When Dr. John Blount first opened the doors of his dental practice in Sebastopol, the movie Star Wars was just hitting theaters, NASA had just sent the first space shuttle on a test flight, and a gallon of gasoline cost just 65 cents.
It was 1977, and Dr. Blount opened his office with one goal in mind — providing his patients with the best care possible while being treated by a staff who truly cared about them. Dr. Blount succeeded in that mission, building the practice up to become one of the most respected dentists in the region for the past 42 years.
Dr. Blount and his wife Patti decided to retire earlier this year, choosing to put the practice up for sale. It was then he met Dr. Anthony Grados and Dr. Karimeh Shehadeh, the husband-and-wife team who are now serving Oak Tree Dental patients..
Dr. Blount made sure to be very selective of the person who would take over his practice, his main concern being that all of his patients were in good hands and the new dentist would treat them with a similar philosophy to his, which had made the past 42 years so successful. When he met Dr. Grados and Dr. Shehadeh for the first time, he made a point of being very open and forthcoming about all of his expectations of the practice.
And it was a perfect match. That meeting was the first time Dr. Grados and Dr. Shehadeh had visited Sebastopol, and lunch at Retrograde Coffee was all they needed to realize how welcoming and pleasant the town and its people were.
Dr. Blount discussed the practice’s philosophies with Dr. Grados and Dr. Shehadeh and discovered they were all in agreement that a family dentist practice should have care that is:
- Unrushed and focused on a single patient at a time
- Informative, with the patient’s questions always answered
- Thorough with complete exams, well-explained aftercare, and timely follow-up
- Quality-focused with no desire for high-volume patient loads, in order to create relationships and provide the best care possible
Dr. Blount retired in March 2019, turning the office over to Dr. Grados and Dr. Shehadeh in the process. Despite being retired, Dr. Blount is still very active with traveling and being a part of the Rotary Club. He resides in Sebastopol and, we’re proud to say, is still a patient of Oak Tree Dental.
