A Legacy of Care: CHI Veteran Dr. Tomas Lang Reflects on 60 Years in Dentistry
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President and CEO, Blake Hall (left), and Director of Dental Services, Dr. Sheri Watson- Hamilton (right), presented Dr. Tomas Lang (center) with a commemorative clock for his more than 20 years of service at CHI.
As a young boy in Managua, Nicaragua, Dr. Tomas Lang suffered from horrible tooth pain due to multiple cavities and a lack of proper dental care in his country. He thought to himself during those moments that he would never want another child or person to experience the pain that he felt and decided he would become a dentist. Dr. Lang did not know how he would accomplish this, but the thought of providing dental care to underserved communities motivated him to chase his dreams. Decades later, as he celebrates his milestone 90th birthday, his dream has come true as he now retires after 60 years in dentistry and over 20 years at Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI).
Dr. Lang’s dentistry journey began in Mexico City, Mexico, where he received his dental education at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Since his chosen field was not offered in Nicaragua, Dr. Lang had to move away from home to pursue his education. He remembers the struggle of moving to a new country and not knowing anyone.
“I was studying dentistry in English in Mexico. I had to learn the language at the same time,” Dr. Lang said. “I would use a dictionary in class, it was very hard.”
Born to a Chinese immigrant father and Nicaraguan mother, Dr. Lang’s parents were his motivators during challenging times and inspired him to always go after his goals.
“I thank them every day for giving me the opportunity to pursue this career,” he said. “They were the ones that pushed me to study and move to Mexico to get my education.”
Once he received his degree, Dr. Lang moved to California where he practiced for 5 years before returning to Nicaragua to provide care to those in need. However, soon political unrest and war forced him to move to America for good. That’s when the opportunity that changed his life came to him on a trip to Miami. A friend of his told him that there was an open position at CHI and recommended him to apply to the health center. Dr. Lang went for it.
Dr. Tomas Lang struts the hallway in his retirement sash on his 90th birthday.
“I filled out an application, left an email address only and returned to Nicaragua,” he remembers. “One week later, they called me back for an interview. I did the interview in Miami and flew back home the same day.”
Dr. Lang received an offer, and in two weeks he was working at CHI. He says that he knew CHI was for him the moment he did the interview. During his more than 20 years working at the organization, Dr. Lang has loved every minute of creating beautiful smiles for his patients and performing some of his favorite procedures like root canals and creating dentures.
“I feel happy when I see a patient with their new dentures,” he said. “Seeing them happy is very rewarding.”
Giving back to the community he serves is especially important to Dr. Lang. Over the years, he has given back to countless patients in need, at times even paying for their entire dental procedure and donating to CHI’s Brick by Brick Foundation benefiting the Children’s Crisis Center. Serving at CHI has been the highlight of his career, he said, and although retiring is a bittersweet feeling, he is proud of the work he has accomplished.
“I have mixed feelings about retiring,” Dr. Lang said. “I know I need to be responsible with patients, especially at my age. It is better to go out feeling good! That really motivated me to retire.”
As a father, grandfather and great- grandfather, Dr. Lang says he has no plans yet for his retirement. He just wants to spend time with his family and enjoy his free time.