BALTIMORE, Md. — A dental office on Park Heights Avenue in Baltimore City closed its doors for the last time, marking the retirement of two doctors who spent 46 years caring for their community.
WATCH: Baltimore dental duo retires after nearly five decades of service
Doctors Willie Richardson and Charles Shelton opened their practice in 1979 after meeting years earlier, when Shelton called a cab and Richardson was his driver.
"He indicated that he was going to dental school. I said, 'Well, that's quite something, I'm going to dental school too,' and I said, 'What school are you going to?' And he said 'University of Maryland,' and I said, 'How about that, I'm going to the University of Maryland too,'" Shelton said.
The two graduated together in 1974 and went on to build a practice rooted in easing patient anxiety and addressing the dental health needs of the Park Heights neighborhood.
"I've had people say, I hurt so bad you can take my whole head off,'" Dr. Richardson said. What we found from experience is that eliminating the dental problems sometimes helped with some of the medical issues."
He says using a holistic approach, starting with dentistry to focus on the whole body, left patients better than when they walked in.
The office was open 7 days a week, with the two doctors alternating weekends, until this past weekend.
"I've enjoyed my stay here. I wish I had another 50 years, but I don't," Dr. Richardson joked.
"It's been a long, great relationship; it's wonderful," Dr. Shelton said.
Both doctors said filling a gap in the community was central to their mission.
"There's a lack of Black dentists in the neighborhood, and we basically tried to serve them as best as we could," Shelton said.
"Very satisfying, just knowing you've made a difference in somebody's life," Richardson said.
That impact extended to their staff as well. Kim Jones came to the office as a patient for a tooth extraction appointment and ended up joining the team.
"Looking at the patients coming in with fear and leaving out with a smile meant a whole lot," Jones said. "A lot of them see us as family because that's what we see them as."
The building has been sold to another health agency, and patients have been referred to other dentists in the area.
Dr. Richardson plans on finishing his book and golfing, while Dr. Shelton will spend a lot of his time fishing and getting some well-deserved rest.
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