Care Without Compromise
Dr. Michael T. Dachowski, founder of The Oral Surgery Group and one of the region’s foremost oral and maxillofacial surgeons, approaches each case with the promise to “always put the patient first.”
Michael T. Dachowski, D.M.D., has spent more than three decades creating healthy, beautiful, and functional smiles for his patients. His work not only enhances smiles, but oftentimes vastly improves a person’s quality of life.
Dr. Dachowski, the founder of The Oral Surgery Group, has used his work ethic, chair-side manner, and clinical results to earn his reputation as one of the area’s foremost oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Whether he’s performing a straightforward extraction of an infected tooth, removing wisdom teeth, or performing a procedure as complex as reconstructive facial surgery, Dr. Dachowski approaches each case with the respect it deserves.
His commitment to uncompromising patient care ties back to his blue-chip training and education. He received his undergraduate degree from La Salle University, and earned his dental doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. He completed his postgraduate education and training at the prestigious Duke University Medical Center’s Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Dr. Dachowski credits the foundation of his approach to patient care not to anything he learned in the classroom or in the OR, but to conversations he had as a young man with his hero and father, the late Edward A. Dachowski, D.M.D. The elder Dr. Dachowski was a kind, civic-minded soul who ran a flourishing dental practice in Montgomery County for more than 40 years.
“When I was a boy, I told my dad, ‘I want to be a dentist; I want to be like you,’” Dr. Dachowski says of his father, who passed away in 2009. “He chuckled and said, ‘In order to be like me, you have to eat, drink, and sleep dentistry. And most importantly, you have to always put the patient first.’ I have never forgotten that.”
Dr. Dachowski has built The Oral Surgery Group into three convenient locations throughout the region: in Doylestown Pointe Office Park, right near Doylestown Hospital; in the Nazareth Hospital Medical Office Building, across the street from Nazareth Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia; and in the Holy Redeemer Medical Office Building in Meadowbrook. Services include dental implants; bone grafting; tooth extractions, including wisdom teeth removal; pre-denture procedures; corrective facial surgery; oral pathology; and treatments for problematic conditions such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain and sleep apnea.
“There are any number of experiences that can happen on a daily basis that can alter your life in an instant,” Dr. Dachowski says. “There was a patient whose young son was almost killed in an automobile accident. We had to do facial reconstruction from the trauma. The look of relief you get from the parents after surgery, when you give them the news that their son is going to be OK, there’s nothing to compare to that.”
Not every case has to involve something as dramatic as a life-threatening accident. Dr. Dachowski gets that same feeling of satisfaction when he meets with a patient returning for a checkup after receiving dental implants.
“The patient comes back not only with pride in their smile, but you can see the change in their eyes,” he says. “They now have confidence. They change their hair and their wardrobe style. At the end of the day, what does that mean? It means the patient is now confident enough to present themselves in a social setting, family setting, and intimate setting. That’s why I do what I do with the God-given ability I have.”
Patients of The Oral Surgery Group benefit from a caring, knowledgeable staff that continues to elevate the standard of excellence and care that have become hallmarks of the practice. Every member of the practice shares the same commitment, but it all begins with Dr. Dachowski.
“I have excellent people here who allow me to be extremely patient-focused,” he says. “Unlike other doctors who are concerned about any number of other things, there are people here who have specific roles in the organization that allow me to have the patient be my number one concern. That’s part of the beauty of the organization I’ve built.”
Among the most notable additions to the staff is Renee Updegrave, MSN, CRNP, a nurse practitioner whose expertise enables Dr. Dachowski to provide a more extensive level of care to each patient by obtaining a full assessment of not just their dentition, but their overall health.
“We deliver a compassionate experience,” he adds. “Our entire staff—the person answering the phone, the nurses in the operating room, Laura in marketing, and all the people in the building—no one does it like we do.”
Dr. Dachowski has equipped The Oral Surgery Group with the latest technology and instrumentation available in the industry today. While he believes such advances are vital to ensuring positive patient outcomes, he says the foundation of exceptional patient care involves something much simpler: good relationships built on a foundation of trust and respect.
“I’ve built relationships with patients and families for generations,” he says. “We have all the best technical tools around. You can have the best equipment in the world, but you have to back that up with a genuine enjoyment for providing the best solutions that are unique to each patient. You have to always remember that the patient is paramount. I certainly have.”
A proud father is smiling.
For more information about Michael T. Dachowski, D.M.D., and The Oral Surgery Group, including details about its three local offices, visit www.theoralsurgerygroup.com or call (215) 938-7860.
Photo by Jody Robinson
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, June 2023.
