Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Mary Pham.
Hi Dr. Pham, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Lollipop Pediatric Dentistry came from the idea of making a child’s visit to the dentist something to look forward to. When I was a Pediatric Dental Resident in Chicago, Illinois, I would give children their goodie bags at the end of their visit with a toothbrush and toothpaste inside. One day, I had a patient ask me if I had a Lollipop and I said, “of course!” and gave him a Xylitol Lollipop. Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar that actually combats the bacteria that causes cavities! I then started putting Xylitol lollipops in my patients’ goodie bags and the idea of Lollipop Dental was born.
I moved to Orange County in 2011 and opened up the first Lollipop Dental in Placentia in 2012. My passion was to create a fun, family-friendly educational dental experience for all children. My vision was for all patients to feel like they stepped into the home of a dear friend. Building trust and relationships with my patients and their families was the most rewarding part of my job. As we scaled our company, I wanted to create opportunities for our associate doctors to fulfill their dreams of becoming a partner. With growth, we are able to serve more patients with the exceptional specialty care that we provide, enable our doctors to have more opportunities for ownership, and we also have the ability to elevate our team and allow them to continue to advance in their careers,
and more. The most rewarding part is to be able to impact more families and lives of people who believe in what it is that we do everyday.
Our Vision at Lollipop Dental is to give everyone a reason to smile. Whether that’s through having an exceptional dental experience, just giving them a hug or high-five, relieving a child from tooth pain, or revealing that perfect smile after 3 years of having braces on. These are the reasons why we exist.
Lollipop Dental is so fortunate to be in an industry where we are able to mold children into a lasting positive dental experience that will truly last a lifetime. We aren’t only just their dentist, we are their family, and we truly care about all of our patients as a person and are here to give them a reason to smile!
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?
Being the CEO and an entrepreneur is so rewarding on so many levels but I’ve realized it is never a smooth journey. Scaling and growing a company has more challenges than you can imagine. The moment I accepted that big and small challenges will exist as long as there is a business, the more resilient I became. In order to move a company out of any challenges, I had to react fast and focus on problem solving and keep my eyes focused on the future. You spend some time trying to understand what caused the issue, then focus some of your energy on learning from those mistakes, create systems and processes so that it doesn’t happen again, and focus on moving your company forward. Our patients and team rely on me to lead Lollipop Dental through any challenges with grace and love, and because of that I will always have faith that we will overcome any challenges that come our way.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Lollipop Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics?
What you should know about us is that we are a team of board-certified specialists in Pediatric dentistry and Orthodontics whose main goal is to provide children with a lifetime of healthy smiles. We recommend you bring your child to the dentist for their first checkup by 1 year of age because studies show that children who come to the dentist at an earlier age significantly decrease their
chance of having cavities. This is because at a young age, we can properly educate our patients and families on their lifestyle and habits which sets up a child for a lifetime of healthy smiles. What makes Lollipop Dental who we are is hands-down our team. Our team strives to provide a fun, family-friendly educational experience for every single patient. We want our patients to feel like they have stepped into the home of a dear friend. One thing I am most proud of is playing a part in being able to change what a Lollipop means to the world. We found something as simple as a Xylitol Lollipop, that all kids love and is also good for their teeth! What I want your readers to know about Lollipop Dental is that we are here to make Dentistry an amazing experience for kids and their families. We want them to grow up to love visiting the dentist; that is our mission.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
The advice I have for someone looking to network or find a mentor would be to surround yourself with the right people. Never be the smartest person in the room. In my professional life, I try to follow the rule of thirds. Spend 1/3 of your time with those who look up to you and that you can help in some way, Spend 1/3 of your time with those where you are and that you can brainstorm or join a mastermind or networking peer group in your industry, and finally spend 1/3 of your time with those who inspire you and that you aspire to be like. I found that being bold and surrounding myself with people who I look up to has helped me elevate myself and my organization above all. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Walk into a room of strangers and talk to people, because there is someone there that can use your knowledge and expertise, and there is always someone there that can empower and inspire you to get where you want to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lollipopdental.com
- Instagram: lollipopdental
- Facebook: facebook.com/lollipopdental
- Twitter: lollipopdental
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lollipop-dental-placentia-placentia
