He can fix anything, and has! He has done the work of two people or more. He is, to say, the least, reliable, trustworthy, and a pleasure to have by my side. One of the best decisions of my life was the day I hired Freddie. He is all business when necessary, but also has the ability to help keep things loose and comfortable, and is amazing with patient care.
I will miss Tina, who has also been a very reliable and trustworthy employee. She is an excellent hygienist and cares very deeply about her job and her patients. Sometimes she puts up a tough exterior, but deep down, she’s a “softy” at heart. She sometimes liked to give me a hard time, but that just kept me honest. She has been there for me when I needed her, and I appreciate her for that. In this day and age, when hygienists are hard to find, I have been very lucky to have had Tina stay with me for all of this time. Therefore, my patients have been lucky. Innumerable times, patients have stated, “I never had a cleaning like that!” That response says it all. Like Freddie, she is the best at her job.
So, for these two to have put up with me for 25 years, I am extremely grateful.
Considering my front desk personnel, Debbie and Laura, the two most recent “arrivals”, I have been very fortunate as well. They have been the best I have ever had at those positions. They are very competent, and caring, and enabled me to do my job without worrying about the business end of the practice. Their attitudes are excellent, not only with the patients but also with me. They have both been reliable and proficient, and I was very lucky to have found them at a very difficult time when I was suddenly left without a front desk employee. My wife, Lisa, is also very appreciative of these two because she filled in for a period of time when we had nobody. She, a retired nurse, had no idea what was going on up there. Despite that, she did an admiral job, keeping things together during that period.
Shantel, who has been working part-time at the front desk, was actually the first to arrive to help us in our time of need. She is very capable and professional, took the load off of Lisa, and helped get us back on track. So for that, we are extremely grateful.
In summary, thank you all for a great ride!
Sincerely,
Gary Waite