Dr. Thomas Reed
Link Dental

What inspired you to pursue dentistry?
During my junior year, a good friend preparing for the DAT piqued my interest and suggested I investigate dentistry. I visited my hometown dentist and discovered an enthusiasm for the profession. When I reflect on the words he shared with me, I appreciate how essential the relational aspect of what we
do is. In his words, “Teeth are teeth…it’s what comes attached to the teeth that matters most.” That wisdom has stuck with me ever since.

During residency you gained experience caring for patients with complex medical and mental health needs. How did that shape your philosophy of patient care, and how does it continue to influence your practice today?
My time spent at Ohio State in the GPR program was invaluable. It laid a foundational knowledge, comfort and confidence. In 2024, I took over my current practice, Link Dental, and that came with the directorship of a non-profit, Linked to Craig. This role places me at Craig Hospital as a volunteer consultant to the CNS team helping them manage oral health complications for their patients. I feel blessed to be able to help a segment of the population who might otherwise not get access to the oral care they need to heal.

What continues to excite and motivate you about dentistry?
I am most excited about the evolution of technology and how it interfaces with our daily practice lives. There is no shortage of opportunity to leverage technology to free up the team to be more effective at what they do best…interface directly with our patients. Some of the more redundant daily tasks can be offloaded to the likes of an AI-centric process and make more time for human-to-human contact. I believe this will only continue to expand. In addition to being a clinician, you’re also a coach, mentor and leadership educator.

What inspired you to begin mentoring other dentists, and what do you find most rewarding about helping colleagues grow?
What I love most about helping colleagues grow is seeing them fold time to gain traction and get ahead. I did not have the privilege of mentoring during my early days in the profession, so the opportunity to guide former versions of myself is very rewarding. I used to coach competitive soccer; that passion combined with a desire to help add to the profession naturally developed into a mentoring program.

You’ve recently stepped into the role of MDDS Board Secretary. What motivated you to become involved in volunteer leadership?
I realized this was the one element of my dental career I had not given enough time and attention. It is the backbone of dentistry, interfacing on behalf of our
constituents with the legal, political, continuing education, and economic elements of profession and society. This is a very exciting opportunity for me because it laces together my passion and pride for our profession along with my affinity for behavioral economics. I have volunteered and served on numerous other non-dental boards and understand the nature of the responsibility, so this will be a very engaging role that I am looking forward to.

When you’re not practicing dentistry, where are we most likely to find you?
When I am not practicing dentistry, at Craig Hospital, or running my coaching program, I am at the gym, on a bike trail or on the ski slopes. Recreation and personal fitness are an essential part of my family’s routine. We moved to Denver in 1998 from Chicago to be closer to family and the beauty of the Colorado outdoors. Even though our three kids went out of state for college, their first inclination when back is to get outside! Moving from where there are way fewer sunny days makes you appreciate what we take for granted here!

If you could share one piece of advice with early-career dentists, what would it be?
And what do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out? I immediately gravitate to overloading on continuing education both clinically and interpersonally. In addition, I firmly believe it is imperative to find a mentor and a group of like-minded peers. The person or people coming back on the path are uniquely qualified to help, and the humility to accept that feedback is imperative. The profession is still dominated by a DIY mindset, yet there is so much power and advantage to a group genuinely interested in helping one another become a better version of themselves. Having competed in both team and solo sports, I will attest that one can always go fast alone, but one can go so much further in conjunction with an aligned team.