Dreams Do Come True - Then and Now
The Story of Children's Dental Village
Children's Dental Village exists today because Alan L. Longfellow had a dream. By the time he was eight years old he already knew he liked to work with his hands. He loved to fiddle with his Erector Set, putting things together and taking them apart. At his first dental appointment when he was nine-years old he was impressed with all the little tools he saw in the clinic and wondered what they were for. He asked questions. He thought it was cool how the dentist knew just what to do with those tools. By the time he was in high school he had made a firm decision; he would become a dentist.
The Longfellow family moved every one or two years depending upon the frequency of Hank Longfellow's Army re-assignments. They ended up in Lawton, OK for Alan's last year of high school. He graduated in 1961. The time had come to pursue his dream. After he completed his undergraduate work at the University of Kansas City he was accepted into the dental program at the University of Tennessee. Upon completion of dental school he joined the Navy. He wanted to get some experience providing dental care without opening his own practice. White Sands Missile Range proved to be the perfect assignment for Dr. Longfellow-a remote Navy station so far away from town that families, including children, qualified for dental care. By the time he completed his two-year tour of duty Dr. Longfellow knew he wanted to become a children's dentist. With the help of a stipend from the University of Tennessee and assistance from the Navy to pay for his education he returned to school for two more years to complete his Master of Science degree in pediatric dentistry. And he was ready to begin his own dental practice, but where?
During his childhood summer visits to Grandma Payne's home in Pinetop, Arizona in the White Mountains, young Alan Longfellow fell in love with the forest, streams, fishing and summer heat. There was no doubt he would build his dental practice in Arizona. He visited Tempe, AZ during graduate school to find a location. A new community in Tempe called "The Lakes" seemed like the perfect spot. Building construction started early in 1973. In October Dr. Longfellow hung a shingle outside 5470 W. Lakeshore Drive, made announcements in newspapers, and visited local pediatricians and general dentists to get his name out in the community. Advertising was not a concept in those days. He waited for little patients to come see the aquarium inside the cave in the new office. One dental chair, one dental assistant, one office manager, six seats in the reception room, and one children's dentist with a dream began to make a difference in the lives of little people in Tempe, Arizona.
In 1973, Joyce Anne was entering a new season of her life in Orange, California. She had just purchased a new home with the intent of staying put for years to come. She too had spent her entire life moving from one state or country to another, first as the daughter of a military father and then as the wife of a minister. But in 1977 Joyce Anne was forced to pull up roots once more and move to Tempe, AZ. Her hope for planting deep roots faded when her marriage ended and she became a single mother in a strange land. Left without a car, no money, no education, no friends, no family, no job, and no idea what to do with her life, she decided to stay in Tempe and start a new chapter in her life. Joyce Anne's parents bought her a bicycle with a basket hitched on the back wheels. She could bike to the grocery store and bank. Thus began her search for a job-within biking range of her home. The perfect job opportunity came-a dental practice less than one block from her house was looking for a new office manager. She tells the story about counting her teeth with her tongue as she rode her bike to the interview on August 31, 1977-just in case she needed to know something about dentistry. Dr. Longfellow invited Joyce Anne into his office for the interview-a very strange office-card table, folding chair, cement floor, and no desk. What sort of place is this she wondered? After completing an unusual, unique employment application that asked questions anyone could answer, Joyce Anne believed it was the job for her! She accepted the offer of a starting salary of $500 a month and began her new career. As she rode her bike home she sensed that shallow roots were digging deep into the soil of her soul.
Over the next few years Dr. Longfellow's dental practice grew. He added two dental chairs, a full-time dental hygienist (Pam Paden), expanded services to include orthodontic treatment, and attracted families all the way from Globe and Yuma, AZ. It was a long drive from Yuma and Globe so families came prepared to spend the day shopping after their dental visits. They spread out picnic lunches in the small reception room and shared their homemade tortillas. The staff forged relationships with our dental patients and their families. We made sure that "Going to the Dentist Is Worth the Trouble It Sometimes Takes"-the name of a 1983 book co-authored by Dr. Longfellow's patients.
In 1982 Dr. Longfellow and Joyce Anne were married. This new partnership heightened Joyce Anne's sense of responsibility to the dental practice. She wanted to learn even more about creating successful businesses and cohesive teams. Pam and Joyce Anne attended dental seminars. They challenged Dr. Longfellow to "think outside the box" by expanding his services, adding dental chairs, and marketing the practice-a new concept in the dental community. Eventually we outgrew the Lakeshore office. In order to serve the growing numbers of patients and families we designed a larger office. In 1985 we moved to our second location at 6200 S. McClintock. With the assistance of an amazing staff, larger office, state-of-the-art technology, and shared vision of providing excellent service, Dr. Longfellow's dental practice began to reach out into our community. New traditions began-Annual Holiday Open House, Summer Fun Movie Day, Dental Outreach to children in elementary schools, School Classroom Education programs, Library programs, Tempe Making Strides Against Cancer walk, to mention just a few.
Joyce Anne followed her dream of pursuing a college education by combining full-time work and family responsibilities with university classes. From 1986-1994 she acquired two undergraduate degrees and a master's degree. She applied things she learned to the business-staff development, how to apply best practices in corporate organizations to a small business, what it takes to be a socially responsible business, and finally designed a succession plan to ensure that the Longfellow legacy would go forward.
In 1996 we came to another crossroads-either build a larger dental office or stop seeing new patients. We decided that every child should have the opportunity to experience The Longfellow Practice-our new name! Dr. Longfellow acknowledged that our team was the success factor. And in 1996 Joyce Anne became co-owner of The Longfellow Practice. That was the first year in the state of Arizona that a non-professional could own shares in a professional corporation. She had achieved a goal and dream that meant the world to her. In 1997 we moved to our current location. Dr. Longfellow began to search for an associate who shared our practice philosophy, could provide outstanding dental care, and wanted to one day become a partner and co-owner. Dr. Mercedes Padilla was a perfect match. The youngest of eight children, Mercedes grew up in a large family guided by parents who valued education, hard work, and believed that their children could make any dream come true. When she was six years old Mercedes went on a school field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry. The oral hygiene display captured her attention. That evening she told her parents she wanted to be a dentist when she grew up. She never changed her mind.
In 1996-the same year we began construction on our new office--Mercedes entered graduate school at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. She had never heard of pediatric dentistry until 1992 when she began dental school. This information excited her because she had worked with children in day-care centers for years to help pay her college tuition. In June 1998 Dr. Mercedes Padilla completed studies, earning her degree in pediatric dentistry, and came to Arizona in search of a children's dental practice that matched her philosophy of treatment and community service. We were waiting for her and recognized that she was "the one" the moment we first met. Dr. Padilla wasted no time weaving her life and talents into the quilt that has now become known as "Children's Dental Village."
We renamed our organization to acknowledge that "The Longfellow Practice" has extended its outreach beyond dentistry and beyond the borders of our small community. The "Longfellow Philosophy" of providing outstanding dental care and customer service is embedded in Children's Dental Village (CDV). We believe that understanding children's dental needs begins with understanding children! Dr. Longfellow believed that in 1973 and our team of twenty-plus workers will always uphold that tradition.
Everyone has a then and now story. Look back at the events that unfolded on your journey to now. At first the story may seem like a fairy tale because the outcomes were only imagined during childhood. And yet in this story of then and now two children who imagined they would become a dentist when they grew up actually did! And a young woman who needed a job so she could feed her children rode a bicycle into the career of her life. Along the way they discovered the magic of children and decided to spend their lifetime creating happy smiles, providing a safe and nurturing environment for children and their caregivers, training their staff how to build children's self esteem, and never underestimating the power of wonder. Wonder is everywhere but never more present than in the imagination of children.