Q & A with Dr. Devon Call

Schedule an appointment to meet our newest pediatric dentist - Dr. Devon Call! Originally from Utah, Dr. Call is excited to call Oregon home - and Timber Kids is thrilled to have him join the team.

Meet Dr. Devon Call

Q: Why did you decide to become a dentist?  

A: Short story: I wanted to work in a profession where I could help others with their healthcare needs on a personal level and also work with my hands, and dentistry turned out to be a great fit for me! And the rest is history!  

Long Story: Prior to becoming a dentist, I had completed a bachelor's degree in business management with an emphasis in marketing.  I worked in IT and advertising for a few years after graduating.  Over a five-year period, which included the time during my later years of my undergraduate program and my early years of my experience working in marketing, I also had the privilege of serving as care provider for my older brother who had been diagnosed with cancer (Acute Lymphatic Leukemia).  That intimate exposure to observing and assisting other healthcare providers in providing for my brother's healthcare needs sparked my interest in becoming a healthcare provider.

Just prior to my brother's passing, I was considering graduate school options to further my education and improve my career opportunities.  Around this time, which happened to also be just after I married my lovely wife, a close friend of mine was preparing to apply to dental schools. He suggested that I might consider dental school since he thought I was "smart" and I was interested in the sciences.  

Due to his suggestion, I began to research dentistry as a career.  The more I learned about becoming a dentist the more I felt it would be a great career for me. Dentistry would allow me to work as a trained professional to provide a healthcare service to people in a personal way while also allowing me to work with my hands and provide for my family.  I notified my wife of my idea to go to dental school and was fortunate to have her full support of me quitting my job at the time to go back to school to become a dentist.  So, I quit my job working at an advertising agency and began my path towards becoming a dentist.  And the rest is history!

Q: Did you have a favorite dentist when you were a kid?

A: I had a great dentist who when he gave local anesthesia (a.k.a a shot) he would say "I'm going to do a lot of wiggling and a jiggling" while he would wiggle and shake your cheek during the injection. It really helped to make his injections practically pain free.  I've incorporated his technique/approach to local anesthetic in my practice of dentistry.  He also worked with another world-renowned dentist, Gordon Christensen, whom I also admire for his immense amounts of contributions to the field of dentistry.  

Q: If you could be a tooth, which one would you be?

A: I would be a wisdom tooth.  After being extracted from a person's mouth I would then pack up my things and go and travel the world.  "Wisdom tooth travels the world in search of adventure!"

Q: What is your favorite flavor of toothpaste?

I like all toothpastes that have fluoride! Fluoride toothpaste in the proper amount can re-mineralize teeth, reverse and/or slow down dental cavities/caries/decay.

Q: If you could live anywhere, where would it be?  

Sunny and warm places with lots of plants and family and friends close by. That is where I want to be!  

Q: If you could be the dentist to any famous person, who would it be?

A: SpongeBob SquarePants or Patrick Star.

Q: Do you have a favorite childhood toy?

A: I mostly recall that I had a toy robot that I liked a lot.  I've always enjoyed riding bicycles ever since I can remember (if you can consider a bicycle a toy).

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: Provo, Utah.

Q: Mountains or beaches?

A: Beaches!...wait I mean Mountains!... er um, can I say both?

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