North Texas Dentistry Convention Issue 2014 | Page 9

20 or 30 years ago and still with seamless
margins.”

“I feel blessed to have taken over for my
dad in the family oriented boutique
prosthodontic practice,” notes Sloan.
“Although his retirement was bittersweet
and I knew that filling his shoes would be
a Himalayan task, I had just finished my
master’s specialty in prosthodontics and
it was certainly a special practice to step
into. He had established an elite practice
model and had intentionally built up his
practice over a lifetime. He had accumulated a base of dedicated superb patients,
a wonderful loving staff, and handpicked
professional relationships with interdisciplinary doctors. I was fortunate to have
his direct mentorship for nearly two years
while he was phasing out of active practice, so I could step onto the platform he
created without missing a foothold and
the transition was seamless as well. His
commitment to high quality, ethics-based
dentistry was obvious from my first visits
with some of his long-time patients.”
Sloan knew that his father had amassed a
wealth of knowledge over his distinguished career, and felt it imperative to
absorb and preserve as much of it as possible. “Sitting in the chair at my dad’s
desk, I was surrounded by a lifetime of
notes, contacts, personal letters and professional presentations. I realized how
important it was for me to tap into his
knowledge, and I began talking with peo-

Photo by Ray Bryant, Bryant Studios

Photo courtesy of Sloan Hildebrand, DDS

Like father, like son – Drs. David and Sloan Hildebrand sitting at their family dental desk seeking to serve.

ple who had mentored him and whom he
mentored. A few close family friends and
colleagues of my dad actually reached out
to me during this process of taking over
his practice and went to lengths to share

McDonald who welcomed my brothers
and I into the profession with open arms.
Each one of them have been generous
enough to personally seek me out and sit
down with me to share anecdotes about

“My father’s activities were a testament to his
character – his life reflected his mission to help
others better themselves.”
with me the philosophy that my dad lived
by professionally. Among many were Drs.
Pete Dawson, Dewitt Wilkerson and Mac

my dad and add to what I already knew
about his character, way of life and how
they were impacted by the bar he set,

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NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY

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