Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Grapevine.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jacob. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Growing up, I was blessed to have both a great dentist and an orthodontist. In the summers, I was allowed to volunteer at the dental office, and this even leads to a summer job at the office. These moments were valuable and helped me decide to pursue dentistry for a career. I attended Texas A&M University and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and a minor in business. From there, I attended the #1 dental school in the country at The University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center. Once I obtained my DDS degree, I attended Baylor College of Dentistry to acquire an elective degree in Advanced Education in General Dentistry. This prepared me for a private dental practice with advanced dental training and techniques. I was selected for a rare opportunity to join a dental practice in Plano, Texas from one of the first dentist in Plano.
After practicing as an associate, I purchased the dental practice and continued to carry on the legacy and develop relationships with the patients. I shared time between the private practice and a local dental clinic for underserved families needing dental care. The more time I served at the dental practice, I noticed more and more of our patients needing root canal treatment due to cracked teeth, broken teeth, worn teeth, teeth clenching/grinding, and experiencing TMJ problems. Then, my wife cracked a tooth and needed a root canal and crown. This happened on our six year wedding anniversary. Giving your wife a root canal is not the way to spend an anniversary! I decided to extend my training for root canal treatment to care for my patients and signed up for an educational course focused on root canal therapy. The course was canceled the day before due to lack of attendance, and I was placed in a different course that was available. I didn’t know what the course was about but decided to attend anyway. Little did I know this class would change the direction of my dental career. The course was focused on how to correct and treat patients with worn teeth, clenching/grinding issues, bite problems, gum recession, TMJ issues, and how to control/reduce cracking teeth and bite problems. It opened my eyes to a better, more conservative way to treat these problems and not just treat the symptoms while watching the issues progressively become worse. This lead me to pursue further training and experience to provide the best service for my patient’s needs. I was so excited to be able to answer my patients’ problems and have solutions instead of just treating issues. My patients and my wife have since enjoyed overall better dental health.
Has it been a smooth road?
In the process of starting my dental career, I became a business owner overnight. There are learning curves with all new businesses as well as transitioning an existing business. Juggling my time for patients, staff, business growth, continuing education, family time, and staying healthy mentally and physically was a big challenge. In dental school, the main focus was studying to become a dentist. I married my wife while in dental school, she is a dietitian, and we were both spending the majority of our time focused on studying. Once we completed our degrees and purchased a dental practice, it seemed like there was always something needing our attention both day and night, even weekends. The frustrating part of the challenges for me was that I was not taught or trained about the many aspects of owning my own business. We found great wisdom and direction from many resources such as books, seminars, other small business owners, and leaders. The greatest key to becoming successful in business was how to interact with the various people you encounter. We learned from our Pastor Keith Craft at Elevate Life Church that the best gift we can bring to others is a healthy you. We became involved in our church through serving/greeting guests on Sundays. We then became leaders of a group in the church to help train and lead up people in how to best serve our guests. This became a great passion for us, and it changed us in so many wonderful ways of how to best serve and love others. We continued to serve for 12 years up to the birth of our son, Joshua, in 2017. Serving in our church trained us up to how to serve others and lead by example.
Tell us more about the business.
We are a dental office that treats kids all the way up to adults. We see patients ranging from no dental issues to complex dental problems. We do specialize in patients who have TMJ disorder that often creates tension headaches, ear aches, worn teeth, jaw pain, and clicking/popping in jaws. As these conditions continue, they often lead to cracked teeth, worn teeth that chip or break, misaligned teeth, gum recession with sensitivity, and possibly tooth loss. We have developed a treatment approach that has changed people’s lives by removing jaw pain, tooth pain, headaches, and breakdown of tooth structure. It all starts with getting to know the patient, the history, their story and finding out what has lead to their issues. Each patient is unique and different, and their circumstances are not the same. We spend time with each patient and listen. Listening to our patients develops not only a helpful plan of action but a relationship of trust. Most of our patients come from word of mouth referrals from other patients who chose us because of the difference in our office. We provide excellent treatment, but the attention to the person is what sets us apart. Our treatment for our patients is custom to their particular situation. We have a variety of treatment options for patient situations. We spend time discussing and collaborating with our patients what their options are for treatment, expectations of treatment, material choices and esthetic outcomes. We take a conservative approach to our treatment and, in many cases, can provide treatment without removing or “grinding” off tooth structure. We use biocompatible materials that bring the harmony of function and esthetics for our patients. The best material is your teeth, and we look for the best way to not only maintain your tooth structure but help you keep your teeth for life. Our approach is based on decades of studying healthy mouths so we know what health should be versus only focusing on a problem that eventually compounds into a lot of problems. In 2008 I can remember a patient who had been in pain for years with headaches, migraines, and pain behind her eyes constantly. She, her family, her friends, her co-workers and her physician thought she was having psychiatric issues and making up her pain levels. Her boss was fed up with all the time off work and was about to dismiss her from her job. Her family wanted her to start taking anti-depressant medications and start counseling. She was unhappy, uncomfortable and did not see anything positive in her future. Her sister was a patient in our office and recommended to her to see us. At first, the patient was not engaged and did not believe dentistry could help her. She had been given a night guard in the past and it did not help her in any way. After discussing how we could help her, she said she would try but did not believe it would work. It took about 2-3 weeks, and she was returning to my office with little to no headaches, no migraines, and she was a different person! We continued to follow-ups and treatment completion and she is still doing great to this day! We have many other stories of how our approach to patient-focused dentistry has changed people’s lives. We believe that when we can improve someone’s life, they can improve someone else’s life by being their best for others.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Over the next 5-10 years, the dental industry will continue to improve in technology that can improve patient care techniques, reduction in time of treatment, and quality of treatment. Many advancements have already occurred and we are on the cutting edge of these changes. A lot of the technology has been in the health industry for many years, but advancements have enabled us to do so much more for the patient/doctor collaboration. Patients can instantly see with their own eyes dental scans of their teeth, allowing easy discussions for treatment. Dental lasers provide, in most cases, immediate relief of soft tissue problems. There are a host of patient comfort improvements to relax patients without medications. Dental implants give patients the best replacement option for missing tooth/teeth. Invisalign clear trays continue to progress through research and product improvements making the orthodontic process streamlined and straightforward. Regardless of the tools available, it is the knowledge and skills of the dentist that makes excellent care possible. We use technology to our advantage in care, but nothing can substitute a doctor and patient relationship. Technology cannot decide the plan of care, but it can improve our treatment process once we have decided the best plan for you. We believe people do not care what you know until they know how much you care. Another thing I have noticed is patients are becoming more and more involved in research and educating themselves about their health. Another change in the dental industry is a shift to a corporate model of dental care. Corporations are purchasing dental offices and converting them to corporate run business of dentistry. This model can provide care, but with limitations to patient communication, time with patients and staying focused on the individual. Treating patients as individuals become difficult in a corporate model. Being a small business owner allows me to practice and treat my patients as I would want to be treated. I am able to set aside the appropriate time to treat my patients and work together with them on their care. They are a person and not a number to me.
Pricing:
- For those who qualify, $500 credit towards Invisalign treatment
Contact Info:
- Address: 2101 Teakwood Lane #400 Plano Texas 75075
- Website: www.drgrapevinedds.com
- Phone: 972-596-3702
- Email: info@drgrapevinedds.com
- Facebook: @jacobgrapevinedds
- Yelp: yelp.jacob-grapevine-dds-signature-dentistry-plano
Image Credit:
Torrico Photography and JKayePhotography
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