James Pochron, DDS

   I am a dentist whose dental office is  in Chester, MD. It is a new facility which we just moved into in May of this year. I grew up in a small town outside of Baltimore called Arbutus. From the age of 13, I had always wanted to be a dentist.  I wanted to be a dentist   because I hated my dentist.  He always hurt me and never cared if I could feel the pain.  I knew there had to be a  better way of treating people so they would not have to go through what I did as    a  kid. So I set my goals and priorities and "plotted my course".  Being from a family whose parents were divorced  when I was 10 years old, money was scarce in our family.  I was told that if I wanted to go to the schools which I knew would help me become a dentist, I would have to  pay for them myself. So I   got into Mount Saint Joseph High School and worked in the Chemistry Lab . Then I went to Loyola College in Baltimore, and then The University of Maryland Dental School.  I worked at Saint Agnes Hospital while attending both schools and I finally graduated from the University of Maryland in May, 1987.

   I got my first job as a dentist working in York, PA where I honed my skills. I soon learned that my education in dentistry was just beginning.  I had a good foundation to start with  and my experience was growing. I worked  in many dental practices looking for that one practice at which  I could retire but also had the same "philosophy" as my own.  So while working in different places, I learned what I liked about some practices  but more importantly,  what I did not like.  I knew one day I would have the"perfect practice"!!

   One practice I worked in took me in a totally different direction than any other practice. I was required to take a course by Pete Dawson in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was called "How to put your Practice in the Top 10%".  This course along with all of its sister courses greatly added to the knowledge I started out with at the University of Maryland. I learned where  the process of tooth loss begins and how to recognize it early in the patients life. I learned how to  correct damage done by this process, and how to stop it so that patients can keep there teeth healthy for life. It really is an easy concept once you know how the process works. These "ideas" about keeping your teeth for life are taught by different schools around the country. The Dawson Institute(where I learn and continue to learn), the Pankey Institute, and the Las Vegas Institute. All teach the same ideas,  just  in different ways.

   So now I feel somewhat complete when it comes to knowing dentistry and treating my patients competently. The icing on the cake was us moving our practice to a NEW FACILITY.  You see, I had been working in Grasonville in a nice, quaint, 100 year old building that was once a house and has many problems that my patients have no idea about. We  moved 1.5 miles up the road to Chester, MD and the building is Brand New!!  It is across from the CVS on Route 50(116 South Piney Road), and where I will practice until I retire.

     So how do I really practice dentistry and what took me so long to find my home. It was my practice philosophy. It's what makes me do what I do, and the  way I do it. Below is my "philosophy" but before I go, let me mention that I am married to a wonderful woman who has helped me realize my dream in dentistry, Tracey.

Dr. Pochron's Practice Philosophy

     So, after ten years in dentistry I was finally asked to write down my practice philosophy.  This is somewhat amusing to me because in school I was told that this would be the most important concept in my dental career that would make or break any dental relationship...and I'm finally writing it down now.  What an easy task it really is when you think about it, when you try to live it every day.

     You see, my philosophy revolves around what type of person I am and what made me decide to become a dentist.  I believe I'm a perfectionist at heart.  When one takes this to the extreme in life, this may not be ideal.  But in dentistry, it's one of my best qualities.  I would like to think that all of my past dentists were perfectionists, but I'm sure they were not, for this is a rare breed that takes the time to express itself.  This is one quality that although unspoken, is deep in the minds of every patient.

     The other and probably more important reason I wanted to be a dentist was my irresistible urge to help people.  This may sound "corny" to some, but to know that you have the gift to relieve someone's pain or repair a smile and restore self-esteem is the most rewarding feeling one could ever have.  I believe that this true sense of caring for your patients shines through to people.  My patients will always know that  I genuinely care about them.  I will always treat my patients as if they were my family.

    There are those that believe that money is the motivation to be a dentist.  The money that dentistry has shown me has never been my driving force, but if I can do something to the best of my ability and know in my heart that the patient is getting a great service...then I will never feel guilty about it's worth.

     The bottom line is, I love dentistry and I could never imagine doing anything else!!

Thanks for the opportunity to write this down. I hope it tells you a little about myself.