Dr. Clayton Finley

SUCCESS STORY

Featuring: Dr. Clayton Finley

GREETINGS DR. FINLEY (TONY FINLEY)

Who would’ve thought Hermey from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer would be someone’s inspiration to become a dentist…but it’s true! His quote, “I don’t want to make toys anymore, I want to be a dentist” was one of the first times young Tony Finley had the first idea of becoming a dentist. Along with Hermey and the universe continually pointing him in the way of dentistry, he decided to follow the road in which he had been indirectly led to, and once honorably discharged from the Navy after serving 8 years, he built a successful dental practice right here in the 321.

Tony was born into a Naval family in Virginia Beach, VA. In his dad’s 30-year career as a Naval officer, they moved around quite a bit when he was young, including living in Cuba for 3 years. They ultimately went back to Virginia where he graduated high school and went on to college.

Tony knew from a young age the dentist world fascinated him. Aside from Hermey’s declaration of wanting to be one, Tony got his own taste when he was a Boy Scout. Working his way toward Eagle Scout, a new merit badge opportunity emerged, and it was dentistry. He shadowed his own dentist for a couple of days and in doing so, Tony learned about teeth, anatomy, dental instruments and something just clicked while he was there. At the end of his shadowing, he didn’t just earn a merit badge, he knew he wanted to be a dentist.

He attended Virginia Wesleyan University majoring in Biology and then went on to dental school at the Medical College of Virginia. Growing up in a military family as well as having close friends whose fathers were successful Navy dentists, he investigated pursuing dentistry in the Navy. During his sophomore year of dental school, he joined the Navy Reserves and was commissioned as an Ensign. This move would guarantee he would be commissioned a Lieutenant in the US Navy Dental Corps upon graduation.

He was first stationed in Paris Island, SC and then at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms Station in California. From there, he was deployed to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. He served as a dentist/combat anesthesia support officer with the 1st Marine Division embedded along the border of Kuwait. After the 8-month deployment, he came back to the states and was stationed in Key West for 3 years and then back to California. Then, he decided to give civilian dentistry a try. This was a risk because with the military everything is routine and set, and the civilian world is not the same. He truly enjoyed his time in the military, he credits it to receiving awesome training and meeting great people.

He had visited the 321 area while in dental school with a classmate, whose family lived here. He liked the area and was offered a job as a dental associate with Dr. Rob Underill and has been here since 1997. From Dr. Underill, he learned how to run a private practice as well as a business. He eventually bought the satellite office from Dr. Underill, and has successfully grown his practice over the past 25 years, and has been the source of many bright smiles here in the 321.

ENJOY TONY’S RESPONSES

TOP 3 BUSINESS TIPS

Military Training
The military taught me how to treat people, as well as how to manage them. It also taught me how to manage a budget.

Treat Your Staff with The Upmost Respect
They’ll be the ones to make or break you. They’re your greatest asset in your business. I’ve had the pleasure to have a great staff, some of which have been with me since opening my first practice. I have had such longevity with most of them. They don’t quit, they retire!

Don’t Try to Reinvent the Wheel
Learn from your colleagues and people more successful than you. I learned a lot from Dr. Rob Underill, and he told me the same thing, “just do what I do” and he learned from the doctor before him. Make tweaks along the way and try things but keep to the standard and if the new things work and move in the direction you’d like to go, then implement them.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

I can’t please everyone. I tried for years and learned I just can’t. Know when to admit your failures and move on, don’t dwell on them.

INSPIRATION BEHIND THE JOURNEY

Aside from bills that come with life along with the food bill of a teenage son, I enjoy what I do! I enjoy dentistry and the work involved with it. I enjoy working with my staff and being with them.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Don’t be afraid to take risks! It was a risk for me to apply to dental school, join the military, getting out of the military, and buying a practice! But, if I hadn’t taken those risks, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Know what you’re getting into when it comes to your career. Understand the changing market. There’s a paradigm shift, move with the times. Don’t be afraid to change, but hover on the side of caution with new technology, make sure it works first! 😂

THANK YOU TONY

Thanks Tony, for sharing your journey on becoming a successful dentist with my readers and thank you for your service to our great US of A!

To my readers, I hope from Tony you learned the MILITARY has its perks, including employment in the medical field. If you find yourself in the position of being in charge, to treat those working for you with RESPECT and if you’re ever in doubt, DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL, fall back on the basics, and keep rolling to a successful future. Through all of life, remember to share those pearly whites with everyone, a SMILE can go a long way.

If you find yourself in need of dental care in the 321, please visit Tony’s practice: smilemelbourne.com

TOP 10

Ways to Keep Your Teeth Healthy

According to Healthline, these are the top 10 ways to keep teeth healthy:

1. Don’t Go to Bed Without Brushing Your Teeth.

2. Brush Properly

3. Don’t Neglect Your Tongue

4. Use A Fluoride Toothpaste

5. Treat Flossing as Important as Brushing

6. Don’t Let Flossing Difficulties Stop You

7. Consider Mouthwash

8. Drink More Water

9. Limit Sugary and Acidic Foods

10. See Your Dentist at least Twice a Year

ATHLETES

Keep Those Uni’s Bright and White

As an athlete, it’s not just about preparing yourself mentally and physically before the big game…but you need to look the part as well! Do your laundry!

Aside from during actual game play, ever wonder why teams wear the same warmup gear? It shows unity, they are moving as a unit as one and not individuals.

Ever notice before a game starts how clean the uniforms are, or at least should be? It marks the beginning; it shows you care about your team and yourself. You take pride in representing whatever logo you find yourself wearing.

Treat the game like a job, because in essence, it is YOUR job. You’re not going to show up to work in dirty clothes, so don’t show up to your games in one.

Fun fact, did you know the New York Yankees were the first team to wear team uniforms!

Got stains? Here’s a home remedy to help remove them from a fellow soccer mom: Mix 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide, 1 tablespoon of dish soap, and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Agitate the stain with a toothbrush and let it sit for an hour or so before you wash it. If it’s a big stain, you may have to do it several times.

PARENTS

Kids and Brushing Their Teeth

Brushing your teeth is probably one of the first self-hygiene tasks you can teach your kids! Teach them as early as possible. When they’re the appropriate age, give them a toothbrush to chew on or hold in their mouth. Let them watch you brush your teeth. As always, make it FUN!

Did you know even toddlers can start having plaque and tartar buildup? Educate them on the proper brushing techniques. Show them how to do it. Let them copy you, while you’re brushing your teeth. Let them brush their own and you follow up with the brushing until they get it down pat.

Teach them how candy and sugars effect their teeth. If you notice your child hoarding food in their mouth, especially those gummies or other high sugar food (which should be avoided at all costs anyway, but hey we’ve all given in), teach them it’s not ok. From personal experience, I know those sugary gummies can rot away at kids’ teeth and having a tooth pulled isn’t always an inexpensive bill!

Don’t use the excuse, ‘they’re just baby teeth, they’re going to lose them anyway.’ Baby teeth can cause a lot of problems as well and we all know how much a toothache can hurt, baby tooth or not. So, teach those kiddos of yours, the proper way to take care of their teeth as soon as you can, who knows it might save you extra trips to the dentist in the future!

LIFE

Life = Brush, Floss, Rinse, Spit, & Repeat

Hmmm…if we treat the craziness of life like brushing our teeth, maybe we can deal with the chaos a little better.

Think about it…We take in life, as we live, we are ‘BRUSHING’ along and as we go along, things are going to get stuck!

When you feel stuck, you need to ‘FLOSS’ your life choices. Figure out the ones that are going right and floss out the ones that are causing you to be stuck!

Once the flossing is done, time to ‘RINSE’ or relax! Take a swig of water or mouthwash, let the “swooshiness” be like life’s destressing, gathering up all the negativity from the flossing and when you’re ready to let it go ‘SPIT’ it out!

Once you spit out all the grime from your teeth, you don’t ever think about it again…do you?? So, once you’ve cleaned your life up and removed all the negativity or the things that were getting you stuck…don’t dwell on them, spit them out and now you’re ready to ‘REPEAT’ anew!

Breathe in and take in new life experiences all the while brushing along your journey and when those little negative things start building up and getting you stuck, you’ll know what to do…. BRUSH, FLOSS, RINSE, SPIT & REPEAT!