Exploring Life & Business with Brian George of Dental Bliss Hermitage

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian George.

Hi Brian, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in central Kentucky in a small town called Lebanon. I’m the youngest of five siblings. Being a dentist has been something that I have wanted to become since middle school. I watched the transformation (both physical and emotional) of my siblings and myself as we went through orthodontic treatment. Straightening our teeth and correcting our bites improved our self-confidence and left an impression on my younger self. From then on, I focused on what I needed to do academically to make that dream come true.

I graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and received my Doctorate of Dental Medicine from the University of Louisville Dental School. Louisville is where I met my future wife, with whom I was classmates. After graduation, I continued my learning at a general practice residency at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Denver, CO. This year’s residency allowed me to advance my skills and learn new techniques, especially in surgery. This is where I learned implantology under two great surgeons with different educational backgrounds—one being a periodontist and the other an oral surgeon.

My wife and I moved back east after my residency and made Nashville, TN, our home in 2015. We practiced in the Nashville area for several years before my wife decided to specialize and become an orthodontist. Her residency was in New York City, so we backed our bags and headed to Manhattan in 2017. This was an amazing experience both in life and in dentistry. I practiced in Long Island, Queens, and Manhattan (both on the Upper West Side & Midtown). My operatories in Midtown overlooked the Empire State Building – something I never would’ve considered having grown up in a small town in KY. When my wife’s residency ended, we moved back to our East Nashville home in the summer of 2020. When we were looking to move back, I had the pleasure of meeting a phenomenal dentist and human, Dr. Michael Atchley. He was looking to retire after 37 years of practicing dentistry in Old Hickory, TN. I was honored that he felt I was the right person to take over his office. He wanted both his patients and staff to be in the right hands. I am forever thankful for that and look to continue his great dental legacy.

My team and I love what we do, and this is something that you can tell when you come to our office. We enjoy educating our patients about their oral health. We treat our patients with top-of-the-line technologies and techniques. We are constantly learning and evolving to stay ahead of the curve to continue providing the best dental care. Every one of our patients has a very different story and different oral health goals. We personalize their treatment accordingly. The route taken to get them to their end goal can vary greatly, but ultimately we help each patient achieve the smile they’ve always wanted. A smile can change a lot for a person. My middle school self was quite aware of this. It’s incredibly cool to pass that gift along to my patients.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a smooth road?
My path to where I am has had its challenges, but I would think nothing out of the norm for most doctors. I’ve always focused on what I wanted to become and have been very fortunate to have a loving family and support system. There have been tough days, weeks, and months though. You wouldn’t expect it, but general dentistry is a grind. Both physically and emotionally. I’m an energetic and optimistic guy – which helps tremendously with the hard times. Working 6 days a week in New York City and surrounding areas was a challenging time in my career. Supporting my wife, who was a student, and myself in one of the most expensive cities in the world was difficult at times. It was worse when I would commute to Long Island from the Upper West Side of Manhattan. When working evenings routinely, my schedule would get backloaded to accommodate more patients. This would cause me to roll up late to the train station only to watch the train get smaller and smaller as it left for the city. Those who haven’t depended on public transportation may not understand the hopelessness of sitting on the track at night, alone for an hour while you wait for the next train to arrive. To only sit on a train for over an hour to then transfer to a subway for another 30-40 minutes. Only to turn around and do it again the next day.

As I said, this is nothing out of the norm for many doctors and other professions. Early on, especially when you’re new to an area, you take what jobs are available. They get painted in a beautiful light, but you soon realize it is not how you promised. Eventually, you find a better office, staff, and situation. Those situations help you realize what aspects of dentistry you like and don’t like. Working in different offices across different cities and states has been so positive. I’ve been a dentist in the south, out west, and the northeast. I’ve seen a lot of different ways that offices function and how different patients can be. I’ve tried to apply these things to make my office a wonderful place to come for your dental care and also to work!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My office has been in the Old Hickory/Hermitage community for almost 40 years. We are a friendly, trustworthy dental office that stresses prevention when we can and patient education so you can make the best treatment decision for yourself. We understand that many people don’t enjoy going to the dentist. It only takes one bad experience to make you fearful or anxious to return. We try to create an environment that is welcoming and accommodating to those with dental anxiety. We offer sedation options for patients to help them get the necessary care. It’s great to see when our patients begin to overcome those fears and no longer need sedation to come to see us.
We offer treatments for all ages, from complex, full mouth rehabilitation to simple in-office whitening. We enjoy cosmetic makeovers. You can achieve this through smile design and veneers, Invisalign treatment, and sometimes a combination. We also provide dermal filler and both cosmetic and therapeutic Botox therapies. We also have the technology to treat our patients with same-day crowns. This eliminates the annoying weeks of an ill-fitting temporary crown. You’re finished in one visit. This treatment is amazing for anxious patients because they can have a more complex procedure completed in one visit. We also have intraoral scanners, so our impressions are digital. This means that there is no need for impression goop. Our patients love not having to take those. All of this aside, we are an office full of welcoming, knowledgeable providers that love what we do. We want you to have a great experience so let us pamper you while you’re in!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dentalblisshermitage.com
• Instagram: @dentalblisshermitage
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/DentalBlissHermitage