E39: Smile With Confidence: How Dr. Ray Built a Patient-First Dental Practice

Dental anxiety keeps countless people from getting the care they need, but Dr. Veronica Ray is on a mission to change that. In this warm conversation with host Nick George, the owner of Ray Dental reveals how she's spent 28 years making dentistry something patients can actually look forward to.

From her Michigan beginnings to establishing her Fort Collins practice at Harmony and LeMay, Dr. Ray shares the personal journey that led her to purchase a small dental office that has now thrived for two decades. She squashes the persistent myth that dental visits must be painful, explaining her practice's commitment to comfortable, anxiety-free care for everyone from young children to her oldest patient—an impressive 106 years old!

What sets Ray Dental apart is their accessibility. Dr. Ray candidly discusses how most of her patients don't have dental insurance, and why that's not a barrier to receiving quality care. Her membership plans offer an affordable alternative for families seeking consistent oral healthcare without insurance complications. Beyond technical expertise, her philosophy of treating every patient "as if they were family" creates the welcoming atmosphere that keeps patients returning for years.

When not transforming smiles, you'll find Dr. Ray embracing Colorado's outdoor lifestyle through skiing and nature activities, balancing her demanding profession with rejuvenating downtime. Connect with Ray Dental through their comprehensive website at https://drveronicaray.com/ or follow their community engagement on Facebook and Instagram. Ready to experience dentistry that prioritizes your comfort? Ray Dental might just change how you feel about dental visits forever.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Nick George.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a reputablelocal dentist?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
Dr Veronica D Ray, with RayDental.
Dr Veronica, how's it going?

Speaker 3 (00:27):
I'm great.
How are you?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Good.
We're excited to learn allabout you and your practice.
Tell us about it.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Well, I am the owner of Ray Dental we're on Harmony
and LeMay and I am a generaldentist.
I love all sorts of dentistry.
I try to treat all sorts ofpeople.
I've been doing this for aboutgosh 28 years now.
I just really love what I do.

(00:55):
I love helping people.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
How did you get into the business?

Speaker 3 (01:01):
Well, I'm originally from Michigan and I was an
associate dentist back there.
My husband got a job offer outhere.
We moved and I was kind oflooking around for just an
office to work at, couldn'treally find anything that fit,
and came across this smalllittle dental practice and
decided to go for it.

(01:22):
So I bought it and I've justbeen working at it ever since
and it's just, it's been great.
20 years later.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Awesome.
What are some myths andmisconceptions in your industry?

Speaker 3 (01:38):
Well, I think the biggest myth is dentistry is
painful.
You know we strive to makedentistry as painless as
possible.
I really pride myself on, youknow, treating anxious patients
and making them as comfortableas possible and making it fun

(02:01):
for them, making them want tocome to the dentist and take
care of themselves.
So I think that's the biggestmisconception.
I mean I know that, you knowpeople can be in pain, but we
try everything possible to getthem out of pain and happy and
healthy.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
I know your target customers are probably everyone,
but if you did have a groupthat you're not currently
reaching that you'd like toreach, who are they and how are
you attracting them now?

Speaker 3 (02:28):
Obviously we do see everybody, from small children
to the elderly.
I have a patient that is 106years old right now.
So we love to see everyone.
We love to see the people thatare really in tune with their
health and want to be healthyand, you know, strive for that

(02:52):
perfection of their oral health,whole body, systemic goals.
So, honestly, we like to seeeverybody, as long as they're
nice and friendly.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
Have you ever thought about doing your own podcast?

Speaker 3 (03:09):
No, Outside of work.
What do you do?
Oh, go ahead.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
You can keep going.

Speaker 3 (03:14):
No, I just.
You know it's hard for me tokind of put myself out there, so
I did not ever think I would doa podcast.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
Well, you seem like you'd be great at it.
Thanks, outside of work, whatdo you do for fun?

Speaker 3 (03:31):
Well, you know, we live in Colorado, so being
outside as much as possible.
My husband and I love to ski,just enjoying the outdoors as
much as possible.
I also love to read and try torelax as much as I can,
especially after a long day ofwork.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Let's switch gears.
Can you describe a hardship orlife challenge that you overcame
and how it made you stronger?
What comes to mind?

Speaker 3 (03:55):
Probably the biggest thing was, you know, trying to
figure out what I wanted to dowith my life.
And then, when I decided to goto dental school, just getting
in, getting into a professionthat was, at that time
predominantly male dominated,was a struggle, but I, I don't
know, I kind of thrive on thatkind of thing.

(04:17):
So, getting through school andyou know school and you know,
just learning who I am andknowing that I love treating
patients.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
I just I found that just to be a huge thing in my
life, dr Veronica please tellour listeners one thing that
they should remember about RayDental.

Speaker 3 (04:44):
You know, Ray Dental, we strive to just take care of
you as if you were our family.
We really try to make yourexperience comfortable,
enjoyable, and hope that you'llcome back and stay with us for
years to come.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
How can our listeners learn more about Ray Dental?

Speaker 3 (05:07):
Well, we have a great website.
It's wwwdrveronicaraycom.
Lots of information on there,from anything from what kind of
things we do at the office tomembership plans.
You know, if you don't havedental insurance, it's not a big
deal.
Actually, most of our patientsdo not have dental insurance, so
there's a lot of information onour website.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
We're also on social media a lot too so what social
media platforms do you have?

Speaker 3 (05:36):
Mostly Facebook and Instagram.
You can kind of see fun stuffthat we do post pictures, that
kind of fun stuff.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
Well, Dr Veronica, we really appreciate you being on
our show and we wish you andyour dentistry the best moving
forward.

Speaker 3 (05:50):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tognpfortcollinscom.
That's gnpfortcollinscom, orcall 970-438-0825.