Meet Brett Parks

Brett, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Starting my own practice has been one of the bigger risks I have taken in my life, but as a natural risk-taker I am loving this ride. During my time in dental school in San Francisco I used to surf big waves, and committing to surf big waves has a lot of parallels with taking professional risks. When you catch a big wave there is a moment at the very apex of the wave where your body has to commit to dropping into the trough of a two-story size wall of water. At this apex every surfer has a choice, to put their body in harms way for the potential wave of a lifetime, or to pull their surfboard away from the rush and hope for another opportunity that may never come.

The thrill of taking a risk, leaving the comfort of stable work with a family to support to venture on my own in this economic climate, is sketchy. But consequences of not following my calling are much worse! Deciding to venture out on my own, committing to build a business that will hopefully make the world a better place, these risks are teaching my children to commit to being bold. The risks I am taking with my practice can make people’s lives better.

There have been some harrowing wipeouts in my past when I would chase big waves. A few times I was pushed deep underwater, feeling my eardrums pop, wondering if I had enough air. Even during the wipeout, though, I knew it was part of the ride. So even if this business venture doesn’t succeed, even if we get slammed hard into the deep water, at least I know we will have had a lot of fun building this dream, we will have done a lot of good, and we will have leveraged our privilege to make the world a better place, if only for a moment.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Growing up I thought I wanted to be a mechanic, but my high school auto shop teacher mentioned healthcare as a pathway I could find joy in working with my hands and fulfil my desire to help heal others. After doing some research I discovered pediatric dentistry was a profession where I could work with children enjoying their creative energy, help keep them healthy and performing procedures required handiwork.

Being in healthcare I also have an opportunity to use my skills to provide access to care for under-resourced populations both locally in my practice in San Diego, as well as with our neighbors in Tijuana, MX. As a Spanish speaking pediatric provider I chose to practice at a non-profit outside of my own practice. This gives me a direct opportunity to interact with a diverse patient population; many of my patient’s families have just immigrated to the United States from all over the world.

Within my practice I work closely with Love Does, an organization that is committed to providing education for children in conflict zones and caring for the vulnerable. In April 2024 they opened a school in Tijuana’s larges refugee camp, a camp full of families seeking asylum in the US. Shortly after we connected and our practice is now committed to donating a month’s worth of education for a child in TJ for every new patient that comes to Parks Pediatric Dentistry. I also travel to TJ once a month to provide oral hygiene packs to the families and help coordinate dental care for the students at the school.

At our office we are committed to radical generosity. By this we not only mean giving generously to our neighbors, but we want to generously spend time with each family  and we desire to be generous with the quality of the healthcare we provide.

Living to these ideals is definitively the most joyful and fulfilling part of my practice. We want to make the world a better place, and we invite our community into this journey with us. Giving back is so exciting, it is also contagious. Perhaps a new epidemic of generosity can spread and my practice can be a vessel for the spread.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

Oftentimes in my office you will hear me say, “I can’t believe I get to do this, I have the best job in the world,” and I really mean it. There are very difficult aspects of my work, from clinical situations to mind-numbing administrative tasks, but the positive of my work is so much greater than any negative. I get to work with families in preventing disease, and heal children from infections and pain. I interact with the creative imagination of children which we leverage to create positive dental experiences daily. We play games, watch animated movies, sing songs and watch them grow from infancy to young adulthood.

I know it is a privilege to enjoy my work and I try to use this privilege to help others. I feel like it is my responsibility. Being authentic to this part of me and putting all of my effort into it is what has kept me successful and I hope others can pick up on this type of energy for their own passions.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Many people do not know this about me, but I struggle with chronic back pain. Performing dental surgery at Rady Children’s Hospital (one of the favorite aspects of my job) is something that increases my pain. So, ironically, fulfilling my calling is also something that takes a lot from me because on days when I am in pain I am not a great father, husband or friend.

However, being grounded in pain is a constant reminder of my brokenness and need for others. It forces me to operate within my limits. Each morning I have to discipline myself to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to get to the gym and do my PT, otherwise my back will be stiff throughout the day. When I am having a bad day of back pain I have to be vulnerable with my children telling them I can’t wrestle like they want, hoping that my vulnerability will cultivate compassion or empathy in them when they are adults. My pain forces me to rely on my wife to lift heavy things around the house when I am unable, growing my humility and reliance. Pain has ultimately brought me closer to God in prayer, knowing that even in my pain He still cares for me and He still loves me and He suffered/suffers with me.

All of these things work to heal me, so I can get back to doing what I love professionally caring for my community and the underserved. They also help to make me the better father, husband and son I hope to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://parkspediatricdentistry.com
• Instagram: @parkspediatricdentistry
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Parks-Pediatric-Dentistry/61575600277012/#
• Other: https://give.lovedoes.org/campaign/695570/donateThis link is to our “Give Partner” for our practice! We look to provide for a month of schooling for a child in TJ for every new patient.
• Additionally, a huge/audacious/dreamer goal for us is to help build a dental clinic in Uganda. We need $300k to build the whole clinic, and our goal is to raise it in 2 years. Maybe sooner with the help of the crowd! I have travelled to Malawi to create the pediatric dental curriculum for the dental school there, and care about expanding care in developing nations in Africa.