LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
A CAMP Interview: Open WIDE and Say Curt |
by Fay Jacobs |
Looking around his new dental office, with its growing stack of patient files, its state-of-the-art high tech equipment and decidedly untypically furnished waiting room, Dr. Curt Leceijewski (pronounced Le-shess-ki) says, "This is exactly what I always wanted dentistry to be for me."
While Curt had a flourishing dental practice in Maryland, he, like so many other recent Rehoboth homesteaders fell in love with this town as a weekend visitor and then slowly made the career decisions needed to come here full time. And it wasn't an easy process. Curt started his dental education and career in Detroit, where he visited the gay-friendly town of Saugatuck. There, the idea of eventually practicing dentistry in a gay-friendly environment began to take shape. From Detroit, he relocated to Baltimore and was introduced to Rehoboth for the first time. He started weekending here in 1988, all the while building his career in the Maryland suburbs. When the opportunity to buy a thriving practice from a retiring dentist came up, he settled into Bel Air, Maryland for the long run. While he enjoyed the work, he couldn't help going through life saying, "Is this it?" It wasn't. After more than a dozen years building his Maryland practice, Curt took the plunge and set his sights on relocating to Rehoboth Beach. "It was a very complicated process," he says, "but I'd never been more motivated." The first hurdle to pass was the extremely challenging board exams required to be admitted to practice dentistry here in Delaware. According to Curt, the state demands excellence and requires that doctors coming to Delaware pass a very rigorous test. He passed the exam in January 2000 and then got serious about the move. He put his practice up for sale shortly thereafter, along with his home, and by June he began building an office here. That was the next hurdle. The new office building took shape very slowly, but Curt wound up selling his home and practice quickly. He moved to Rehoboth by the end of the summer of 2000, with his new office still months away from completion. To keep busy, Curt wound up providing dental services to inmates at Sussex Correctional while supervising the office construction. And what an office it is. Located in a new complex just off Route One, behind the Crab Barn restaurant, the office is as high-tech as any you'll find. With all brand new equipment, the operatory chairs and chairside implements are space-age contemporary, with state-of-the-art science at the doctor's fingertips. He even has an astonishing intra-oral camera and wall-mounted TV screen so when patients open wide they can get a wide-screen view of their own problem molars. With all the ultra-modern appliances inside the office, the outer office and waiting room offers another flavordesigner comfort. With French advertising posters, taupe paint on the walls and eggplant colored upholstery, this is not your father's dentist's office. The official opening of the practice took place in January of 2001. The office attitude is overwhelmingly friendly, exceedingly competent and absolutely comfortingeven to a self-professed dental phobic like this writer. It's tough to be stressed when doctor and staff keep the banter light, the procedures short and the visit quite pleasant. So how does opening his new office measure up to his expectations? "It's really a dream come true. It sounds corny" says the good doctor, "but I'm having so much fun." The practice has attracted hundreds of patients in the short time the doors have been open, with more calling daily. While Dr. Curt's ad in Letters has attracted many of this publication's readers to his office, Curt says that the practice is very mixed between gay and straight clients. And he's delighted with that mix. In fact, one memorable phone message helped put things in perspective. "One guy called after seeing my ad in Letters, saying that he didn't mean to insult anyone, but he wanted to know if the doctor was gay because he preferred supporting gay businesses. That led to the first actual conversation with my staff about my being gay. We had a great office discussion about our comfort level with the community and each other and it's never been an issue. Of course, I appreciated the caller's sentiment, but I'd really rather have somebody come to me because I'm a good dentist!" But having a good dentist who just happens to be gay is great for Rehoboth. And, according to the dentist, great for Curt. "I love the sense of community here. And my clients are terrific. I've never met such appreciative peopleand they all want and recognize quality work. It's great." With the practice heating up, Curt is busy at work, but also has plenty of time to enjoy his new community. He's in spinning classes at the Y, yoga at Silver Lotus Yoga Institute, taking time for his gardening, and working out at Gold's Gym. And he loves to cook. In fact, Dr. Leceijewski recently won a ribbon in the amateur baking category at the Rehoboth Beach Chocolate Festival. Is that fair, the dentist encouraging his patients to eat sweets? Absolutely, says Dr. L. with a smile. That's just one more unconventional side to Rehoboth's newest dentist...and one more reason why you may want to entrust your smile to him and his wonderfully unconventional practice. Curt Leciejweski, DDS has a general dentistry practice located at 4337 Hwy One, Rehoboth Beach. He may be reached at 302-226-7960. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 5, May 18, 2001. |