Dental Care of Canby
by Tyler Franke
Throw away that fear of going to the dentist office and get ready for a warm greeting from Dr. Alan Neal.
Dr. Alan Neal has been helping perfect the smiles of Canby residents of all ages for about five years, but it wasn’t his first dentist gig.
Originally from Astoria, Dr. Neal earned his undergraduate degree from Eastern Oregon University and attended dental school at the
University of Pittsburgh. While there, he accepted a health profession
scholarship with the U.S. Air Force.
His job would be to provide general dental care to airmen and to help prepare them for deployment.
“It was just supposed to be for three years, but it turned into nine,” Dr. Neal says. “I was having a
good time.”
It often throws people for a loop when they find out he was in the Air Force, even when he tries to make it clear that his service was as a dentist.
“I get asked a lot: ‘What did you fly?’” he says.
One of Dr. Neal’s specialties is implants and braces. He has a real passion for turning things around for folks who don’t like their smile.
He told the story of a patient who “hadn’t been smiling for a while.” Rather than costly reparative work that probably would have only been a short-term solution anyway, Dr. Neal suggested replacing his damaged teeth with implant dentures.
“We had him back in here today, and he was smiling, had a little gleam in his eye,” Dr. Neal says. “He was talking about eating steak. He’s much happier now.”
Dr. Neal also loves patients who have anxieties about seeing
the dentist.
“Give me someone who is really nervous,” he says. “I try to talk them through it. Sometimes, we’ll give them a little medication, but ultimately, I’m trying to get my patients to be able to cope with what’s bothering them.
“A lot of my patients who are super nervous, they’ll end up falling asleep on me. I have that happen every week.”
Dental Care of Canby is located at 333 NW 3rd Ave Canby, OR 97013. Dental Care of Canby welcomes patients with disabilities. If you need an accommodation to receive dental services, we would be happy to provide one. Please contact us at 503-683-8797 to let us know how we may be of assistance.
