IN A FAMILY WITH SEVEN SIBLINGS, why would seven of them choose dentistry as a profession? In the Lee family, time spent in their father’s clinic seems to be the answer.
When he was only six or seven years old in Korea, Dr. Lee ’97, recalls that he started watching his father at work. “And my brothers and sister did the same thing. We grew up coming to the clinic.”
The profession was different then, he notes. “My father didn’t have formal dental education. He apprenticed under a Japanese dentist during the occupation period. I used to clean his clinic when I was in grade school. And I remember watching him work with a foot-powered handpiece, melting metal to make crowns. It fascinated me.”
A dental school choice
When Lee was 18, his father died, and the family moved to Vancouver, Canada. He earned a degree in chemistry from the University of British Columbia, worked a few years, and then applied to dental school. Only one seemed right, he says, and it wasn’t Temple Dental so much as Temple University itself.
He describes the moment. Proving the power of a good movie, Journey from Darkness, a true story about a blind man who wasn’t accepted into any medical program except at Temple, had stayed in his mind “since I was a kid, back in Korea,” he says. “I still remember the ending with David Hartman walking toward Temple Hospital. That’s how I knew Temple. That’s why I applied.”
At Temple Dental, he learned how to persevere and work hard, using procedures that he still uses today in his Vancouver practice where he does everything—from orthodontics to periodontic.
What is success?
Asked how he defines success, Lee is quick to answer. “Being happy,” he says. “A lot of people think financial stability and career accomplishments are success. That’s part of it, but I think it’s how happy you are.”
After 20 years, Lee would like to retire, but his wife, who manages the clinic, would prefer that he continue working until their son graduates from dental school. That may be awhile. As a biochemistry student at the University of British Columbia, Lee’s son is just beginning to prepare for the Dental Admission Test.
Surprisingly, he alone of Lee’s 15 nieces and nephews has chosen to continue the family’s dental legacy. Perhaps that’s because as an only child, he has heard many times why Lee loves the profession. They talk often about the independence that dentistry provides and how each day is never boring.
“You know,” Lee says, “my son actually wants to follow in my footsteps. It’s kind of amazing and, I think, also a kind of success. If he can take over my practice, that would be great.”