Dear Friends,

I hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend and are geared up for a fun summer. I wanted to send this update on my practice to all my patients due to questions and comments I am getting about my practice plans. I emailed a letter to all my patients last September, but I think only a minority of people read it. So, please take a minute to read this message.

Please know that I have no plans to retire, nor do I plan to reduce my schedule. I look forward to treating patients for years to come. Over the past 35 years, I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet and serve so many wonderful patients and their families. Due to the support from all those families and you, I have been fortunate to see my practice grow each year. During that time, I have added staff members and enlarged the office to accommodate that growth. Those changes ensured that my staff and I could meet our goals of providing excellent orthodontic treatment in a timely manner with the best customer service possible. We finally grew the practice to the point where it became necessary for me to add an associate orthodontist to my staff so we can continue to meet our goals and your expectations. As you know, I hired Dr. Dooyeol Kim last September to join my practice and fill that role. I hired Dr. Kim to help me and you; I did not hire him to retire or slow down. In fact, now that I have his help, I am enjoying practicing even more, which means I can work even longer!

Most of you have seen Dr. Kim in the office by now. Let me remind you of my comments about Dr. Kim that I emailed to patients last September. Before hiring him, I conducted an 18-month search for an associate. During that search, I was fortunate to interview a dozen very strong candidates and selected four of them to spend time shadowing in my office. I took my time to be sure I found the right person and then offered the job to Dr. Kim. I felt he was clearly the best candidate, and in the last eight months he has proven that to be true. I feel very fortunate that he accepted my offer to join our team.

Dr. Kim and his family lived in San Diego during his early years and then moved to Slidell, Louisiana where he graduated from high school. He then went to Emory University and graduated with a BS in biology with highest honors. Dr. Kim then moved to Houston to attend The University of Texas, School of Dentistry where he earned both his DDS degree and his Master of Science in Orthodontics. He graduated at the top of his class in both dental school and in his orthodontic residency. Along the way he received numerous, prestigious academic awards and scholarships. As you can see, Dr. Kim is very bright and very well educated. He came highly recommended to me by the chairman of the U.T. Orthodontic Department as well as many of his instructors. Just as importantly, he is a warm, personable young man whose personality and character fit the culture of my practice and our community. Most of you have seen him in the office and I think you will agree that I hired the right person.

I will continue to design and direct all treatment plans and make decisions for all patients. Dr. Kim’s presence allows us to meet our increase in demand, to keep our schedule running on time, and to reduce the number of days we close the office for holidays and vacations. He has also taught this old dog a few new tricks. If you happen to be in the office on a day that I am not in, it does not mean I am cutting back on my days in the office. Before Dr. Kim, we had to close the office when I took time off.

Thanks again for your support for me and my practice! I continue to get so much joy and satisfaction from my patients and their families. I look forward to being here for you, your families and friends for many years to come.

Warmest Regards,

Mike Mizell