Dr. Libby: Why I Became an Orthodontist
Dr. Warren Libby and his family
By Dr. Warren Libby, DDS
My grandfather was a family practice physician who moved his family to Dillingham, Alaska in the 1950’s after serving on Iwo Jima as a medic in World War II. He worked at Kanakanak Hospital, and then opened a medical practice in his home. I remember visiting their house, taking the stairs down from the front door to his office where there was a reception desk, two beds for overnight stays, an examination table, eye charts, and varied other medical equipment. My grandmother was his nurse and partner in practice. My grandfather was a pilot, salmon fisherman, and small-town doctor who’s legacy runs deep in the Libby family. I still meet people who knew John Libby, or who recognize me because they knew John Libby, or who say things like, “Your grandpa delivered me in his house in Dillingham!”
My father and uncle were both general dentists. Jim Libby and Steve Libby practiced in Anchorage, Alaska for over 30 years. They had separate practices, different styles, business and practice philosophies, but their career paths were essentially parallel. In addition, my aunt is a nurse. For all of my life I have been immersed in a family who’s careers revolved around health care, which surely influenced my choices.
As such, my earliest career aspirations always had something to do with health care. Feeling a need to differentiate myself from my father’s career path, and maybe a throwback tribute to my grandfather, I entered college enrolled in a pre-medicine track which entailed the usual science courses. My interests were not confined to the sciences, however. I explored the humanities with courses in religion, history, philosophy, and music. I enjoyed liberal arts studies, but felt inevitably drawn to the practical and humanitarian aspects of science and health care for my vocation. I rode the wave of the usual coursework through my first couple years.
After my second year of college I spent nine months being what we called in the Seventh-day Adventist church college system, a “student missionary.” I took a year off from school and went to El Salvador to work in an orphanage. I was drawn to this location because plans were in the works to open a medical/dental clinic while I was there. My time in Central America was a highly influential experience which provided me with perspective that I carry to this day. I learned very quickly how privileged I was being born in the United States in an affluent family. Being immersed in third-world living conditions changed how I see our world, our nation, economics, politics, and so on. I cannot recommend highly enough for young people to get out of the United States and see how the majority of the world lives, but I digress.
My parents gamely came to visit while I was there for a week. Working with my father, we did basic dental exams, cleanings, and sealants on the kids at the orphanage. This was the first time I actually had hands in people’s mouths. With no formal training at this point, it was difficult, foreign, and not exactly pleasant, to be honest.
I realized, upon returning to the states to finish college, that I had some big decisions to make. Should I continue on the pre-medicine track, take the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), and apply to medical school? Or should I switch to dentistry? I observed several physicians in Anchorage while home for the summer. I also spent more intentional time in dental offices, which I hadn’t really done before–who wants to go with their dad to work anyway? I came to the conclusion that what I really wanted to do was to help people in a tangible, concrete way; I wanted to work with my hands, fixing things; and I wanted a lifestyle that included a measure of independence and autonomy. I knew that I didn’t want work to consume my life. The more I learned about the daily routines of medicine and dentistry, the clearer it became that dentistry was the better fit for me.
Fortunately, the prerequisite science classes for dental school were essentially identical to those for medical school. I finished collegiate studies at Walla Walla College in 2001 with a degree in the Humanities with minors in music and chemistry and prepared to take the DAT (Dental Admission Test). My test scores and grades were sufficient to get me into Loma Linda University School of Dentistry. (It didn’t hurt that my grandfather was a medical school alum, and my dad and uncle were dental school alumni.) The Libby legacy runs through Loma Linda, California as well.
I left Walla Walla College with not only a college degree, but, more importantly, my lifelong partner. Cynthia Loor Libby and I married in September 2001. As a brief aside, we were honeymooning in Hawaii on 9/11. Our return flight to California to begin dental school was one of the first airplanes in the air after the attacks.
I finished dental school in 2005. More out of a habit of trying to excel academically rather than a deep fascination with the specialty, I applied to orthodontic residency programs during my senior year. My applications were all turned down. While I received this with some disappointment as I was not “chosen,” a large part of me was actually relieved. In retrospect, I was tired of school and was ready for what was next. My father was still practicing dentistry in Anchorage. I had a job waiting for me to practice with him. There was no sense sticking around Loma Linda to try to get into ortho residency programs again the next year. It was time to head North! North to Alaska!
Dr. Libby has been working both in dentistry and as an orthodontist in Anchorage, Alaska.
Cindy and I drove our belongings (which all fit in a trailer at that time!) through Canada to Anchorage. We bought a house, had our first kid in 2006, and I had a solid job working with my dad in his practice. I had the option to buy him out, take over the practice, and make a career out of it. All was well, except it wasn’t.
The itch to differentiate myself in my career returned. Being in the “real world” of work made me realize how much I enjoyed the academic environment, the collegiality of working alongside others who are learning and growing with you. Having practiced general dentistry for about four years at that point, I also realized that I did not have the emotional makeup to do that for my entire career. It is no secret that people don’t like seeing their dentist. It seemed that, despite my best efforts, I continually was trying to make the best of difficult situations in people’s lives. They didn’t like being in the office, they were afraid, they were in pain. It was draining. I was early in my career, but was already feeling suffocated by the idea of doing this for the next 20 years. I needed to do something else. I needed a change.
And so I went through the application process again for orthodontic residencies and was accepted into Loma Linda’s program. I entered the 27-month residency program in the summer of 2009. I’m not sure what Cindy and I were thinking at the time, but during the course of one calendar month, we moved from Alaska to California, we sold our Anchorage house, we had a second kid, and I started school full-time. It was a wild ride, but we survived.
After being away from school for several years, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in residency. The ortho residency class size was six, which, after being in a dental school class of nearly 100, was intimate and focused. We got along famously, becoming great friends. The return to the structure of a program and academic calendar was perfect for me at the time. I worked hard, but with the perspective that comes only from having been in the “real world” of dentistry for a time. I knew what were simply hoops to jump through, and I recognized what was truly valuable knowing that school would end at some point. As a more mature student, I found I no longer had any sort of adversarial relationship with my professors and instructors. They were now my colleagues, mentors, and resources with great depth of knowledge and experience. I soaked it up.
I loved (and still do) the combination of skills that orthodontics requires. One must have the conceptual framework to solve a 3-dimensional puzzle within the confines of a living human being’s mouth and face. And one must have the skill to execute this plan in a dynamic, changing environment, that is constantly in use. And one must master the materials, supplies, and techniques to get the results intended. All while building relationships with kids and parents. It is a blend of physiology, biology, physics, engineering, metallurgy, business management, and psychology that allows the magic of orthodontics to happen.
I found I liked the challenge of deliberating over the best decision possible for each patient, and then executing that plan. The hard work at the beginning of treatment finalizing the proper diagnosis and treatment plan either sets the course for a great outcome, or perpetual challenges. Once the diagnosis and plan is settled, carrying out the plan is often, but not always, easy.
Finishing residency in 2011, with Cindy and two kids making us a family of four, we decided to return to Anchorage. During the course of the intervening years, we have experienced the challenges of owning our own orthodontic practice, and, later, of joining forces with John and Vivienne Murray in a mutually rewarding partnership that is going strong after six years.
Dr. Libby enjoys meeting new patients and helping them achieve a healthy smile.
After over ten years of practicing orthodontics in Anchorage I enjoy having people want to be in the office. I enjoy working with kids. I love looking at before and after pictures where we accompany young people through a couple of very formative years in their lives where they start as children and end up as young adults ready to take on the world. I love playing a small part in making kids feel better about themselves, helping them take personal responsibility for their well-being, and improving their quality of life. I have been around long enough to have young people come to the office for career advice, to job shadow, or to get experience in the dental field. It is incredibly gratifying to share some of what I know with young adults who are now embarking on their own career paths.
Along with my grandfather delivering babies, my dad and uncle taking care of people’s oral health for 30 years, I am privileged to continue a legacy of building relationships within Alaska and beyond that I hope somehow make the world a better place one smile at a time.