Good Neighbor Podcast: Fort Collins
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Fort Collins. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Nick George helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around Fort Collins, Colorado.
Is your business serving the residents of Fort Collins? Then, we need to talk! Visit gnpFortCollins.com to schedule your free interview.
Good Neighbor Podcast: Fort Collins
E39: Smile With Confidence: How Dr. Ray Built a Patient-First Dental Practice
Dental anxiety keeps countless people from getting the care they need, but Dr. Veronica Ray is on a mission to change that. In this warm conversation with host Nick George, the owner of Ray Dental reveals how she's spent 28 years making dentistry something patients can actually look forward to.
From her Michigan beginnings to establishing her Fort Collins practice at Harmony and LeMay, Dr. Ray shares the personal journey that led her to purchase a small dental office that has now thrived for two decades. She squashes the persistent myth that dental visits must be painful, explaining her practice's commitment to comfortable, anxiety-free care for everyone from young children to her oldest patient—an impressive 106 years old!
What sets Ray Dental apart is their accessibility. Dr. Ray candidly discusses how most of her patients don't have dental insurance, and why that's not a barrier to receiving quality care. Her membership plans offer an affordable alternative for families seeking consistent oral healthcare without insurance complications. Beyond technical expertise, her philosophy of treating every patient "as if they were family" creates the welcoming atmosphere that keeps patients returning for years.
When not transforming smiles, you'll find Dr. Ray embracing Colorado's outdoor lifestyle through skiing and nature activities, balancing her demanding profession with rejuvenating downtime. Connect with Ray Dental through their comprehensive website at https://drveronicaray.com/ or follow their community engagement on Facebook and Instagram. Ready to experience dentistry that prioritizes your comfort? Ray Dental might just change how you feel about dental visits forever.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Nick George.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a reputable local dentist? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Dr Veronica D Ray, with Ray Dental. Dr Veronica, how's it going?
Speaker 3:I'm great. How are you?
Speaker 2:Good. We're excited to learn all about you and your practice. Tell us about it.
Speaker 3:Well, I am the owner of Ray Dental we're on Harmony and LeMay and I am a general dentist. I love all sorts of dentistry. I try to treat all sorts of people. I've been doing this for about gosh 28 years now. I just really love what I do. I love helping people.
Speaker 2:How did you get into the business?
Speaker 3:Well, I'm originally from Michigan and I was an associate dentist back there. My husband got a job offer out here. We moved and I was kind of looking around for just an office to work at, couldn't really find anything that fit, and came across this small little dental practice and decided to go for it. So I bought it and I've just been working at it ever since and it's just, it's been great. 20 years later.
Speaker 2:Awesome. What are some myths and misconceptions in your industry?
Speaker 3:Well, I think the biggest myth is dentistry is painful. You know we strive to make dentistry as painless as possible. I really pride myself on, you know, treating anxious patients and making them as comfortable as possible and making it fun for them, making them want to come to the dentist and take care of themselves. So I think that's the biggest misconception. I mean I know that, you know people can be in pain, but we try everything possible to get them out of pain and happy and healthy.
Speaker 2:I know your target customers are probably everyone, but if you did have a group that you're not currently reaching that you'd like to reach, who are they and how are you attracting them now?
Speaker 3:Obviously we do see everybody, from small children to the elderly. I have a patient that is 106 years old right now. So we love to see everyone. We love to see the people that are really in tune with their health and want to be healthy and, you know, strive for that perfection of their oral health, whole body, systemic goals. So, honestly, we like to see everybody, as long as they're nice and friendly.
Speaker 2:Have you ever thought about doing your own podcast?
Speaker 3:No, Outside of work. What do you do? Oh, go ahead.
Speaker 2:You can keep going.
Speaker 3:No, I just. You know it's hard for me to kind of put myself out there, so I did not ever think I would do a podcast.
Speaker 2:Well, you seem like you'd be great at it. Thanks, outside of work, what do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:Well, you know, we live in Colorado, so being outside as much as possible. My husband and I love to ski, just enjoying the outdoors as much as possible. I also love to read and try to relax as much as I can, especially after a long day of work.
Speaker 2:Let's switch gears. Can you describe a hardship or life challenge that you overcame and how it made you stronger? What comes to mind?
Speaker 3:Probably the biggest thing was, you know, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. And then, when I decided to go to dental school, just getting in, getting into a profession that was, at that time predominantly male dominated, was a struggle, but I, I don't know, I kind of thrive on that kind of thing. So, getting through school and you know school and you know, just learning who I am and knowing that I love treating patients.
Speaker 2:I just I found that just to be a huge thing in my life, dr Veronica please tell our listeners one thing that they should remember about Ray Dental.
Speaker 3:You know, Ray Dental, we strive to just take care of you as if you were our family. We really try to make your experience comfortable, enjoyable, and hope that you'll come back and stay with us for years to come.
Speaker 2:How can our listeners learn more about Ray Dental?
Speaker 3:Well, we have a great website. It's wwwdrveronicaraycom. Lots of information on there, from anything from what kind of things we do at the office to membership plans. You know, if you don't have dental insurance, it's not a big deal. Actually, most of our patients do not have dental insurance, so there's a lot of information on our website.
Speaker 2:We're also on social media a lot too so what social media platforms do you have?
Speaker 3:Mostly Facebook and Instagram. You can kind of see fun stuff that we do post pictures, that kind of fun stuff.
Speaker 2:Well, Dr Veronica, we really appreciate you being on our show and we wish you and your dentistry the best moving forward.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpfortcollinscom. That's gnpfortcollinscom, or call 970-438-0825.