Losing themselves in the service of others. A fateful encounter furthers

A shared passion

PHOTOS BY DIANE NICOLE PHOTOGRAPHY WRITTEN BY KEVIN DOLAN for patient care

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi

In a world where expanding just to get bigger is the norm, Loeta Robles is a welcome and necessary anomaly. In Loeta’s world, there are no singular decisions. As a dental hygienist, she was happy. She became acutely aware of the limitations while, at the same time, envisioned the possibilities. Her answer was to enroll in dental school. The significance of the decision resulted in much more than expanding her role in dentistry or merely reaching for a dream. With two young daughters at home, and faced with her school of choice in The City, Loeta saw more to the sacrifice than the obvious one facing her family. She understood her decision also made her a role model to her girls, showing them they could be anything they want to

be. The end result shed a brighter light and insight on Loeta and her way of looking at what is right in front of her and what that can become.

There exists a well known mantra that “if you really want something, it is as if the entire universe conspires to make it happen.” Loeta’s decision to attend school outside of Chico revealed to her a community willing to rise up and assist in other’s needs. With her husband in Chico with the girls, who were three and five at the time, the community support was amazing—the kind of support that makes a difference, including a preschool who daily took the girls through their 8:00am to 5:00pm. This produced in Loeta the urgent need to put the care of the community first in whatever endeavor she became involved. This immediately showed through her business by simply asking, “What kind of dentist do I want to be?” The answer to her question became the dentist who will “Help Chico help me.” The answer became evident in programs such as Brighter Smiles addressing the needs of cancer patients, getting kits to pregnant women with items needed in order for these moms to get the “best start ever,” and the addition of a full time lactation nurse to the staff. The sum total of this relates directly to what Loeta refers to as, “The big part of my approach and goal. There is no doubt that filling a need in the community brings joy.” Not surprisingly, when out of nowhere she was asked, “Can you treat babies’ tongue ties?” Her initial answer was, “No, but I can find out.” After completing additional classes, her ultimate answer was “Yeah—I can perform frenectomies for babies with tongue ties” Finally, after a review of her dental practice, Loeta was face-to-face with a question that absolutely stumped her.

The question? Was Loeta ready to hire an associate? In response, Loeta cried. Six years from the inception of her practice, she never dreamed she would be going way beyond just administering dentistry to her patients. Growth simply did not come to her mind. Upon looking at the numbers, the need for an associate became evident. With her urgency to help the community at every turn in place, Loeta made it clear not to settle for someone graduating from school and hurriedly “looking for a job.” Understandably, more questions came to mind. The most important one was to decide

what kind of dentist she was actually looking for as an associate in her practice. The answer, of course, was the consideration of the entire dental community with the ultimate result of what will help Chico, helps her. That is, help Loeta better help the community. Of course, a specialist was high on the list. It was evident that offices featuring specialty surgeons were slammed with referrals. Still, it felt like something was missing; something wasn’t quite right. It became clear they were overlooking the actual need.

Turns out, Loeta knew all along exactly what would fill the void. She knew what kind of specialist to go after because she had contemplated furthering her own knowledge as a part of her continued education, and looked into becoming a prosthodontist. However, the more critical question was, “Can we find one?” The closest one to Chico was in Sacramento. This only heightened Loeta’s intent on finding one and, in turn, helping the entire surrounding community. When they reached out to possible candidates, they did not get a single response.

In the meantime, Dr. Saeed Yazdianpour was in Houston completing his specialty residency to become a prosthodontist. The advanced specialty wooed him with the promise of learning to deal with the most complex cosmetics and full-mouth rehabilitation cases. Born in Iran, Saeed moved with his family to, of all places, New Orleans. Following graduation from the University of New Orleans, he headed to Boston for a four-year stint in dental school. Saeed took a different path to dentistry, entering the program close to turning 30, where most students enroll in their early 20’s. As an undergraduate, he studied mathematics and engineering, even serving one year in mechanical engineering. Saeed's chosen path to dentistry resulted in a perfect match for him as it did not come with any geographical limits. As he puts it, “If you have your hands with you—you can work.” Saeed met his wife Kiana in dental school and, when dating, they came to a compromise. She would follow him anywhere his residency took him, and he would follow her where she wanted to live. A California native, raised in Berkeley, she wanted to get back to the Golden State. Once again, “the universe was working toward a parallel outcome.” As Dr. Yazdianpour began his quest to find a dental office searching for a prosthodontist, he opened Dr. Robles’ website and read her story. He immediately had the urge to call her as they shared a similar background. Loeta, too, went to dental school at a later age. He found her personality shining through as she described how much she cared about people, especially the ones she treats. When Saeed thinks about the people he will treat, he thinks first of himself and then his family. If he feels like he would not like it happening to him or any family member, then it is not going to happen to anyone, especially his patients. Loeta did not just put out the call for a prosthodontist, but also included her story, and Saeed also wanted to be included in her practice. He placed the call to Dr. Robles.

Loeta describes the moment the call came as “time standing still.” Two hours later, the call ended, and all Loeta could muster was a resounding “Oh my gosh!” To seek out a prosthodontist is one thing, to have that search end with the likes of Saeed Yazdianpour is both a dream come true and an answer to a prayer. Dr. Yazdianpour looks at prosthodontics as the most beneficial practice dentistry has to offer. It is rare as it is the only specialty which also includes the practice of full aspects of general

dentistry. He could not emphasize enough the importance and the uniqueness of this pairing. The prosthodontist’s job comes from the founding principles of biology and mathematics, with a hint of physics included. The built-in advantage is the ability to see the end product both before it goes into the mouth and also after it is put in place. A preview of exactly what the results will look like is also clearly on display for the patient. He points out the difficulty facing these patients, from ones so ashamed of their teeth and mouth they do not want to go to the dental office in the first place, to others not even knowing where to start, or believing there is no solution at all. He compares a prosthodontist to a quarterback, telling everyone what is going to be done and then bringing it all back together in the end. Dr. Yazdianpour does not take lightly the fact he is the only one with this specialty north of Sacramento. He is also aware of the rarity, that only four candidates a year are admitted to this exclusive program in UTHealth at Houston. The passion he shares with Dr. Robles resounds with fervor.

And, due to this profound passion, proof emerges that Gandhi was right. Dr. Loeta Robles has “found herself by losing herself in the service of others.” Not surprising, her dream does not stop with the ultimate hire ensuring the ultimate associate. No, her dream extends to discovering a way to collaborate with the medical field in order to, “look at the whole person, not just a mouth.” She believes each patient should be seen from conditions like a case of diabetes to diagnosed sleep disorders, certainly not merely the filling of a cavity. Loeta wants all patients to “Thrive—not just be fine.” If the whole approach works, it will not only change her life, it will surely also change the entire community. Leave it to Loeta to throw that kind of challenge to the universe. Pretty good reason to get lost again to be found enriching all around her.