Paul Yew, D.D.S.
I’m a very hands-on and straight up individual so like everything else, I’m not going to allow someone else to write my Bio in the “third-person. “ Nor will I sugar-coat it to hide my imperfections. So here’s my story:
I was born and raised in New York City, during a time when NYC was not such a nice place (in the 70s, 80s, 90s) and I grew up poor. But I had a great education. I love this country because the American dream is still alive (I’m living proof). And I believed whole-heartedly, that with hard work and perseverance, I could bring myself out of poverty and make something of myself. I also grew up Christian (my father has been a Methodist Pastor for over 53 years) and I believe that God has been with me, like the Rock that accompanied the Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years (1 Corinthians 10:3).
I didn’t start my professional career as a dentist, although I’ve always been a scientist at heart. I attended Loma Linda Medical School in 1999 but I left to try my hand on Wall Street, enticed by the allure of money. The worst thing that ever happened to me was that I made money right away. For those of you who remember the stock market craze of 1999, you could have closed your eyes and thrown a dart at any tech stock and you would’ve made money on the long side. As a Nobel Prize winning economist once said “90% of one’s economic success in the USA depends on when and where you were born. You can only control about 10%.” Unbeknownst to me, I attributed my sudden success to my own skill and intellect, when in reality it was sheer luck. So my ego built a sense of security (fake) and invincibility (fake) which stoked up my “Tower of Babel,” which ultimately took a catastrophic fall on September 11, 2001. (Genesis 11: 1-8)
I was working on 67 Wall Street, in NY, NY, a few blocks away from the World Trade Center when the Towers fell. I was one of those guys that ran out of that war zone covered in soot and ash. In addition to seeing the carnage first hand, I also lost every penny I had. So once again, I was back where I started, penniless and without a clue.
And people may or may not believe me when I say, that losing all my money was the best thing that could have happened to me. Because God taught me that the security and the money, which I was hell-bent on attaining, was ephemeral and fake (Matthew 16: 26) I didn’t have good relationships at the time, and to be frank, I wasn’t a very nice person. So I returned to my first love: Medicine. But rather than return to Medical School in California, I graduated from Dental School at the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2004, and completed a General Practice Residency in NY, NY thereafter. That’s where I met my wife, who is the other dentist in the office (and my boss… haha). I believe God led me into the best profession fit for my personality (OCD and all). (Jeremiah 29:11)
OCD has hurt me in almost every area of my life, except in Academia and DENTISTRY. I thought good dentistry was all about attention-to-detail and perfect hand skills. But I realize that it’s way more than that. Its about relationships. And REALLY CARING about people first, money second (this is a business after-all).
At Dove Dentistry, I’m nobody’s boss. I think of my staff as family, and I try to serve them the same way I want them to serve you. I don’t use a drill, I use a handpiece; I don’t probe, I measure; I don’t yank or pull teeth, I wiggle and tease. What I’m trying to say is I don’t treat teeth, I treat PEOPLE. I don’t serve money (Luke 16:13), I serve God and country and help out as best I can. Whether that’s sharing how our days are passing, doing Bible studies with people who are willing, and just laughing and crying with people. Because there has to be more to this life than what we see with our human eyes.
And, by God’s miracle, when I look in the mirror, I’m not the same guy I was back on September 11, 2001 (Isaiah 55:13). I’m heaven-bent on building real relationships and spreading good will. I love the abundant life that God has bestowed on me (John 10:10). I love my wife, Lisa, and my baby girl, Evelyn. I live day-by-day, not worrying about tomorrow (Matthew 6:25-34). And I treat other as I want to be treated (Mark 12:31).
Oh and btw, I’m also a pretty darn good dentist. (Jeremiah 29:11)