In 2018 I woke up in the middle of the night and said to my wife, “We’re moving to South Charlotte.” It took us almost a year going back and forth between different parts of the United States, looking for the perfect place to “re-plant.”
I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and yes, I root for the Browns. I have a sentimental attachment to this city because it is my home and the birthplace of my children. I married in Cleveland, sort of, graduated with a degree of my dream in Cleveland, bought my first home, and planted a tree… all in one place.
“So why did you move to South Charlotte?" many locals ask. The answer is simple. I don’t want to turn 80 and regret I didn’t try.
Let me elaborate. I have a passion for dentistry. I have wanted to do this since I was 9, as if I was born to be a dentist. My entire life, I had an internal voice pushing me forward to follow my dream. Over the course of many years, that same voice, or should I say drive, matured, became apparent, and better polished. It kept evolving and mutating. And now, at the age of 40, I still have it… The drive pushes me to do something bigger than myself, remove restrictions, boundaries, can’t’s, and don’t’s, and finally spread my wings.
My vision is a dental practice built ground up on high morals, ethics, and values. Principles that aren’t shaped by insurance companies dictating the course of treatment and limiting what years of my passion for dentistry and training have to offer. Where every detail that goes behind the scenes of making that “filling” matter to my clients even if they often can’t see it. It is a well-orchestrated act making the experience happen. The experience of what dentistry should be.
And if you’re still reading this post, there is one more thing I want to share with you. Every human being has that spark, regardless of whether you’re 1 or 101. In most people, the spark is hidden behind multiple layers of baggage that we carry. Look deep inside your soul and ask yourself: “Is there anything I might regret when I’m 80?” The answer will come.
Truly yours,
Sergei Shirman, DMD