Hi everyone! I’m Dr Mike and this is me in 2013 in residency. I’m the third from the left – albeit a younger 25 year old version of me.
I was born and raised in Queens, New York City to immigrants from South Korea. When they came in the 70s, South Korea was a much different place. There wasn’t much for them there, and they knew they needed to leave to create better opportunities for their future kids. Growing up, my parents worked hard and sacrificed everything to for my brother and me. We didn’t have much, but we always had what we needed. They instilled into us the value of hard work. These values are now what stick with me when I’m working with patients. I find a great satisfaction in helping people, doing quality and honest work – and most importantly – doing the right thing. If I’m going to be honest, after practicing for 13 years, executing this consistently is not easy. I’m glad that my parents taught me to show up and work hard – so I can be the best for my patients. This is where I’ve unexpectedly found great meaning in my life.
So why did I become a dentist? Frankly, it was because my dad told me to become one. In Korea, he wanted to become one, but he wasn’t able to fulfill that opportunity there. I didn’t really have any other passions I wanted to follow, so dentistry it was. It aligned with my academic strengths since I did well in math and the sciences. I didn’t have this grand lifelong vision of saving smiles or some other surface level BS you may hear some other dentists claim. Over time, I learned to appreciate, respect, and genuinely love what I do. Dentistry has done two unexpectedly valuable things for me: get to meet and build relationships with people I wouldn’t have otherwise, and learn more deeply about my own self. It’s just made me an overall better person, and I’m excited to see how it will serve me – as I will it – for many years to come.
So who am I? I’m just A Millennial American dentist with parents from a part of the world where they eat Doritos with chopsticks. I’ve lived in Houston since 2014 and have made it home. Even though I’ll always be a New Yorker at heart, Houston is where I developed as a human being and have made life-long friends. I’m single and don’t plan of having a family. I feel pretty fulfilled and define myself as a cautious optimist. I’d say that the way I think about life and consciousness may be a little different from the norm. I believe in God and respect all faiths and walks of life. Can’t take ourselves too seriously, right? 😉
I’d say that this is probably one of the more honest dentist bios out there, so if this hasn’t scared you off, I whole-heartedly invite you to my practice, Morton Ranch Dental. I look forward to getting to know you.
Sincerely,
Dr Mike
Your next dentist in 77449 or dentist in Katy, TX!