Meet Adriane Graham-Lacy of Dr. Graham’s Dental Wellness Center in Inglewood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Adriane Graham-Lacy.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
As a beginning sophomore undergraduate student at UCLA, I began to volunteer in the dental teaching labs of the UCLA School of Dentistry under Mark Hunt. I quickly was guided to take the Pre-Dental Laboratory Technique course at the school during winter break. From that point on, I was the teaching assistant for the course during school breaks until entering dental school 3 1/2 years later. During that span of time, I also continued to volunteer at the dental school until completing my undergraduate studies in Biology at UCLA.

Straight out of dental school, in between the end of my undergraduate studies and starting dental school, I taught at Morningside High School in Inglewood, CA. I was a physical science and chemistry teacher at my alma mater.

I graduated from the UCLA School of Dentistry in 1997. I began working as a general dentist at Slauson and 9th Ave Dental in South Los Angeles. Unlike dental school, the pace was rigorous and I had to learn to balance treating multiple patients in one day with efficiency, excellent bed side manner, and clinical competence in the various disciplines of dentistry. It was challenging, but I grew as a clinician,

I went on to work throughout the years for various offices and facilities. I worked for the CARE program on the grounds of St. Mary’s Medical Center in Long Beach, CA. At that location, all of our patients were HIV/AIDS patients. I worked for the Children’s Dental Center in Inglewood, CA and helped run its Tooth fairy Cottage. I was employed by pediatric dentists to work as a general dentist. I gained a wealth of knowledge on patient management and working as a team to complete a goal under not the most comfortable circumstances by comfort and trust, and teaching them about what is going on with their oral health at the same time. It’s about breaking down misconceptions of what going to the dentist can be like, and assisting people get over some kind working on adults and children in an actual pediatric dental office.

In 2006, I began to work part-time for a general dentist who took ill and rather suddenly was forced to almost quit working completely. At that office, I began to gain an even deeper appreciation for patient care. I saw multiple generations of patients within the same families. That was an office with the majority of the patients and/or their family members seemingly having been there for near or over two decades, I was told by that dentist to treat his patients like he did. He cared a great deal about his patients, viewing them as friends and “pseudo” family. The feeling was mutual, and was reciprocated toward him and his staff by his patients.

It was after completing almost 6 years in that office, that I finally made the choice to start my own dental practice. I would probably be more correct in saying that I was brought to the point where I had to make the decision to start my own practice. I am a Christian and believe in having a personal relationship with God; but, I must admit that I was a little intimidated and confused about venturing out on my own. However, when one door closes, I believe God opens another. I am far from perfect, but it is by His grace, mercy, and provision that I am where I am today. I was able to start my own practice by subleasing space from a dear friend and colleague. 3 1/2 years later, office space became available in Inglewood, and that’s where my practice has been for over 1 1/2 years now.

I always had a desire to educate my patients. Dentistry is more than just treating patients, more than just alleviating someone’s pain. It’s about meeting an individual where he or she is, guiding him/her from fear to comfort and trust, and teaching them about what is going on with their oral health at the same time. It’s about breaking down misconceptions of what going to the dentist can be like, and assisting people get over some kind of “bad” experience they may have had in the past.. It’s about striving to help get patients to the point where they can make informed decisions about their treatment and oral health. It’s about getting them to realize that their mouth is connected to their body, and that good oral health is related to good overall health. That’s why I refer to my office as Dr. Graham’s Dental Wellness Center rather than just Dr. Graham’s Dental Office.

Has it been a smooth road?
The road has not been smooth. I worked in the dental industry 15 years before owning my own practice. Just as I had to learn how to be a better clinician, I had to and am still learning how to be a better practice owner. Working for a dental practice is quite different than owning your own. The work load is far greater and you must wear many more hats. A big part of the challenge is learning to juggle those hats, and how to delegate certain responsibilities to others while ensuring the practice is running properly. There is equipment to repair and maintain, suppliers and labs to pay, lease/rent/mortgage due, staff to manage, schedules to keep productive, patient/insurance billing to do, claims to send, and oh, patients to treat.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Dr. Graham’s Dental Wellness Center story. Tell us more about the business.
My practice is Dr. Graham’s Dental Wellness Center (aka, the family dental office of Dr. Adriane Graham).It is a general dentist office. I am most proud of the trust that patients put in this practice. I think what sets me apart from others is that I try to treat patients as real people. I try to make each person feel like they matter and that their concerns are heard. My staff and I strive to CARE for patients as people. That matters.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see even more technology coming into the industry. I think more group practices will continue to appear. There will always be the need however in this industry for patients to feel that they really matter to a practice as an individual and not just a procedure.

Contact Info:

• Address: 128 N. Locust St,
  Inglewood, CA 90301
  (on the 2nd floor)
• Website: www.hawthornedentalpractice.com
• Phone: (310) 742-6088
• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: fb.me/Dr.GrahamsDentalWellnessCenter