StockBIZ: Dr. Dobos’ office—where the dental forecast is sunny today with more of the same tomorrow

by Mary Jo David

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to have much of a conversation with a dentist when he’s working on your teeth. That is why this writer decided it would be better to schedule a formal interview to learn more about Dr. Paul Dobos, who operates the dental practice at 120 E. Main Street in downtown Stockbridge.

When someone works in a career that requires years of intense medical training, most people assume that career was the person’s goal from a very young age. Not so with Dr. Dobos. Ask the simple question, “What prompted you to become a dentist,” and you’ll be very surprised at his not-so-simple answer.

“I arrived at dentistry by taking a rather winding path,” explains soft-spoken Dr. Dobos, who grew up in the Downriver area and joined the Navy right out of high school. “In the Navy, I started out doing weather observing, forecasting, and pilot briefings then eventually wound up in California.” There, he moved into Meteorology Research and attended the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterrey, California.

Eventually, the yet-to-be-dentist realized something was lacking in his career, and he spent considerable time assessing what that was. He looked back on all the jobs he’d worked since high school, before meteorology, and realized three things were important to him: working with people, being creative, and being able to work with his hands. After factoring in his penchant for science and math, he briefly considered teaching or medicine, and eventually landed on dentistry.

Armed with a master’s degree in meteorology, Dobos returned to his roots and enrolled in Dental School at the University of Michigan. After settling down with his wife, Cheryl, and two young boys, Dr. Dobos spent almost ten years working as an associate dentist across multiple practices in the area. Then in July 2007, Dobos had the opportunity to take over the dental practice of Dr. Van Tiem, who was retiring from his practice in Stockbridge.

“I love this area and the people,” explained Dobos, who resides with his wife near Sugarloaf Lake. “My drive to work is beautiful, and I value the relationships I have with my patients—some of whom have been my patients since they were kids and who are now bringing their own little ones into the office for checkups.”

Dobos offers an extensive list of dental services—from preventive care, to fillings, oral surgery, implants, gum disease treatment, and more.

“I have a great staff, and they make it enjoyable for me to do what I do every day,” he noted.

Most of Dobos’ staff is from Stockbridge and Gregory, including Paulette and Jen at the front desk; Kaitlyn, his full-time assistant; and Kelly the hygienist. Another hygienist, Lynne, commutes all the way from—Dexter! Cheryl Dobos visits the office almost daily to fill in during lunch.

Looking across two careers and years of advanced education, Dobos has much to be proud of, but given the opportunity to elaborate on what excites him most, he mentions his faith and his family. He and his wife belong to Crossroads Community Church in Stockbridge, where Dobos regularly plays his bass guitar during worship. He is very proud of both of his sons who will be graduating from the University of Michigan at the end of this academic year. In addition to attending college at their Dad’s alma mater, both boys plan to follow in his footsteps with Navy-related next steps. Noah, age 22, will be attending Navy flight school, and Elijah, age 20, work with a group responsible for the operation of the Navy’s nuclear propulsion program.

A lot has been written about burnout in the dental field, but Dobos doesn’t regret his second career choice. He avoids becoming a victim of burnout by balancing his career with time for his family, his faith, and occasional mountain biking, swimming, running, and music. He also enjoys reaching out to children, outside of his office hours, during Dental Awareness Month (February), to help make them less fearful of future trips to the dentist.

Dr. Dobos isn’t alone in reconfiguring his career after a substantial investment in time and education. Click on the link below to read about some household names of people who might surprise you when you read how their careers have evolved. https://www.businessinsider.com/successful-people-who-made-a-big-career-change-2016-4