Robert C. Director
Endodontics | Wilmington
Robert Director discovered his calling after he graduated from Wesleyan University, where he majored in psychology. When neither that field nor his childhood desire to be a surgeon felt quite right, his best friend’s father, a dentist, suggested that Director take the Dental Aptitude Test.
Director did so well, he enrolled in the Temple University School of Dentistry, where he graduated in 1976. After practicing general dentistry, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine’s endodontic specialty program. (Endodontics involves root canal therapy.)
Both dentistry and his specialty have been a perfect fit. “I’ve always loved to do fine, technical work with my hands,” says Director, who made models as a child. “I like the idea of doing something and doing it well.” Director also has an artistic eye; he enjoys photography and sold his work after graduating college to make ends meet.
Though skill counts, Director’s customer service also keeps his patients happy. “I try to run within five minutes of appointment time, but I don’t like to be even a minute off schedule,” he says. “I treat patients the way I would like to be treated.” Communication is key. He and the patient discuss expectations and outcomes prior to procedures. “That’s important in any service industry.”
Married 32 years to wife Debbie, Director once worked 60 hours a week beside the patient’s chair. “I have a better balance now,” says Director, who was on the part-time dental faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. To relax, he paints the house or enjoys the beach or boating. He also does volunteer work for the Delaware State Dental Society.
Director is happy with his career choice. “I’ve worked very hard, and I have received a lot of thanks for my efforts,” he says. “The biggest compliment is when at the end of a visit, the patient says, ‘Now that wasn’t so bad!’”
