Academics:
Faculty, USC School of Dentistry
Graduate, USC School of Dentistry
Reviewer, Journal of Periodontology
Special Qualifications:
Master,
Academy of General Dentistry
Fellow, International College of
Cranio- Mandibular Orthopaedics
Fellow, International Academy of
Mini Dental Implants
Fellow, International Congress of
Oral Implantologists
Fellow, Institute for Advanced
Laser Dentistry
Permit, Conscious Sedation
Dental Board of California
Professional Associations:
Member, American Dental Association
Member, California Dental Association
Associate Member, American
Academy of Periodontology
Member, American Academy of
Dental Sleep Medicine
Member, American Academy of
Implant Dentistry
Member, American Dental Society
of Anesthesiology
Member, American Academy of
Pain Management
Member, American Academy of
Sleep Medicine
Member, Academy of Microscope
Enhanced Dentistry
Member, Special Care Dentistry
Association
Lectures & Presentations:
San Gabriel Valley Dental Society
San Gabriel Valley Dental
Assistants Society
San Fernando Valley Dental Society
Western Dental Society
Indian Dental Society
Chinese Dental Society
Punjabi Dental Society
Academy for Excellence in Dentistry
University of Texas -
Department of Periodontics
Academy of Laser Dentistry
Everest College
Community Service:
SMILE TALK
Radio Talk Show Host
KFWB, 980 AM
KSPA, 1510 AM
KFSD, 1450 AM
Columnist, Around Alhambra
Columnist, Cascades
Senior Expo
Operation Gratitude
Honors & Recognition:
Doctor of Divinity, Chinese for
Christ Theological Seminary
Lifetime Achievement Award
American Dental Association
California Dental Association
USC Friends of Dentistry
Presidential Level
USC Associates
Recognition for Outstanding
Service, USC School of Dentistry
Radio Transcription
Ep 54: Reminiscing past shows; Dr. Chao's Windsurfing experience; SMILE TALK at the California Dental Association
Salvador Gaytan: It's time ladies and gentlemen, SmileTalk is on the air, featuring the latest news and developments in dental health, as well as other fascinating topics that make people smile. I'm Salvador Gaytan, and I'm here with…?
Dr. John Chao: Dr. John Chao, hi everybody.
Salvador Gaytan: Fantastic, and that is Dr. John Chao, the friendly dentist. That's John Chao, C-H-A-O, isn't that right, Dr. John?
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, and you can find me, Chao Radio on the web.
Salvador Gaytan: On the web, exactly, or you can go to AlhambraDental.com, that's Dr. John's website, AlhambraDental.com or 626-308-9104. Dr. John, we are in the second half of our anniversary special. We had our last show, our first anniversary show, and now we're on our second one, and we’re just kind of going over some of our past moments, some of the funny stories that happened. But talking about anniversary, Dr. John…
Dr. John Chao: Well, let me ask you something. What does anniversary mean, where does the word come from?
Salvador Gaytan: Well, we covered that a little bit on the last show. It comes from the Latin word Anniversarius.
Dr. John Chao: Yes. Okay, so it's coming from a Latin word, which is like annual, right?
Salvador Gaytan: Right.
Dr. John Chao: And annual came from that too. So, let me ask you a question. What do you call it when it's six years?
Salvador Gaytan: A six year anniversary?
Dr. John Chao: Yeah.
Salvador Gaytan: I refuse to answer that. No, I have the answer to that, Dr. John. It is {sex-annual}.
Dr. John Chao: So, is that like once every six years for you, Sal?
Salvador Gaytan: Oh my gosh. Well, I didn't have a date for Valentine's this year, so you know what, I could be going on six years. But yeah, sex-annual is the word for an anniversary every six year. I didn't even know they had a word for that.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, you knew that one was coming.
Salvador Gaytan: That's right.
Dr. John Chao: What about if it's 200 years? That's a simple one.
Salvador Gaytan: Yeah, that's bicentennial. We had our bicentennial for United States in 1976.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, that's right, and what about a 1000 years?
Salvador Gaytan: A 1000 years would be a millennial.
Dr. John Chao: That's right, millennium, millennial, right?
Salvador Gaytan: That's a pretty easy one.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, yeah, that's good. What about 2000 years?
Salvador Gaytan: Bi-millennial.
Dr. John Chao: Okay, alright.
Salvador Gaytan: I'll tell you what's interesting, though, obviously, because I'm not that smart, okay? I have a list here.
Dr. John Chao: You're not? You're reading? I can see that you're reading.
Salvador Gaytan: I'm a college graduate, but I'm not that smart, okay. But I was interested looking at the list here that they have a word for a 125 year anniversary, a 150 year anniversary. For example, a 125 year anniversary, the word is quincentennial. Now, do you want to repeat that five times?
Dr. John Chao: No, I don’t see anybody having a sale, a special sale.
Salvador Gaytan: A 125 year anniversary.
Dr. John Chao: A 125 year sale using that term.
Salvador Gaytan: Exactly. So, you know what, there's a bunch of words there, you can spend all day on those, but anyway…
Dr. John Chao: But we've come one year. That's been a lot of fun.
Salvador Gaytan: It's been a lot of fun.
Dr. John Chao: It's been a lot of kicks. I got kicked a few times by you, but it was a lot of -- well, okay [crosstalk].
Salvador Gaytan: Well, that's because you insult me once in a while and then throw me under the bus.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, well, I don't want to throw you under the bus yet. I mean we've got still more shows to go.
Salvador Gaytan: You mean if we go another year, you're not going to throw me under the bus?
Dr. John Chao: Oh no, no, I'll save that for some other time, but keep that in mind though.
Salvador Gaytan: Alright, we have that on tape now, ladies and gentlemen, we do.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, okay.
Salvador Gaytan: So, just reviewing and having a little fun on this show, we're going to talk not a whole lot about dentistry, but just kind of funny things, things that make people smile, like we mentioned.
Dr. John Chao: A little sugar makes the medicine go down, right?
Salvador Gaytan: A little sugar, exactly, and we're going to give it two…
Dr. John Chao: So, we're going to emphasize on sugar today.
Salvador Gaytan: Sugar is the name of the game, interesting and entertaining. Now, Dr. John, there's a story that comes to my mind, that I would like you to recount for me. So, it's a little while ago, but you learned how to windsurf a number of years ago in the bay, over in Balboa, Newport Beach. And tell us a little bit about what inspired you to windsurfing? There's a funny story when you first tried it, go ahead.
Dr. John Chao: Well, windsurfing is kind of a thing in the past for me. I liked it, and it was convenient at the time, because you could do it in Newport Bay, but now that's banned. You have to go other places, so that's one of the reasons I didn't do it anymore, but I'm out of condition for that. That was quite an art.
But I have never sailed before. I knew nothing about sailing. I didn't know which way to put the sail, and which direction. So, I was flopping up and down trying to learn the trick.
Salvador Gaytan: Now, you took one or two lessons before you took your maiden voyage?
Dr. John Chao: I never took any lessons.
Salvador Gaytan: No, you did. You got a windsurfer and you took at least one lesson.
Dr. John Chao: Oh yeah, that was kind of a group thing. It wasn't an individual thing, but I never learned anything. So, I decided to do it by myself. I finally learned that you've got to put yourself in front of this sail with the wind blowing at your back.
If the wind is blowing the sail towards you, you're going to flop into the water. You have to pull -- the wind has to blow against the sail, and while you have to pull against it. So, after I got that little trick down, I figured I was ready to swim, to go do the whole channel.
Salvador Gaytan: For your maiden voyage.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, it was blowing pretty hard that time, and there was a little party on. We had rented a cottage right in front of the beach, and I was going to show off how I'm going to go on and come back on the sail.
Salvador Gaytan: That was on Balboa Island.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, the cottage was on Balboa Island, and that was before you learned to sail, wind sail.
Salvador Gaytan: That's right.
Dr. John Chao: So, you want me to recount my experience?
Salvador Gaytan: There's a darn funny story behind your maiden voyage, go ahead.
Dr. John Chao: Well, of course, you have on swimming trunks, so there was no phone or anything, and so I was out there.
Salvador Gaytan: You didn't even have -- that was back in the late 80s or so, there were no cell phones.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah. In any case, you can't have a phone when you're windsurfing. So, I was going down the channel, I have no idea what I was doing, and the wind just swept me down the channel, and I have no control over where it was going. I was just flopping up and down and climbed back on, but eventually I got myself beached into somebody's private beach area.
Salvador Gaytan: Private beach, a beach crasher.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, like a beached whale, and I got up. And it must have been quite a sight. So, the lady came out of the house. She says, "Are you in trouble young man?"
Salvador Gaytan: Yes?
Dr. John Chao: It was very nice, she was very nice, and she allowed me to go into her garage, but not into her house though, because I had sand and everything else. She was kind enough to call the house, and that's when -- did you pick me up?
Salvador Gaytan: I was there, I was there at the beach house, and we all watched as you took your maiden voyage, and you said, "Boy, I know what I'm doing," and man, you were lickety-split down the bay. I was, "Man, he must know what he's doing. I mean look at the speed."
And we watched, and finally you disappeared, and it wasn't until, I don't know, a couple of hours later, you get a phone call. Because we're wondering where's Dr. John, and he hasn't come back yet? And we get a phone call, and it's you saying, "Umm, can you come and pick me up and my windsurfer? I'm a few miles down the coast."
Dr. John Chao: Actually I forgot I made the call. I thought she made the call for me.
Salvador Gaytan: No, you made the call, and I had to go and pick you and your windsurfer up, back for the ride of shame.
Dr. John Chao: Well, I'll tell you, the coffee never tasted better when I got home. It was freezing out there.
Salvador Gaytan: It was freezing. Well, you hadn't learned in the lessons. You hadn't learned how to turn and go upstream against the wind, which is called tacking. You hadn't learned that yet.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah. Well, I don't know why I didn't learn, but I did eventually catch up.
Salvador Gaytan: Eventually you became an expert windsurfer.
Dr. John Chao: Well, I got pretty good. And in fact, I got even good enough to get you started.
Salvador Gaytan: You got me in it, I got hooked.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, yeah, and then pretty soon you were going down the bay, but you got a better board than me, so you were going faster than me.
Salvador Gaytan: Well, that is true. I learned that I needed a speedier board. You had the big board, but I'll tell you what was good about your board, because it was big, is at the time I had a girlfriend, and I could take her on the back of the board, because it was big enough.
Dr. John Chao: On my board?
Salvador Gaytan: On your board, yeah.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, I took a lot of people on my board.
Salvador Gaytan: Yeah, exactly, because you had a big board. Mine was a smaller board.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, I took my dog Rusty on my board, and Fonzie too. Yeah, Fonzie, and I took Suzanne, my girlfriend at the time, on the board, and it was fun.
Salvador Gaytan: And what's good about that board, I remember one time taking my girlfriend, we're going down the channel, and this guy comes in a really nice sailboat by himself, and he cruises by us, and he looks and he looks, he goes, "Man, I'm just missing one thing." He had no girl on his boat. So, just a little funny tidbit there that happened to Dr. John.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, you really feel like a captain when you have that passenger on your board. I mean you control the whole thing. If she falls, you fall, that's it. If you fall, she falls.
Salvador Gaytan: Exactly, so just a little funny story there.
Dr. John Chao: So, what is the amusing story that I have about you? Guess what I remember about you?
Salvador Gaytan: What do you remember, Dr. John?
Dr. John Chao: I remember you doing something to your dad's car. What'd you do? You put water in his gas tank one time? Well, what happened there?
Salvador Gaytan: Do we have to resurrect that from…
Dr. John Chao: Among other stories.
Salvador Gaytan: Years ago, because I was probably about seven years old at the time, and it is true. Back when I was seven, there were no self serve gas stations. You roll in, my dad would lean out of the window and he'd say, "Fill her up, fill her up," and the gas station, "Fill her up." I thought that was the neatest thing.
So, I said to my best friend, Gary. I said, "I can't wait until we can drive, and we can roll into the gas station and say fill her up." So, I saw my dad's brand new Cadillac in the driveway, and I said to my friend Gary, "You know what, we don't have to wait. When I yell, turn it on. You turn on the nozzles." So, I stuck the hose in my dad's gas tank, brand new Cadillac, and Gary, I said, "Fill her up." And he turned the nozzle, and we filled it up with water, had a great time.
And in a way I kind of thought I was helping him, because I was -- and I didn't really know the difference between water and gasoline exactly, but it didn't start. The car had to be towed in. The gas station guy called him back and said, "Well, you know, you got a tank full of water." And my dad realized, "Okay, I know where that came from."
Dr. John Chao: Only one person could have done it.
Salvador Gaytan: Only one person. So, he called me in to the bedroom, and he says, "Son, I want to explain to you something." I said, "Yeah dad, yeah?" "I want to explain to you the difference between water and gasoline. So, turn over."
[Laughter]
Boom, boom, boom, I'll tell you what, my buns still radiate heat. He says, "Now, do you understand the difference?" I said yeah dad, I understand the difference. So, you know what, I learned early on you don't do that, but that was one of my mischievous sides.
Dr. John Chao: You didn't pass any gas either, did you, when you got spanked?
Salvador Gaytan: I did not. I was scared. Why, when you got spanked, is that what happened to you?
Dr. John Chao: [Laughter] I didn't dare either.
Salvador Gaytan: You didn't dare either. Now, so that was part of the mischief. Now, Dr. John, reflecting on our anniversary show here, a couple of things. But one is -- part of the anniversary show is you specialize in dealing with cowards and chickens, people that have high anxieties towards seeing a dentist.
And I have talked to you a little about this, that I think there is a big need out there, especially when I've been in your office hearing people talk about how they're afraid of the dentist and how you deal with them so well, that I've asked you to offer a special for people who are listeners or know someone, who needs to see a dentist, they don't have a dentist, they're suffering with pain and they have anxiety, and you're offering a special consultation, aren't you?
Dr. John Chao: Well, actually I didn't really go for the idea in the beginning, because the nature of this show is for me, and with your help, to explain dentistry to our listeners and help them understand dentistry, how important it is to them and how they can find dentists who can take care of their particular needs.
Dentistry is a vast profession with many, many niches and every dentist has something unique and special to offer their patients, and it's up to the patients through the referral system or through the internet how to find the right dentist for them. So, I was not particularly in favor of the idea…
Salvador Gaytan: But the people needed…
Dr. John Chao: To invite people to come to my practice, but you did make a point about that. Why don't you go ahead and explain it?
Salvador Gaytan: Well, I was in your office recently, and I heard some patients talking about how they were afraid. I heard another one mention how she said she was the biggest coward of them all. So, I know there's a lot of anxiety, and I think that people that don't have a dentist, they need someone to go to, and they need someone who is going to take care of them, knowing that they have anxieties. You specialize in this, so I think it's part of your public service.
Dr. John Chao: Well, you make a good point there; however I do want to talk about how a patient who has high anxieties can find a doctor. Maybe it's not within driving range of my particular practice, but I really want the audience to know that there is a way.
And number one, if you do have high anxiety, or if you have a loved one who has that, you need to accept the fact that this is not a problem that you invited. It's not your fault that you've had experiences in the past that have sensitized you to where you have this overwhelming anxiety that prevents you from getting necessary dental care.
You need to accept that and it's okay. It's acceptable and many, many other people are in the same boat, and there is actually an official term for it, and the dentists generally are aware of the situation, and many dentists intuitively treat this problem, and you need to know by word of mouth how to find such a person.
If you know somebody who is also like you, and has a particular sensitivity to certain aspects of dentistry just like you, and this person has found a good dentist, then that's fine and you can go to that particular dentist to see whether that is a right place for you.
But you did make the point that some patients are so scared of the dentist, they need to go to somebody that have heard about or has listened to, such as on this radio station.
And if you have heard me and you feel that this is one way you can go to a dentist, because you have at least heard my voice, you know who I am and you know my personality, and this agrees with you, then this is one way you can get to the dentist rather than avoiding it, I think the point is made that you can come to see me. I'll be happy to see you and to help you with this particular situation.
Salvador Gaytan: And you're offering for people that have listened to this anniversary show. If they mention the anniversary show, they can receive a special consultation at no charge. Normally, you charge for a regular consultation, but this is a special consultation that requires more time, because if they have anxiety, they're going to need more time, and you're offering this free of charge for people who listen to this show.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, it's a way I can help those people who cannot be helped in any other way, not as a routine thing. I don't do that routinely, but because this is an anniversary show, and if you have been a faithful listener and you need this particular service from us, we'll be very happy to do it for you, and have you come in and I can explain how you can be treated in a way where this anxiety will be gone. It will be gone in a very short time, and without medication, without gases and without IVs and punctures and so on.
Salvador Gaytan: So, if you're interested or you know someone who is interested, that's a good friend, a loved one, you can call Dr. John Chao at 626-308-9104 or his website is AlhambraDental.com, and you can schedule an appointment for a special consultation at no charge for people that have high anxiety or deem themselves as cowards, which I have heard some of your patients reference themselves to, which there's no shame in that. People have anxiety.
Dr. John Chao: Or if you feel that coward is not a good label for you, and I don't want to offend anybody who doesn't like that label, it could be objectionable to certain people. Just think in terms of you being a patient who has zero tolerance for pain.
And it's okay if you're highly sensitive, because of past experiences, it's okay to have that. And if you need to find me, and it's easy, just type in Chao Radio, C-H-A-O Radio; you'll be able to find me.
Salvador Gaytan: In the internet, of course, fantastic. And again, that number is 626-308-9104. Okay, Dr. John, we've had a lot of shows during this past year. We're kind of reminiscent a little bit. What is one of your favorite shows that you remember during the year?
Dr. John Chao: I actually had two. One is when the little girls came in, and they had done a scientific experiment that I thought was quite impressive, and they took eggs, eggs empty of anything inside, and they put these eggs into different solutions; milk, water, coke and cranberry juice. And they observed it day after day to see how the eggs {degradated} and they were able to find that cranberry was the worst one.
Salvador Gaytan: Because the egg shells simulates what happens to a tooth.
Dr. John Chao: The enamel, yeah, well, the tooth structure. It was quite an experiment and they found out that actually cranberry juice, because it's so acidic, actually {degradated} the egg shells faster than all the other solutions. And coke did it to a certain extent, but milk was quite acidic also.
So, I was very impressed by what they did, and we really enjoyed having them here, and hear their little cheerful voices. That was very good .
Salvador Gaytan: Well, those were two -- one little girl was the little girl of one of your personnel in your office.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, Claudia's little daughter, Selena.
Salvador Gaytan: Selena, and then the other one was her friend, right?
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, her classmate, and the two of them cooked this experiment up with some adult suggestions and I thought it was a fabulous little show.
Salvador Gaytan: Now, I think they were what, 10, 11, 12, something in that range?
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, yeah.
Salvador Gaytan: Yeah. And their experiment was quite impressive. They had actually charts of how the experiments took place and the different effects on the different shells. And I think I remember they've said they used -- actually each one of them had a set of eggs on their own, and then they used which they said they thought was the best one. I forget whose it was.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah. It was quite thoughtful. And this is exactly a kind of a precursor to a scientific investigation that we talked about at the dental schools. And maybe they will become dentists or physicians when they grow up. They certainly have the knack for the scientific part.
Salvador Gaytan: Yes, and like you mentioned, they were probably our youngest guests on the show during the year, and we're going to have more interesting guests.
Dr. John Chao: Yes, I'm going to invite other personnel from the dental schools, and there is a dental convention coming up for Southern California, and they'll be attended by 20,000 to 30,000 dental personnel. And we'll be over there, Sal and I, to interview the people over there. It will be very exciting.
Salvador Gaytan: Wait. Did you say I have to go?
Dr. John Chao: You don't have to go.
Salvador Gaytan: No, I'm just kidding you [laughter].
Dr. John Chao: I know you want to go.
Salvador Gaytan: Darn right, I want to go.
Dr. John Chao: You want to have a chance to nitpick yourselves through 20,000, 30,000 people, some of whom will be very attractive young ladies.
Salvador Gaytan: Wow.
Dr. John Chao: And with your press badge and your microphone, who knows what you can cook up?
Salvador Gaytan: You may want me to interview things that can be on the show, but I may go off on a different tangent, Dr. John.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, I don't know what you're going to do.
Salvador Gaytan: Right, who knows what we're going to come up with?
Dr. John Chao: But it will be a lot of fun, we'll have some exciting and wonderful guests on our show. Some of them will be on the floor at the convention itself, and we'll be [crosstalk].
Salvador Gaytan: So, that will take place when, end of April, is that right?
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, the show, the interview probably would be early May sometime. We have four years of very interesting agenda talking about the wonderful wild world of dentistry. It's just as interesting as all the medical shows that you can come up with.
Salvador Gaytan: Right. Now, some of my -- I want to get to something about you personally, but there are so many favorite moments I remember. I remember some moments we talked about some forensic dentistry where some people were convicted on -- one man was convicted on a bite mark, and then he was released on DNA later. I thought that was fascinating. I think I remember another story about how a thief was caught, because he lost part of his dentures. That was interesting.
Dr. John Chao: Yeah, forensic dentistry is very, very fascinating. Very challenging, but very scientific, and it's a burgeoning field. Saliva diagnostics is coming up, and that has some very interesting forensic aspects, where you can isolate the saliva, and you can actually identify the person maybe eventually. In fact, we're going to have a researcher from USC School of Dentistry to come to talk to us about that, in the coming weeks.
Salvador Gaytan: That would be fascinating. We have a lot of things on our agenda for the next 52 shows, including something about you personally, but we also have some fascinating guests. We also are going to do more forensic dentistry that people like, about cases, about how people were caught.
We're also going to expand, have interesting topics, because it's called SmileTalk and things that affect people's health, that people need to know about. So, it's going to be quite a diverse and entertaining show for our next 52, isn't that right?
Dr. John Chao: Absolutely. We'll have a wonderful time, and just in case you feel that we talk too much about USC, we will be inviting guests from UCLA, Loma Linda University, the dental schools there, as well as the new dental schools that just came up, established just recently in Pomona.
Salvador Gaytan: Pomona, huh, excellent.
Dr. John Chao: So, it will be -- overall we're not going to play favorites. It will be objective, journalistic type exposure of the background of dentistry.
Salvador Gaytan: That's right, and for anyone tuning in, you're listening to SmileTalk with Dr. John Chao, the friendly dentist. You can reach Dr. John at AlhambraDental.com. He is located in Alhambra or 626-308-9104. You can also reach him at 626-308-9104.
Dr. John Chao: Or Google me Chao Radio, C-H-A-O Radio. You'll find me that way.
Salvador Gaytan: That's right. That is exactly correct.
Dr. John Chao: That's actually the easiest, C-H-A-O Radio, that's not hard.
Salvador Gaytan: That's right, that's true. And just to let everyone know again, reiterate, Dr. John is offering an anniversary show, a special offer for his listeners or people that have loved ones or friends of the show, a special consultation regarding people who have high anxiety, if they have special needs. Dr. John specializes in that and usually charges for those consultations, but it's a special consultation, requires a little bit more time.
And like I talked about Dr. John, I have the best respect for people, doctors, dentists that listen, and I think that you really listen to your patients in order to ease their anxieties and find the solutions.
Dr. John Chao: Yes, that's what we learned. And also, our staff, it's a cooperative effort. It's the entire staff, it's the doctor, and it's the facilities and it's the technology that you offer, it can make dentistry a pleasant experience every single time.
Salvador Gaytan: Absolutely. Now, as your patient for many years, I can vouch for that, so I urge anyone who does have anxieties, my opinion, call Dr. John and he is the best in my book, but just my opinion. So, I guess that's the last few seconds of our show, Dr. John. I guess it's a wrap for today, huh?
Dr. John Chao: Yes, thank you very much listeners for tuning into this show, and we look forward to seeing all of you in the coming weeks.
Salvador Gaytan: That's a wrap, goodbye everybody.
Dr. John Chao: Goodbye everybody.
[END OF AUDIO]
