A Family Legacy

There’s a group of healthcare providers who are passionate about dentistry and oral health, and the power they hold to improve lives. It is a passion that has driven three generations of dental professionals from one family. They all pursued – or are pursuing – degrees in dentistry at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry on the Health Sciences Center Campus in Oklahoma City, the first three-generation family to do so at the college.

For Wyatt Jones of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, dentistry is a thread woven into his earliest childhood memories. Now in his second year at the OU College of Dentistry, Wyatt represents the third successive generation at the college. He said he chose dentistry as career path, but equally important, as a way of life, modeled by his father, Robert Stephen Jones, D.D.S., (1992), and grandfather, Gary Dean Jones, D.D.S., (1977), who died in 2006.

“I was only 11 when Papa died, but I remember how I admired and respected him as a very wise man. I learned from my dad and my grandfather that dentistry is a lot more than just being a dentist.”

Wyatt remembers a paper he wrote as a third-grader about his goal to become a dentist. “‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ was never really a question for me. It was always Plan A, and there was no Plan B.”

Stephen Jones remembers his father, Gary, as a man of humble beginnings. With a strong sense of community service and loyalty, the late Dr. Jones was keenly aware of hardship and adversity faced by many friends, neighbors and family members. “It didn’t sit well with him that some people had very limited access to oral healthcare because of financial constraints,” Stephen Jones said of his father. “It fueled his desire for higher education and his choice of dentistry as a career. And within his practice he worked to make it possible for more people to access needed care.” After military service, Gary used his veteran’s benefits to gain his degree and study dentistry. He married Linda Jones, D.H., also a College of Dentistry graduate (1977), and they established a dental practice in Stillwell, Oklahoma, where they continued to see patients until 2000. Linda no longer works in dental hygiene, but works actively with the Cherokee Nation dental program.

As a youngster, Wyatt spent considerable time at his grandfather’s practice, and later, at his father’s office occasionally helping with miscellaneous office tasks or just hanging out. He had opportunities to accompany his dad on emergency calls, and would often drop by to talk or ask questions. “I respected and admired both men. But my dad was my number-one role model - the person I wanted to be,” Jones said.

It was during Wyatt’s senior year in high school that his father accepted a job with Cherokee Nation, the largest tribal health system in the nation, now with 1.4 million patient visits annually. Having discovered an innate ability

and affinity for business early on, Stephen currently serves where he can excel in both business and dentistry, as well as improving access to healthcare for an underserved population. It also was a new learning venue for Wyatt. “My passive learning experience now includes perspectives from the public healthcare setting as well as the private practice model.”

Wyatt completed his undergraduate degree at Oklahoma State University then applied to the OU College of Dentistry to continue his education in the profession he already loved. OU was Wyatt’s first choice, not only to carry on the family tradition, but because it offers an exceptional education.

“They definitely give you every opportunity to succeed in private practice or a public healthcare setting, including the hand-skills part of the profession. We’re in clinic a lot sooner than students in other schools, and there’s no substitute for hands-on experience. You learn by doing. No one else has the same teeth.” In their second year of study, Wyatt and his classmates are now seeing actual dental patients in clinics housed in the College of Dentistry.

In every field related to health, scientific and technological advances have taken huge leaps for phenomenal improvements in treatments and outcomes. Dentistry affords a certain kind of artisanal creative opportunity as well. “As I’ve progressed into the field, the artistry is a big driver. I fell in love with the handcraft. It’s amazing how you can change someone’s life,” Wyatt said. Development of new materials, and new applications for those materials pave the way for individualized techniques. “You figure out how to be your own artist and craft the best result for each patient,” he said.

Positive patient interaction is fundamental to a successful practice. The College of Dentistry offers a course called Patient Contact. “Patient communication and education are critical skills that you can’t learn without understanding how to approach the person,” Wyatt said. “Determining the necessary dental care priorities depends on a solid evaluation.”

According to Wyatt, dentists don’t just “fix problems.” There’s a wealth of systemic health information evident in an oral health evaluation and dentistry is becoming more integrated into “traditional” healthcare. For example, a tumor in the head or neck region revealed in an x-ray, or a concerning oral lesion found during an exam, may trigger a specialty referral that could mean life-saving treatment. Accountability is part of the family’s legacy – accountability to patients and community. It’s not a strategy, but a philosophy, which Stephen Jones brought to his work with the Cherokee Nation. “When you hire local talent, you foster accountability. Where no connection exists, you’re out of touch with your patient population,” he said.

It’s one of the lessons he’s tried to instill in his children. “Our families were involved in the community and schools, and we hope our kids will want to be involved.” According to Stephen, Wyatt in particular seems to have embraced this work ethic and is motivated to give back. He has volunteered at several Oklahoma Mission of Mercy (OK MOM) events, a two-day, free dental clinic held annually at different locations across the state.

Even at this phase of his life, Wyatt has depth of insight into people and cultures.

“I grew up in a situation that gave me a unique perspective on how people have to prioritize needs. Despite my dad’s success in business and dentistry, I saw financial hardship up close,” Wyatt said. “Everyone wants a pretty smile,

but it’s far more than a cosmetic thing. The advances in technology are incredible, but coming up with a few thousand dollars to do the necessary work is impossible for many individuals or families.”

As Wyatt is the first, third-generation student at OU, his father was the first, second-generation student to study at the College of Dentistry. “Dentistry was all I had known, with both parents in that field,” Stephen said. He fully explored the many directions a business career might take him. “But at the end of the day, it was about what I had seen modeled in my life. I made the decision to pursue dentistry in college.”

After graduation in ’92, Stephen Jones worked for the Cherokee Nation for four years to fulfill the terms of his scholarship. He then went into practice with his dad. When Gary retired, Stephen took over that practice, expanded it and invested in another practice in a neighboring town. With keen business development skills, he focused on growing both practices.

“I am forever grateful for the dental field that has opened up so many avenues for me.” He credits dentistry for making it possible to transition from clinical dentistry to an administrative role with a system-wide perspective. Approached by the Cherokee Nation to help build its dental program, Stephen ran it for six years. In 2018, he became acting executive director for the Cherokee Nation Health System. He is currently working with the OU College of Dentistry on a tribal joint venture to establish a pediatric residency program in dentistry.

Stephen said Wyatt is a better student than his forefathers. “Of the three of us, he’s probably the most wholehearted, committed and dedicated.” So committed, Stephen said, that he occasionally reminds his son to savor the moments. “There are great memories being made. I encourage him to enjoy the time.” When Wyatt seeks advice or vents frustrations, these occasions cause Stephen to reflect on his own interactions with his dad in earlier times. “A lot of things you just have to learn through experience. There aren’t always cut-anddried answers. It’s an intense field of study that creates unique and very strong bonds among students. My best friends go back 30 years. Much dedication and determination are required to achieve the goal.”

Stephen is gratified to see each of his children moving into the next phase of their lives, independent and confident. “Sometimes they don’t understand the lessons you try to teach by example, but it’s nice when you see that your kids got it. If they had advantages, they didn’t take them for granted, wanting to make their own way, to earn their places in the world. Only time will tell how much of a difference we can make. It’s rewarding, yet humbling, to see your children follow in your footsteps. Wyatt’s success brings me a lot of joy.”

Wyatt said, “I’ve grown up in Oklahoma. I’ll practice in Oklahoma. I never considered going anywhere else.”

He feels a strong bond through shared cultural background with the people of Tahlequah and Adair County. “I relate to them and understand them.”

While cultivating these local roots may be advantageous in building a practice, it is also part of the community-service mindset shared by the Jones family. There’s a true sense in which Wyatt is carrying on a family legacy, but it’s not like a family business that is handed down, and it isn’t a choice made under pressure or perceived obligation.

“You have to want it, not just because someone else is doing it. I’m determined

14 The University of Oklahoma-College of Dentistry / 2020 Magazine Inevitably, people have expectations and sometimes make assumptions. That’s one reason Wyatt feels strongly about being where he is on his own merit, doing the work and earning the grades. “That makes me proud as a dad,” Stephen said. The advantage Wyatt has experienced is proximity to people who not only support his effort, but have expert knowledge of the profession. They are available to discuss cases, situations, offer guidance or just be a sounding board when pressure is extreme. “I was definitely blessed by the influences around me - people with vision and experience who care about me.” to make my family proud. That means working hard as a student and, ultimately as a dentist who serves the community by providing superior care to his patients.”