“Dr. Fischer’s philosophy saved me from depression and discouragement in my field and reaffirmed that minimally invasive dentistry, which I felt was the best way to practice, was in fact the right way to practice,” says Dr. Gary Halko, a general practitioner from Georgetown, Texas. “I now feel encouraged, happy, and content with what I do, and I see a lot of wonderful successes. As Dr. Fischer would say—practicing minimally invasive dentistry, keeping people comfortable with their teeth and the appearance of their teeth, is very rewarding. Rebuilding people’s smiles brings me great satisfaction. It seems to me that I’ve been able to do almost anything composite now. I just love it.”
Dr. Halko first discovered Dr. Fischer and the “minimally invasive approach” through a magazine article in 2003. He says that upon reading the article, he was so impressed by Dr. Fischer’s philosophy behind dentistry that he decided to reached out to him. “I wrote him a note on how excited I was about discovering him, Ultradent, and his philosophy of dentistry, and told him that I hoped to attend a seminar. Right away, he responded with an invitation to attend his next Ultradent Summit in Salt Lake City. I called his receptionist at the time and said, ‘With the information I got with the invitation, obviously these are highly important practitioners from all the over world and I just have a little country practice where I see one patient at a time. I think Dr. Fischer must have a mistaken understanding of who I am.’” His receptionist then said, “Well, you might be surprised. Let me go talk to him.” She then came back and said, “No, he knows who you are and he hopes you’ll accept his invitation.”
Dr. Halko continues, “That invitation really surprised and blessed me, but I learned later on that that’s the kind of man he is. He’s a humanitarian, he’s very generous, loving, kind, and a wonderful example of humanity. I truly appreciate what he’s done for dentistry through Ultradent.”
Dr. Halko has attended two additional lectures over the years—one in Austin, Texas, and the other, more recent event, last month in Waco. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each one, and even though I’m very familiar with Ultradent and its products, I learned a significant amount—even at this last seminar—that has helped me improve. I love the simplicity and effectiveness of Ultradent’s products.”
He goes on to say, “I told Dr. Fischer that the 2003 seminar had really changed my professional life. It gave me the courage to do what is right for my patients and it armed me with the scientific information to back up what I believed. I’m convinced now that with the minimally invasive approach, I’m doing what’s very best for my patients.” He also adds, “I feel so thrilled to have had success with Dr. Fischer’s precise technical approach, his products, and his consistency—and I feel like I’ve been successful doing reconstruction and restorative work to teeth that without discovering the philosophy, I wouldn’t have been able to perform.“
Dr. Halko cites Ultradent’s tissue management products as some of his favorite, and as the foundation for success with other products. “I love Viscostat® and Viscostat® Clear, Astringedent®, and the Metal Dento-Infusor® tip. When you master tissue management, it allows you to really segue into using other products like Peak® Universal Bond. I also love Amelogen® Plus and Vit-l-escence®.”
He concludes, “I’m lucky to feel that with my profession, I’ve been able to make a lot people happy, and to bless their lives.”