We recently had the opportunity to interview Dr. Robert Maddux of Hernando Dental Care. Read below and see what Dr. Maddux feels are the biggest challenges facing practitioners today. How did you choose dentistry? I always admired the elf, Hermmie, from the 1964 movie “Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer†that wanted to be a dentist. The character sparked my interest as a young child. Throughout my life I always felt drawn to medicine, but was never interested in other types. What do you enjoy the most about dentistry? Sedation, definitely. I have been doing it for about 10 years. Patients are so appreciative, and it allows you to do such high-quality work easily. What are the biggest challenges facing dentistry today? Keeping the small business aspect as well as the individuality of your dental practice. We currently are fortunate enough to be able to run our own practice; however, I am not sure if that will always be the case. Who is/was your mentor in the dental world? Bill Dean, DDS; a dental missionary in Africa. He taught me how to administer injections and pull teeth. He is one of those dentists that’s in the industry for the right reasons. He’s not just focused on getting a profit: He truly wants to help others.
