Inspiring Conversations with Jaewoo Cho of Diamond Bar Dental Studio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaewoo Cho.

Hi Jaewoo, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My family immigrated to America when I was 13. I grew up in San Bernardino County, under two hard working parents, who dedicated their careers as high school teachers in Korea. My Mom retired early and immigrated over to America for my little brother and me, who each wanted to be an aerospace engineer and a dentist. My father would stay behind for a few more years to provide a stable income for the family while keeping next to nothing for himself.
Because the living expenses in America were much higher than Korea, my Mom started working at an Indoor Swap Meet, selling socks and blankets in her late 40s, where I also helped out during busy seasons and after school if I didn’t have high school sport practices.
I graduated from UC Riverside, where I served on the student senate, was voted the Man of the Year twice, University Homecoming King, and completed the University Honors Program.
Afterwards, I entered my dream school of UCLA School of Dentistry with The Dean’s Scholarship and I finished my program in 2016.
Since graduating, I went and worked in the Inland Northwest, serving the populations of Spokane, Washington, and Lewiston, Idaho for a couple of years before returning to Los Angeles to start my own practice in Diamond Bar, California, “Diamond Bar Dental Studio” in January of 2019, where I currently live and serve my patients and team.
My little brother earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in aerospace engineering at UCLA and is now an officer with the US Air Force while also holding a civilian position at a company in Wisconsin.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Growing up as a low income minority immigrant with a language barrier in San Bernardino 25 years ago had its share of challenges. My father was in Korea, my Mom, my little brother, and I had just gotten a tiny apartment with no furniture and no installed lights(which was a shock because all Korean houses and apartments had ceiling light bulbs in every room and switches built in).
We slept on the old carpet with some blankets and pillows for years before I slept on a mattress. That was definitely when my spine was the straightest, especially compared to today where I spend the whole day looking down into the oral cavity of my patients everyday.
Back then, Google Translate wasn’t around. Everything was in English(or Spanish) and the problem was that none of us spoke English. We had been Koreans only our whole lives. To deal with setting up utilities, government papers, school papers, DMV, and making sure the cans of food we were buying from the Ralphs across the street from our apartment weren’t meant for cats or dogs, I had to learn English fast. A 3 inch thick Korean-English Dictionary book was my best friend at the time, never going anywhere without it until I learned to read, write, and speak 6 weeks later(JK it took a few years).
UCLA had always been my dream school since I was a small child in Korea even when I knew nothing about the school, other than my uncle, who is my hero and role model(also a dentist), went there to study. When the time came to choose which college to go to, that was my number one pick.
Life had other plans.
Because we were foreigners, I wasn’t eligible for student loans and nobody would be crazy enough to give me a private loan to go to college. My parents sat me down and told me If I went to a college of my choice, taking their life savings, my little brother, who is two years younger than me and was a valedictorian in his class at the time, wouldn’t be able to attend college.
Miraculously and fortunately, UC Riverside offered a full-ride scholarship, and that’s where I spent the next few years before I eventually got into UCLA School of Dentistry, while my little brother was attending UCLA for his undergraduate degree at the same time. By the time I could apply for dental schools, I was a permanent resident and could qualify for student loans and I became a naturalized American citizen in 2016. God is good. And I’m forever grateful for UC Riverside.
After graduating from dental school and working in practice for a couple of years, I started my practice in Diamond Bar in January of 2019. And I think you know where I’m going next – the Pandemic hit. The state department of health and the California Dental Association told dentists to close dental offices in March of 2020. Everything was uncertain and scary. I had next to nothing in the bank account. We ceased operations for months and I spent this time to work on the things I could – securing PPEs(like the sold-out-everywhere N95 masks) from overseas, getting my team mask-fitted(we were the first dental office in our area to do so), obtaining hypochlorous acid disinfectant solutions and fogger, working on patient service manuals, employee manuals, and studying as much continuing education material as possible. Eventually with the help of my amazing team and loyal patients, we made it through and we’re still around, serving the great city of Diamond Bar.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Back in 2017 I started an Instagram account, @reallyboreddentist. I had started working as a dentist in the Spokane, Washington area and I was really bored outside of work. I started sharing my journey as a young dentist, photographing and posting my dental work, dental education courses I was going to, and my struggles. Eventually that account became sort of popular and now I have nine thousand followers, who are mostly dentists. What ended up happening is that my practice in Diamond Bar has a little over 150 dentists as my patients, whom I’ve treated with a variety of procedures – ceramic veneers, crowns, Invisalign, Implants, and TMJ issues, even.
I am not a specialist. I am a general dentist with extra training in specialty procedures. My team and I offer comprehensive care with an emphasis in customized overall treatment planning based on the most accurate diagnosis we can provide with the most up to date state-of-the-art equipment that modern dentistry has to offer. It is our belief that while there are many ways to treat a condition, there can only be one correct diagnosis. This is why it is important to spend as much time and effort to learn as much as I can to know more and see more. Then taking the time to listen to each patient’s concerns and combining them with what I see can produce truly good, customized care for each patient. Nothing cookie cutter.
Far beyond my own abilities as a dentist, I’m most proud of my team’s ability and the positive attitude they bring to the practice everyday to serve and make a difference in not only our patients’ lives but that of each other’s. The most frequent compliment heard in my office is how nice and caring everyone is to help everyone feel comfortable. The mission state of my practice is “to provide the highest level of dentistry while having fun” and our motto and response to everything is “because we care”.

We are a Diamond Level Invisalign Provider, and I am a key opinion leader and speaker for Invisalign.
Our doctors and team are very well-trained in implant dentistry.
I am the course director of Oasis Implant Academy.
Our team of doctors and I spend more time training and taking continuing education courses than anybody else.
As prestigious Kois Center trained dentists, we offer a truly comprehensive and evidence-based care where each treatment plan is customized to the complex and diverse needs of every patient. The patient always has a say in how their care is formulated and delivered.
We have invested in the most up-to-date dental equipment like the latest 3D intraoral scanner, 3D CBCT machine, 3D printer, facial scanner, etc. while still offering the tried and true conservative treatments like gold restorations and minimally invasive bonding restorations.
Every treatment is rendered with full transparency of fees and timeline before any procedure is carried out.
Patients are encouraged to read our genuine patient testimonials and reviews, which we are proud of.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My name “Jaewoo” means “a great person who helps”. Staying true to the name my parents gave me, what makes me truly happy is when I help others.
I’ve always been an avid volunteer all throughout school and despite the crazy schedule in dental school, I volunteered at community service events nearly every weekend with Dr. Nancy Reifel, who was in charge of Public Health and Community Dentistry until I graduated.
A funny story – I was approached by my hispanic student colleagues and was asked to serve as a president of Hispanic Student Dental Association of UCLA, mainly because I spoke Spanish(Thanks, Indoor Swapmeet and California public education system) and was at all of the hispanic community service events anyway. So I served as a president of UCLA Hispanic Student Dental Association and Korean Dental Student Association at the same time.
Dental school was several magnitude busier and stressful than what I could have ever imagined. Between graduation requirements, exams, and lab work, the burnout and depression were real. These community service events were where I could go to be recharged, regain my motivation, and remind myself of why I’m in school to do what I’ve really wanted to do all my life- serve and heal.
Today I’m continuing to volunteer and serve the good people of our community and people overseas.
Twice a year on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, my team of doctors(Oasis Implant Academy), and my dental office team organize and provide free dental care to US military veterans and people who otherwise couldn’t afford dental implant procedures.
Throughout the year, we continuously provide pro bono dentistry to the survivors of domestic abuse and the less fortunate.
4-7 times a year I go overseas to provide dental surgeries to the people who cannot otherwise afford care or do not have access to care at all.
Most recently, I came back from Dominican Republic after having spent a week serving Haitian Refugees with a dental mission group, Dentists For Humanity.
I’m very grateful to my team who keep the lights on for me at my practice while I take off one too many days to go do what I enjoy doing away from my practice. I’m also appreciative of my patients who are willing to go through the trouble of waiting for me while I’m gone.
A few years ago, I realized that I am only one person and is capable of accomplishing very little alone. I started Oasis Implant Academy and took on other teaching roles to help train more like-minded dentists who have since joined the cause. It is thanks to my colleagues and my supportive team that I am able to organize and host larger scale events and do more good together. Alone, I can only serve one patient well at a time the best I can. Together with a hundred dentists, we can serve a hundred patients together at the same time. My little implant academy has now a little over 200 dentists as alumni all over the country, each continuing to learn as much as possible and serve their community the best they can with their training.

In serving the same mission and vision, I spend nearly every weekend either taking a course or teaching a course all over the world. Next week I’m going to Korea as an invited speaker for an international implant congress.

Pricing:

• New patient special is $99, which includes a comprehensive exam, full set of dental imaging, 3D intraoral scan, etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://diamondbardentalstudio.com/
• Instagram: reallyboreddentist, diamondbardentist
• Other: http://www.oasisimplantacademy.com/