Bucking the Trend
As health care becomes more corporate, “Best of New Hope” honoree Dr. Michael Dachowski focuses on providing patient-centered care through his private practice, The Oral Surgery Group.
Long before he became an esteemed oral and maxillofacial surgeon with more than three decades of experience, countless awards, and hundreds of five-star reviews, Michael Dachowski, D.M.D., knew he wanted to practice medicine with compassion. He learned the value of building strong relationships and earning each patient’s trust from his father and mentor in dentistry, Dr. Edward Dachowski, a lesson further solidified during his time working as an orderly at Holy Redeemer Hospital at just 16 years old.
“The practice of medicine started as just that—the practice of medicine,” Dr. Dachowski says. “Unfortunately, health care is now viewed as an industry, but there still is no data that would support that that’s better in terms of outcomes for patients. So throughout my career, I have always embraced a true patient-centered approach.”
As the founder of The Oral Surgery Group, which serves residents of Bucks and Montgomery counties from locations in Doylestown and Meadowbrook, Dr. Dachowski has bucked the trend of corporatization in health care managed by remaining in private practice for more than 30 years. Doing so enables him to better control the day-to-day operations, to work more efficiently, and to put the needs of patients over profits.
“Even though surgery itself is usually a one-and-done type of thing, we do our best to establish sound relationships with our patients,” he says. “When we know our patients, we can understand their expectations, we’re able to educate them, and we’re able to deliver what they anticipate as an outcome. Successful outcomes are based on that patient relationship. You have to care to be able to do it the right way.”
The Oral Surgery Group provides services such as removal of impacted and diseased wisdom teeth (especially in teenagers and young adults) under anesthesia and sedation; oral pathology treatments for unknown lesions that can occur in the mouth, and restoring patients’ cosmetic and esthetic dental function with dental implants, which Dr. Dachowski has seen advance by leaps and bounds in recent years.
“The involvement of implants in health care—whether it’s knees, hips, shoulders, or dental implants—has restored form and function where a generation ago that was not available,” he says. “I was fortunate enough to be educated through the formative years of dental implants, and that has allowed me to master the discipline. Being able to give someone back their smile is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job. It can change their entire outlook on life. Dental implants can give that to a patient. Even something as simple as eating and enjoying their favorite foods again with confidence—that is something most of us take for granted.”
He finds facial reconstruction particularly rewarding, as these patients have often suffered trauma resulting from automobile accidents or sports injuries. Dr. Dachowski treats those patients at several convenient locations due to his associations with Doylestown Health and on campus at Holy Redeemer Hospital, where he was the medical staff president.
“Our practice is unique in that I have an intimate relationship with two very good health systems in the region,” he says. “Our Doylestown office is right across the street from Doylestown Hospital. I’m happy to be associated with it, because it complements my practice and allows me to better serve the New Hope population.”
Roots are important to Dr. Dachowski, given his 30-year residency in Bucks County, including the past decade in New Hope. He and his wife are ardent supporters of local charitable organizations as well as the thriving arts scene.
“New Hope is a unique community, and there’s a lot of passion and love in the town,” he says. “There’s something for everyone in New Hope, and we’re happy to give back financially or by just being involved in the town, the community, and the region.”
In the meantime, he will continue to be a trusted specialist for anyone dealing with issues affecting the mouth or face, no matter how complex the case.
“A positive experience for the patient is very, very important to me, and it’s reflected in our reviews and in the day-to-day operations of the practice,” he says. “My staff is second to none, and they enable me to give patients every bit of care and attention that they deserve. That, along with the God-given talents that I have, allows us to do what we do. We’ve done it for decades and will continue to do so.”
For more information about Dr. Michael Dachowski or The Oral Surgery Group, visit theoralsurgerygroup.com or call (215) 938-7860.
Photo by Alison Dunlap
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, March 2024.
