Doc Bresler’s Cavity Busters: Past, Present, Future
Forty years after Dr. David A. Bresler founded his first pediatric dentistry office in Roxborough, a team led by his three children follows his example to guide the practice to new heights.
David A. Bresler, D.D.S., the original “Doc Bresler,” was full of memorable sayings. One of his favorites: Nobody likes change but a wet baby. How ironic, considering his pediatric dentistry practice, Doc Bresler’s Cavity Busters, has undergone profound change since 1982, when he opened his first office by converting a shuttered gas station in Roxborough.
As Doc Bresler’s Cavity Busters celebrates its 40th anniversary, the three dentists who now lead the practice—Joshua A. Bresler, D.M.D., Jason M. Bresler, D.M.D., and Rachel L. Bresler, D.M.D.—reflect on how the practice has evolved throughout the years.
PAST
“My dad started this practice with two patients—my brother and I,” says Dr. Jason. “We’re now serving over 65,000 active patients. What we do every day is intensive and challenging work, but it’s a great joy to be able to provide care to patients from all walks of life, from the richest of the rich, to those in desperate need.”
Doc Bresler’s love of pediatric dentistry was evident to anyone who met him, and certainly to his children. He had always hoped they would follow him into the profession, encouraging their interest but never pushing them. They often came to the office with him, “for fun” from very young ages. In the process, through observation and osmosis, they learned invaluable life and work lessons—about children, families, employees, and managing a practice—that would guide them later in life.
PRESENT
Doc Bresler passed away in 2015, and his children have passionately fueled the practice’s continued growth. Now with eight colorful Cavity Busters locations, helping kids and families feel comfortable while receiving excellent care, they added orthodontic, Brace Busters, in four Cavity Busters locations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the practice was one of few that remained open, overcoming immense challenges and personal sacrifices while continuing to provide patient care in the safest conditions.
Special-needs patients were very important to Doc Bresler, and he was an innovator. He created Special Touch Dentistry, catering to the important dental health needs of adults with autism and special needs, and Red Lion Surgicenter, providing a hospital-like setting with a soothing environment for anxious patients, or those in need of multiple, or preventive, restorative, or surgical procedures, safely administered, and all at one time. The Breslers maintain and provide professional, safe, and compassionate care, along with cutting-edge technology.
FUTURE
The Breslers say they have “cleaned up our own house” by updating several locations, with more news to come. Patients can soon expect to see significant changes at the Jenkintown office, for example, as well as at the Roxborough location.
Updating the Roxborough office, although necessary, will be difficult for the Breslers, considering its sentimental significance. “It’s hard for us to imagine changing that building,” Dr. Josh admits. “It’s our dad’s first baby, but ultimately we know he would be proud of the change because improving the office will allow us to improve the overall quality of care.”
One element that’s sure to remain in place in Roxborough: a 40-year-old sign framed by the Breslers’ paternal grandfather—Doc Bresler’s dad, a physician—currently hanging in a private office. The sign’s message: GOOD GUYS DO FINISH FIRST!, another saying their father adopted as his own.
“The sign is a testament to where we came from, our heritage,” Dr. Rachel says. “It reminds us that if you do the right thing, provide the right care, and treat people the right way, you will succeed in any facet of life. It’s a constant reminder for us, of our dad and the way he lived his life.”
The Breslers recently celebrated their father’s legacy, donating the David A. Bresler Student Life Center at the Kornberg School of Dentistry at Temple University, his alma mater, where he served as an instructor and mentor, and where all three children are also alumni and teachers. The center, which provides multi-use spaces for students to use and enjoy, opened last year. It features murals illustrating David A. Bresler, D.D.S., as a student, teacher, mentor, humanitarian, philanthropist, and family man.
When asked about what her father might think of how his children have reimagined the practice he brought to life, Dr. Rachel takes a moment to consider.
“My father was a very emotional man,” she says. “If we did nothing and kept everything the same, he would be proud as long as we were doing something we loved, and doing our work with passion. The fact that we have expanded and improved upon what he created with love, passion, and care, my brothers and I think he would be overwhelmed with joy.”
Doc Bresler’s Cavity Busters has office locations in Doylestown, Dresher, Jenkintown, Newtown Square, Northeast Philadelphia and Lower Northeast Philadelphia, Roxborough, and South Philadelphia, as well as four Brace Busters locations, and Red Lion Surgicenter and Special Touch Dentistry, both in Philadelphia. For more information, visit cavitybusters.com or call (215) 543-5555.
Photo by Alison Dunlap
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, June 2022.
