You’ll hear that word a lot regarding this married dream team. Having met at Tufts 15 years ago, Drs. Chan and Oh say they “grew up” as dentists together. Each also attended the University of Michigan for their residency.

Neither considered the field until college; Dr. Chan studied engineering, while Dr. Oh was an art-history and studio- art major. They were soon to discover though, that dentistry was more immediately rewarding, and just as artistic, as their initial choices.

“Art,” Dr. Oh says. “It’s a source of calm in a chaotic world. Dentistry is a form of art, many would agree.”

Balancing business and clinical aspects, Dr. Chan says. “I’ve long felt that those two sides compete against each other in many unfortunate ways. It’s a challenge we’re still trying to solve.”

Transparency and authenticity. Says Dr. Chan: “We spend a lot of time educating and explaining to patients what their problems are, along with different approaches to treatment for their solutions, and we’re upfront about the upsides and downsides of every treatment.”

Their most recent pro bono case. “She could not remember the last time she had food without pain,” Dr. Oh says. She had generalized periodontal abscess as well as periapical infections the size of ping-pong balls on multiple teeth. “We started to earn her trust, and we’re at a point where we’ve contained the fire from spreading.”

Crediting Dr. Oh’s family, Dr. Chan became a convert to rescuing dogs, saving two so far. “If I had more
free time and a bigger home,” he says, “I’d rescue more.”