Dwight J. Bradshaw Dentistry has welcomed in a new dentist, and it’s been a long time coming.

Dr. Brian Briesemeister, the new dentist hired by Bradshaw, has been interested in dentistry since high school and has been a patient of Bradshaw’s even longer.

After his personal experience with braces, he began to take an interest in the field, and eventually started job shadowing Bradshaw while he was still in high school.

Bradshaw has owned the practice for 38 years. He had another doctor helping him on a part-time basis, but Briesemeister is now taking on that role full-time at the practice on Bennetts Pasture Road.

“I think it feels really good,” Briesemeister said on starting the new job. “It’s nice to be able to use what you learn.”

Once Briesemeister earned his undergraduate degree at Old Dominion University in 2010, he went on to dental school at Howard University, where he graduated in May.

As a new dentist, Briesemeister has found the most rewarding part of his job to be helping get rid of patients’ pain. He also enjoys helping patients feel good about their smiles, as well as engaging in patient interaction.

While many patients struggle with dentists speaking to them while they are working in their mouths, Briesemeister said he prefers to talk and get to know them before he starts working on them.

“Sometimes it gets me behind, but I think it’s worth it,” Briesemeister said. “Getting to know my patients is well worth my time.”

In order to help keep his patients calm and relaxed, Briesemeister likes to explain to his patients what he’s doing, as he’s doing it. Even he experienced some slight apprehension when he was a child visiting the dentist, he said.

The new dentist recalls going to his own dentist as a child and getting toy planes from the “treasure chest.” While he remembers this experience from a former dentist, he said he has similar memories from Bradshaw’s office.

Bradshaw is still his dentist, and after years of joking about working together, they finally are.