For Laurence Stone, D.D.S., dentistry isn’t the only thing keeping him busy. With a bounty of personal and professional interests, Dr. Stone continues to set—and achieve—new goals.
As a graduate of Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry, Dr. Stone has been in the dental field since his graduation in 1973. Upon commencement, Dr. Stone entered the workforce as a senior assistant dental surgeon with the U.S. Public Health Service. He then went on to work in private practice from 1975 to 1977 in Southampton before opening his current practice in Doylestown in 1978.
“I am a general dentist, but we do a lot of things in the office,” Dr. Stone explains. “The hallmarks of our office are ‘quality, service and relationships.’ We try to deliver our services in a way that maximizes the experience and results for our patients.”
In his profession, in addition to providing basic family dentistry and cosmetic dentistry, Dr. Stone and his staff work in conjunction with other dental professionals in a process known as interdisciplinary therapy.
“I have a group of specialists whom I meet with and we treat more complex cases together,” says Dr. Stone. “We’re in direct communication with each other so that [our patients] get the results that they expect and deserve. “In this team approach, we’re able to eliminate confusion.”
By using this approach, Dr. Stone and his team are able to make sure all involved parties—including patients—are on the same page.
“This level of care sets us apart,” Dr. Stone says. “I spend a lot of time [at my practice] and have been doing it a long time. We have worked consistently over the years to provide a positive environment so the staff and our patients feel valued and understood.”
Dr. Stone is active among many professional associations, including the American Dental Association, the Pennsylvania Dental Association, the Montgomery Bucks Dental Society and the Valley Forge Dental Conference.
As former president and current chairman of continuing education for the Montgomery Bucks Dental Association, Dr. Stone understands that staying involved keeps professionals on the cutting edge of the industry’s happenings.
“All professionals owe it to themselves, their colleagues, their staff and their patients to be involved in professional organizations,” Dr. Stone says. “That’s what makes you be the best that you can be in your profession by staying current and staying involved. In my case, as an organizer, getting to rub elbows with the sharpest minds in the country, they keep you fresh and interested. You get a lot more out of it than you may think.”
In addition to professional association memberships, Dr. Stone has also been an active member of both the Rotary Club of Warrington and Rotaplast International. He has been a member of the Rotary Club of Warrington since 1978 when he moved to the Bucks County area, and is a past president of the chapter.
His missionary and volunteer work with Rotaplast International has been both challenging and rewarding. Rotaplast International is a nonprofit humanitarian organization made up of hundreds of medical and nonmedical volunteers who work together by donating time, supplies and services to treat children in underdeveloped countries with cleft lip and palate anomalies. By means of this organization, these underprivileged children are able to receive medical intervention, which would otherwise not be afforded to them. Rotaplast International typically sends out 12 to 15 missions per year funded through donations and other forms of fundraising.
“Our Rotary district has a televised auction on the first weekend of December to raise funds for Rotaplast missions,” says Dr. Stone. “These auctions typically raise between $35,000 and $40,000.”
“My first Rotaplast trip was to Venezuela, and two years ago we went to Guatemala,” Dr. Stone recalls. “We take all of our own supplies for a two-week period of time. We’re able to accomplish typically 100 to 120 procedures for 80 or more patients. The value of this reatment can be half a million in U.S. dollars. We’re very efficient.”
When Dr. Stone isn’t working or on a mission with his organizations, he will very likely be exploring another one of his passions: flameworking.
As a lifelong antique marble collector, Dr. Stone got the itch to make his own, got involved and became a flameworker. Flameworking is a type of glasswork where a torch is used to melt glass, and once in a molten state the glass is shaped by blowing and molding using various tools and techniques. Dr. Stone found that the fine motor skills necessary for his profession of dentistry could be easily translated into working with glass.
Dr. Stone makes Christmas tree ornaments, beads, marbles, pendants and other small sculptural items.
“It’s a great hobby; you just need a lot of equipment,” Dr. Stone shares. “Most of my work I donate to charity auctions or give as gifts. Some I sell to craft shops.”
In addition to flameworking, Dr. Stone also gets involved in flameworking events. “I’ve attended classes throughout the country, having been to Corning three times and have studied with some of the best glass artists in the country.”
Beyond his hobby of flameworking, Dr. Stone often finds himself in the kitchen, cooking up something new. Inspired by his father, Dr. Stone began cooking in his earlier days as a practicing dentist.
“I went to China in 1983 with a scientific dental exchange mission and met a fellow dentist who had a Chinese catering business,” Dr. Stone recalls. “After coming home, I took [Chinese cooking] lessons with him. I also took cooking lessons in New Orleans and also learned how to make pierogies in Poland.”
Admittedly, Dr. Stone isn’t as active in the culinary world as he is with flameworking. “I just find it relaxing,” he says. “Recently I’ve been more of a pescatarian, eating fish and vegetables. It’s a much healthier way to go.”
Because Dr. Stone is in a medical line of work, he understands the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. As an advocate for medicinal chocolate called Xocai, he proclaims the benefits of eating healthily and staying fit. The chocolate can be purchased only through independent distributors, such as himself, and through the company that produces it, MXI Corp.
“It’s blended with acai, blueberry and other antioxidant superfruits. It pumps the antioxidant value way up,” he explains. “You can’t get anything like it [anywhere else]. Three squares of [Xocai] equal the same antioxidant value as six and a half pounds of tomatoes.”
Of course, staying healthy begins with proper oral care and healthy eating habits. “Periodontal disease is linked with heart disease, diabetes and other systemic diseases,” Dr. Stone says. “You can’t have a healthy body with a sick mouth. It just doesn’t work that way.”
Laurence H. Stone, D.D.S.
311 Hyde Park
Doylestown, PA 18902
215-230-7667
www.drlarrystone.com
