Baseball & Dentistry: A Lot To Smile About

Dr. Charles A. Steinberg

An amusing part of my 45-year baseball career is the number of curious glances I receive when people discover that my nickname, “Dr. Charles,” refers to my doctorate in dentistry. How, they ask, did I go from oral health to our National Pastime? “Ahhh,” I say, using my patients’ old expression as they “opened wide.” Baseball actually preceded dentistry.

In my native Baltimore, I was exposed to my father’s profession—orthodontia— and the care, credibility, and responsibility that came with it. It was appealing.

But a funny thing happened on my way to dental school. My high school, Gilman School, arranged senior year internships that allowed this baseball nut to work for his beloved Baltimore Orioles. Heaven. At 17, I had peaked. And the Orioles allowed me to extend my stay. It became an unexpected annual summer job, through undergraduate and dental school—both at the University of Maryland. But I knew, with dentistry beckoning, my days with a baseball club were numbered. I just didn’t know how big a number it would be.

In my sophomore year of dental school, I had my “Eureka!” moment: “I’ll become the Orioles’ team dentist!” I knew them; they knew me. And they said yes! Thus, began my plunge into sports dentistry.

My doctoral thesis analyzed mouthguards: stock, mouth-formed, and custom made. The Orioles allowed me to measure their performance with and without protective mouthguards. No, it wasn’t double-blind or conclusive, but it was a thrilling dive into dental academia. I taught our players about the dreadful, deadly hazards of smokeless tobacco. And I studied traumatic injuries—from collisions to being hit by the pitch.

Attending seminars at the University of Michigan and University of Texas, I became a founding and charter member of the Academy for Sports Dentistry—the only dental student!

As I started private practice, splitting time between the ballpark and the operatory, our young energetic club counsel picked me to operate a new kind of scoreboard—a Diamond Vision videoboard. That lawyer was Larry Lucchino. I immersed into my baseball work with Larry while keeping dentistry part time. Exhausting. Delightful. After creating Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Larry took over the San Diego Padres—and took me with him! After 10 years of part-time practice, I gave up chairside dentistry to become Vice President of the Padres. But I continued to promote oral health—to players and to fans.

Seven years later, we joined the Boston Red Sox, where our promotion of oral health included “Tooth Days at Fenway.” And so here we are, proud to be bringing a ballclub to a sparkling new home for our community.

Imagine players teaching us to brush, floss, and avoid tobacco. Imagine our mascot, Smiley Ball, providing toothbrushes and toothpaste to all who show their smile. Imagine the WooSox recognizing community dentists who ensure that young athletes wear protective mouthguards. We imagine. And we would love to. Maybe we will turn Polar Park into Molar Park. And where better to do so than in the birthplace of the smiley face?

Charles A. Steinberg DDS, President of the Worcester Red Sox