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Dentist happy to return to Quincy
Doug Flanagan/reporter@qvpr.com
Quincy native Brett Webley will begin work at Desert Sun Dental on Sept. 1.
In the summer of 2003, Brett Webley had the opportunity to accompany a family friend to Guatemala for a dental mission.
Webley, a 1998 graduate of Quincy High School, was attending Brigham Young University-Idaho at the time, and was in the process of formalizing his future career plans.
His trip to the Central American country solidified the idea that he wanted to pursue dentistry.
“That was a fantastic experience,” he said. “They let me do some procedures. My ‘ah-ha’ moment came when I was doing an extraction on a lady. I was pulling her tooth, cranking on it, applying pressure, and it just came flying out. I was like, ‘That is awesome.’ Where else can I use my hands and work with people like that? It was very cool. I loved it.”
After receiving an education and years of practical working experience on both sides of the country, Webley is happy and ready to assume his new position at Desert Sun Dental.
Webley will start work there Sept. 1.
“It just worked out,” he said. “I knew this position was going to be open, and it felt right from the start. It didn’t take much to get the ball rolling. When I left Quincy, I never really thought I would come back. But I was away for 12 years, and after a while I realized that there’s nowhere better than home. When I was living in San Diego, I went to work, came home and watched television. I was like, ‘I can do this back home with my family around me.’ ”
After Webley graduated from BYU-Idaho, he was accepted into the dental school at the University of Maryland.
“They had just built a new dental school, and it was the oldest dental school in the country, so it was both old and new,” he said. “It had a long history, and I wanted to live on the East Coast. Dental school was not fun, but I met some good people and had the chance to travel a lot.”
After four years of dental school, Webley joined the United States Navy to work as a dentist.
“I had always wanted to serve my country, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it or if it would fit into my plans,” he said. “But I was able to sign on after my first year in dental school, so they helped pay for the last three years and I did two years of service.”
Webley was stationed at the Marines base in Camp Pendleton, Calif.
“I learned a ton,” he said. “I had all of these specialists around me. That was fantastic for my career. Even though I was in the Navy, I worked on Marines, which was unique. They were great, interesting guys. I would always look forward to coming in on Tuesdays after a long weekend and hearing their stories. They’d have split lips and missing teeth.”
Webley was discharged from the service a couple of months ago and immediately thought of a return to the Quincy area. He called Greg Klingel, the head dentist at Desert Sun, and worked out the details of his homecoming.
“This practice is fantastic,” Webley said. “I love being with people, talking to them. I love this job, the hands-on aspect of it. I’ll be able to work with friends and family, catch up with them, and meet new people. I love doing oral surgery and root canals. I’d like to try to expand those practices here. Right now a lot of people have to go to Wenatchee for those procedures. And plus I’m fluent, although a little rusty, in Spanish, so I think that will help me a lot here as well.”
