CHRIS BAXTER/Observer photo La Grande dentist Lynn Harris prepares to demonstrate how his light magnification loupe works. Harris said light magnification is one of the most important advancements that has been made in dentistry since he began his career 36 years ago.

Lynn Harris began practicing dentistry in La Grande the year video cassette recorders were introduced.

Thirty-four years later VCRs are almost history, biting the technological dust of superior DVD and Blue Ray technology.

Not Harris, who remains on the cutting edge of the dental profession. A pen-sized soft tissue diode laser he occasionally uses to remove tiny pieces of diseased tissue is proof. Harris speaks inspiringly about the value of such tools, talks in a way that can excite anyone.

The La Grande dentist will soon be using dentistry’s high tech tools less often for he is retiring. Harris’ official last day was Thursday, but he will continue coming to work to assist with the transition for his successor, Steve McLean, a dentist from Vancouver, Wash., at least another two weeks. A public retirement party for Harris will be conducted from 4 to 6 p.m. Aug. 18 at his office.

Harris is being saluted for a legacy of uncommon community service as he prepares to retire.

“He is very generous. I couldn’t count how many people he has donated his time and dental work to,” said Joni Lequerica, a receptionist in Harris’ office.

Harris decided to retire only after arranging for McLean, a 2007 graduate of the dental school at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, to succeed him at his clinic. He would have continued practicing longer had McLean not entered the picture.

“Finding the right person was important. When I found him I thought I better jump.”

McLean is an ideal fit, Harris said because he loves the region, was a top student, has oral surgery experience and already has proven himself in an uncommonly challenging work environment. McLean recently completed a three-year stint as a dentist in U.S. Army. He was based in Afghanistan from November through May.

Harris noted that McLean’s oral surgery skills will be valuable in La Grande because it does not have a full-time oral surgeon. McLean will co-own and operate the clinic with Harris’ brother Mark, also a dentist. Mark Harris joined his brother Lynn as his dental office partner in 1993.

“I feel lucky to have been able to work with my brother for 17 years. It has been a win-win for both of us,” Lynn Harris said.

Career reflections

Lynn Harris finds himself frequently hitting the rewind button of the VCR in his mind as he reviews his career. A career which initially gained altitude in the U.S. Air Force. Harris worked for the Air Force for two years as a dentist after graduating from dental school at OHSU. He did so to hone his skills before setting up his own practice and because there was an over supply of dentists in the United States at the time.

“It was hard to find practices outside the military,” Harris said.

Harris moved to La Grande in 1976 with his wife Jan to set up a practice. They came “…because La Grande needed a dentist. It was blind luck that (the need) was in such a wonderful area.”

Lynn Harris credits the late Doug Eustace, who served as a dentist in La Grande for many years, with recruiting him to La Grande and being an enormous source of assistance while he established his practice.

“I can’t say enough about how kind he was,” Harris said.

The focus of dental clinics was quite different in the mid-1970s than it is today. A major difference is that cosmetic dentistry had not even started to evolve. Harris said dentists worked almost exclusively on restoring teeth rather than trying to improve one’s appearance.

A key reason is dentists had limited options for improving one’s appearance three decades ago. Since then dentists’ ability to enhance smiles has improved dramatically because of technological advances which allow for tooth implants and the placement of sophisticated plastic in broken teeth. This plastic enables dentists to repair chipped teeth with material which becomes an integral and remarkably strong part of each tooth.

Almost gone are the days when gold or silver were used to repair fractured teeth.

Harris has embraced the opportunity new technology has provided for improving smiles.

“We can change a patient’s self-esteem today,” Harris said.

Americans have a growing interest in cosmetic dentistry, one reflecting how far the dental field has progressed. Harris recalled what a dentist said at a convention he recently attended to illustrate his point. The dentist had just returned from India where he treated its poor, many of who had dreadful dental problems. Upon returning to the United States the first patient the dentist saw was a woman with good teeth who was upset about a small spot on a tooth.

“It was refreshing to hear,” Harris said. “It shows how far oral care has come.”

A pillar of the oral care he speaks of is preventive dentistry. Major strides have also been made in this area due to improved education and better home care hygiene tools. This is a key reason why more Americans are keeping their teeth throughout lives.

“This is the first time we are seeing people over 80, as a generation, keeping their teeth,” Harris said.

He encountered a classic example of this on Thursday when Monica Kinnel, 102, of Alicel, came in for an appointment.

“She has almost all of her original teeth,” Harris said.

Fittingly, Kinnel, who normally sees his brother Mark Harris, who was on vacation, was the last patient Lynn Harris saw on his final official day.

ODS filled void

La Grande was short not only of dentists but also hygienists when Lynn and Jan Harris moved here in 1976. Finding hygienists remained a struggle for Lynn Harris and all local dentists for decades until the ODS College of Dental Sciences opened in La Grande five years ago. Each year, 24 students graduate from the school as certified dental hygienists. Many stay in Union County or the region to work in dental offices.

“It has had such a positive impact on the community,” Harris said.

So appreciative was Harris that he, like many other local dentists, jumped at the opportunity to help ODS with supervising community service programs, conducting mock job interviews and more. Harris plans to continue assisting ODS after retiring.

Whether working at his office or volunteering at ODS, Harris uses a “light magnification loupe” system when examining patients. It involves magnification glasses and allows Harris to see much more than he could when he began practicing 36 years ago.

“You can see the threads in fabric with this. It is incredible,” Harris said. “I believe light magnification is the biggest advance that has been made since I started.”

Harris, according to his staff, has been a point of inspiring light for his patients throughout his career.

“He made each person feel special, every one of them. He is genuinely caring,” Lequerica said.

The compassion Harris shows for his patients carries over to his staff.

“He is very caring and very gentle. He is the same with his employees as he is with his patients,” said dental assistant Lisa Anderson who has worked for Harris more than 20 years.

Lequerica said Harris has long been one to step out of the bounds of the regular work day to accommodate patients.

“He always stays late, he has even worked on Christmas eve and Christmas.”

Harris has even made house calls, Lequerica said, visiting place-bound senior patients.

Lequerica, Anderson and dental assistant Gina Clark, who has worked for Harris 14 years, have been with the dentist the longest. Harris said leaving them and everyone on his staff will be one of the toughest things about retiring.

“I’m really going to miss my staff. We have become dear friends,” said Harris, apologizing for briefly letting his emotions get the best of him.

Harris said he would not have been able to do as much as he has during his career without the support and encouragement he has received from his wife of 39 years, Jan.

“She has been absolutely essential. I’m excited about the opportunity now to be able to spend more time with her.”