Two things became evident to Will Maitre during his days growing up in Mobile. He loved living in the state of Alabama and had no desire to leave. And he wanted to follow the career path taken by both his grandfather and father and become a practicing dentist.
Fortunately for Maitre, he was able to combine those two priorities through the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, where he is now a D4 student scheduled to graduate this year.
“I really wanted to stay in Alabama (after high school). I love the state. It’s my home and always will be,” Maitre says. “It was an incredible opportunity to have one of the best dental schools in the country right here in my backyard. It was a no-brainer that UAB was where I wanted to go.”
Maitre’s interest in dentistry – and UAB – came naturally. It began by spending time with his grandfather, Michael Maitre, Sr., a 1966 SOD graduate who operated a private practice in Mobile for 43 years and served as president of the dental school’s alumni association.
“I’d meet people who’d say that my grandfather had been their dentist for 30 or 40 years, and they were so thankful for what he’d done for them,” Maitre says. “Being able to have a long-term relationship with a patient like that – where you don’t just treat one problem and the relationship ends – seemed really special to me.”
Maitre became even more connected to the profession through his father, Michael Maitre Jr., a 1992 SOD graduate who currently practices at the Maitre & Crabtree Dental Group in Mobile. Will Maitre says he spent several summers shadowing his father at his practice and helping with tasks such as sterilizing instruments.
“I had an opportunity to jump in and see several aspects of what a general dentist’s practice was all about,” Maitre says. “That gave me a good foundation and experience in dentistry before I even started school.”
During his time at the UAB SOD, Maitre says he has been able to build upon that family foundation in dentistry through the combination of attentive faculty members and numerous clinic opportunities.
“One of my favorite things is we have so many faculty with different backgrounds in training and experience,” Maitre says. “It’s taught me that things can be multifactorial, with several different ways to get the end result of improving a patient’s oral health. It’s been great to work with faculty who have different philosophies and experiences.”
“A big reason why I wanted to come to UAB was I knew we would have a very solid clinical foundation. I learn best by doing, rather than reading or listening, and I knew UAB would give us more opportunities to be in the clinic and put to practice what we’re taught. I’ve had a few clinic patients who were in pain, and being able to treat them and get them out of pain, and seeing how thankful they were, has been really fulfilling.”
Maitre’s education is being provided with the help of a BlueCross/BlueShield scholarship, which provides tuition funds in exchange for three years of service in Alabama, preferably in medically underserved areas. Upon graduation, Maitre says he plans to complete a one-year residency at the Foundry Dental Center in Bessemer, then is already in discussion about joining a dental practice in rural Greensboro.
“I have always loved rural Alabama. It’s kind of been my dream to practice in one of those areas,” Maitre says. “People in small towns are very appreciative of these types of services, but they also care about quality relationships. That’s the way I am. I want to be able to treat patients, but I also want to be able to sit there and talk to them and get to know them. The scholarship and UAB have given me an incredible opportunity to do that.”