Hobart dentist Dr Joseph Chau bids farewell after nearly 60 years
‘Despite the accolades the true highlights happen each day that I arrive at the practice’: Dr Joseph Chau has improved the smiles of countless Tasmanians over nearly six decades. His story.
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He has improved the smiles of thousands of Tasmanians.
Now internationally-recognised dentist Dr Joseph Chau is calling time on a distinguished career spanning nearly 60 years.
He still has the same passion and energy for his profession, patients and staff he regards as family.
The 85-year-old legendary leader of “Team Chau” has been inundated with cards and emails from patients far and wide who have relied on his “soothing, somewhat hypnotic and reassuring voice” since he began his career in Tasmania in 1966.
Dr Chau said he had been “very touched by the overwhelming outpouring of support and well wishes” since he announced he would step away from the Hobart and Rosny practices this month.
“I appreciate all the sentiments coming from so many patients – most of who I have been seeing for over 50 years and come from generations of families who have been my patients,” he said.
One of nine children, he and his siblings were encouraged to study overseas by their father, an electrical engineer, so he moved to Queensland from Hong Kong alone as a teenager “not speaking much English”.
He studied at the prestigious Nudgee College before enrolling at the dental faculty at the University of Queensland.
In his final year of study he was offered a one-year bursary from the Tasmanian government to work with the school dental service where he stayed for three years.
“They wanted to revitalise dentistry, which — at the time — had a challenging reputation,” Dr Chau said.
“They wanted to bring in a younger generation of dentists with their new learnings and innovative perspectives on the profession.”
He has always been a trail blazer and in 1990 was elected a Fellow of the International College of Dentists which he says was “a great honour and highlight of my career”.
Dr Chau set up private practice in Macquarie St in 1969 and it grew so quickly he relocated to a new building down the road.
After the Tasman Bridge collapsed in 1975, Dr Chau recognised expanded to the Eastern Shore and in 2017 opened a purpose built practice in Rosny.
He believes he’s seen “easily 20,000 patients” over the years and when the practice was bought by Maven in 2011, because of his age, he devised a succession plan.
Dr Chau has been heavily involved with the Australian Dental Association as a former president and treasurer and helped organise an international conference in Hobart attended by 1200 delegates from across the world.
“Despite the accolades the true highlights happen each day that I arrive at the practice and the thing I am most proud of is the relationships with my loyal and dedicated staff and patients over the years,” he said.
Tributes flow for one-of-a-kind
Kelly-Jane Lamprill, who started as a dental assistant more than 25 years and is now practice manager, can’t speak highly enough of her boss.
“Dr Chau has always been so supportive, understanding and generous and the fact that he has so many past and present staff with him for 10-30 plus years is a real testament to the kind of amazing boss and person that he is,” she said.
“So many of us feel fortunate to have worked for, and alongside him, and most of us only wish we could match his energy and passion.
“We call ourselves ‘Team Chau’ but it often felt more like a family than just a team.
“He would celebrate our wins and offer guidance when needed and so many of us have benefited from the wisdom and kindness he shared.”
One patient emailed his thanks recalling his first appointment more than 40 years ago.
“Since then you have inserted needles, pins, posts, pre-and-post-crowns, used syringes of every conceivable appropriate size and their numbing agents … and discovered a three inch benign tumour in my left jaw..[which was very cleanly and successfully removed!!!]
“Your soothing, somewhat hypnotic and reassuring, voice has always been a lynchpin in my pain minimisation and has been a great gift towards every client from 7-87 years.
“I have always admired the wonderful way that you have trained your dedicated teams from reception to treatment rooms.”
Others said Dr Chau had saved them from having all their teeth removed and calmed their nervous children.
“We have had the privilege of being cared for unconditionally, without judgment, with total respect and with good humour. You are exceptionally gifted in dentistry and as a human.”
Dr Chau hopes to return as a locum but also to travel to Queensland where he still has friends from his university days and to improve his golf handicap.
“Whatever you do in life, make sure you strive to be the best,” he says.
The ‘tooth’ behind dentistry changes
Back in 1966 when he began his dental career Dr Chau says it was not uncommon for Tasmanians to want all their teeth removed.
“Especially for young women before they married, they would ask for a denture because they didn’t want to have the expense of caring for their teeth,” he recalled.
“That was the mentality then, quite the acceptable thing.”
But later a new ‘dental IQ’ changed views.
“People realized how important their teeth were.
“If you can’t eat properly and you can’t digest properly it affects your health completely.
“Now there is a focus on saving teeth and maintaining overall dental health for as long as possible.
“I would remove probably one tooth every five years now.”
In the past, Dr Chau recalls dentists also stood up to treat their patients.
“One of the biggest changes is the physical nature of dentistry – in the 1960s dentistry was performed standing up and then in the 70s dentists had to learn how to perform their work from a sitting position which was a very interesting transition,” he said.
Dr Chau said people could receive many different treatments to save their teeth.
“We advocated that people save their teeth by using technologies and using crowns and caps to protect and restore heavy damage to teeth.
“People can have a lot done to substitute for missing teeth.”
Dr Chau says fluoride has contributed to improving children’s teeth and recommends children regularly visit the dentist from the age of three or four.
He says he has always recognised the feeling of discomfort that some people associate with a visit to the dentist.
“I appreciate how they feel because I don’t like to feel uncertain or uncomfortable,” he said.
He studied the use of intravenous sedation and used nitrous oxide sedation.
Dr Chau says teeth implants and whitening are also growing in popularity.
“There is definitely a higher demand for aesthetic outcomes in dentistry these days, with people looking to improve their smile and appearance,” he said.
Originally published as Hobart dentist Dr Joseph Chau bids farewell after nearly 60 years
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