{"id":853,"date":"2026-08-31T21:00:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T21:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dentist-tappan.com\/blog\/?p=853"},"modified":"2026-09-01T20:04:58","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T20:04:58","slug":"35-years-of-dentistry-looking-back-with-gratitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dentist-tappan.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/31\/35-years-of-dentistry-looking-back-with-gratitude\/","title":{"rendered":"35 Years of Dentistry: Looking Back With Gratitude"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

As I celebrate my 63rd birthday, I find myself looking back\u2014not just at another year of life, but at 35 years in dentistry<\/strong>. And when I think about where we started and where we are today, I sometimes have to remind myself that it really happened.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

My journey in dentistry began at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine<\/strong>, where I was fortunate to attend on an academic scholarship. Columbia gave me an incredible education, but it also gave me something much more important: I met Dr. Darren Tong, my future husband.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Darren graduated in the top 10% of his class, and together we began building a life that would eventually include five children, a dental practice, a wonderful team, and more adventures than I could ever have imagined when I was that young dental student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

After completing my residency, we married, started our family, and in 1992 opened our first little dental office in Dumont, New Jersey.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It had two dental chairs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no large team, no specialists, no multiple locations. It was Dr. Tong and me, working side by side, taking care of patients and trying to build something we could be proud of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five years later, we took a big step and moved into our Bergenfield building<\/strong>, expanding from those original two chairs to six treatment rooms<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And somewhere along the way, my vision for what a dental office could be started to become much bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Idea Really Came From Being a Mom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While I was growing a dental practice, I was also raising five children<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any parent knows what that means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five children meant five schedules, school, activities, doctor appointments, dental appointments, orthodontic appointments\u2014and somehow trying to take care of yourself at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember thinking, Why should a family have to drive to one office for the children\u2019s dentist, another for braces, somewhere else for a root canal, and another office for an implant?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why couldn\u2019t we make dentistry simpler?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My dream became to create a practice where a family could receive virtually all the dentistry they needed under one roof<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pediatric dentist\u2014a dentist specifically trained to care for children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An orthodontist for braces and correcting the bite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An endodontist when someone needs specialized root canal treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctors highly trained in implants and replacing missing teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

General and cosmetic dentists to take care of everything from prevention and fillings to crowns, Invisalign, and beautiful smile transformations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And instead of sending a patient all over Bergen County or Rockland County, we could coordinate their care together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One team. One philosophy. One place that knows you and your family.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2013<\/strong>, we expanded again and opened our Tappan location<\/strong>, along with our pediatric office upstairs designed especially for children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was a very special moment for me because I could finally see this vision becoming real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I imagined the mom who brings her children in for their cleanings and, instead of sitting in the waiting room feeling like she is losing another hour of her day, she gets her own cleaning at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She can relax. Watch a show. Have a paraffin treatment on her hands. Take a little time for herself while knowing that her children are right there being cared for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a mother of five, that made sense to me.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It still does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We wanted to take something that can feel complicated and make it simple for families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Two Dentists to an Entire Dental Team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When I look at our practices today compared with those two chairs in Dumont, I feel an enormous sense of pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We now have six associate doctors whom we have personally invited to join us, three specialists, and an incredible Smile Team supporting our patients at our Bergenfield and Tappan locations.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I want our patients to know something about those doctors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t hire just anyone.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though I retired from clinical dentistry two years ago, I did not retire from caring about what happens in our practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In many ways, I became even more focused on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I may review many applications and interview only a small number of candidates before ultimately choosing the one doctor I believe belongs on our team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clinical ability matters tremendously\u2014but it is only the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I look for someone who is kind.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone who listens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone with gentle hands and patience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone who genuinely cares about the person sitting in the chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone who can communicate well enough to explain what is happening in a patient\u2019s mouth in a way that makes sense\u2014without frightening them or making them feel embarrassed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, of course, someone who is clinically excellent and committed to continuing to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because technical skill can make someone a good dentist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But compassion, communication, patience, and character are what make someone the kind of dentist I want taking care of our patients.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why I feel comfortable telling our patients that when you see one of our doctors, you are in good hands.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dentistry Has Changed Me Too<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thirty-five years ago, I thought dentistry was primarily about fixing teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today I know it is about so much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have watched children I treated grow up and bring in families of their own. I have watched frightened patients become comfortable dental patients. I have seen someone who had hidden their smile for years suddenly smile without putting a hand over their mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve learned that sometimes we aren\u2019t simply restoring a tooth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are restoring someone\u2019s ability to eat comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their willingness to smile in a photograph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes even a little part of the way they see themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve also experienced much of dentistry personally. I\u2019ve had fillings, root canals, crowns, orthodontics, Invisalign, whitening, and other dental treatment myself. So when I tell a patient I understand, very often I really do understand.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe in what we do because I live it myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Next Chapter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Retiring from treating patients clinically did not mean walking away from dentistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quite the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My role now is to help make sure the values Dr. Tong and I started with all those years ago continue long after I put down my handpiece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I continue to work on our systems, mentor our doctors and team, improve the patient experience, bring new technology into the practices, and constantly ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can we do this better for our patients?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also believe more strongly than ever that oral health is an important part of total-body health. Taking care of your teeth and gums isn\u2019t only about having a pretty smile. It is part of taking care of yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That belief has become part of the message I want to share for the rest of my career:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smile More. Live More. Give More.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take care of your health so you can live fully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smile because you feel confident enough to share yourself with the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when life has been good to you, find ways to give something back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 63, I feel incredibly fortunate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was given the opportunity to attend Columbia University. I found a profession I loved. I met my husband there. Together we raised five children while somehow also growing two dental practices. We started with two dental chairs and a dream, and today I get to look around at this extraordinary group of doctors and Smile Team members who are carrying that dream forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were certainly difficult days along the way. Building a practice and raising a family at the same time was never as effortless as it might look when I tell the story now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I would do it all again.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the greatest privilege of these 35 years has been the trust our patients have placed in us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of you have been with us for decades. Some of you have brought your children to us. Some have brought your parents. And now, in some cases, we are seeing another generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means more to me than I can adequately put into words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So on my 63rd birthday, I don\u2019t really feel like celebrating an age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel like celebrating a journey<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From two chairs in Dumont\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to Bergenfield\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to Tappan\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to our children\u2019s practice\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to the amazing doctors, specialists, and Smile Team we have today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And most importantly, to the thousands of people who have trusted us with their smiles along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you for allowing me\u2014and now our entire team\u2014to be part of your family\u2019s lives.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dentistry may have changed tremendously in 35 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technology has changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The offices have grown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My role has changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the reason we are here never has.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To take really good care of people.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With love and gratitude,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Mariliza LaCap<\/strong>
63 years young\u2014and very grateful for 35 years of smiles.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As I celebrate my 63rd birthday, I find myself looking back\u2014not just at another year of life, but at 35 years in dentistry. And when I think about where we started and where we are today, I sometimes have to remind myself that it really happened. My journey in dentistry began at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, where I was fortunate to attend on an academic scholarship. Columbia gave me an incredible education, but it also gave me something much more important: I met Dr. Darren Tong, my future husband. Darren graduated in the top 10% of his class, and together we began building a life that would eventually include five children, a dental practice, […] (Read More)<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":855,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n35 Years of Dentistry: Looking Back With Gratitude - Smile More Dentistry Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Celebrating 35 years in dentistry, Dr. Mariliza LaCap reflects on her journey from two dental chairs to building a family-focused dental practice.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dentist-tappan.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/31\/35-years-of-dentistry-looking-back-with-gratitude\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"35 Years of Dentistry: Looking Back With Gratitude - 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