Hometown Hero
Soft-spoken with a composed nature, Dr. Phillip Mirise moves about his office, seeing his patients and putting even those who are anxious at ease. His caring nature and serene personality enable him to even make the words “root canal” seem less severe.
Dr. Phillip Mirise grew up on the east side of Indianapolis. He was a first-generation college student at Indiana University, where he decided to pursue his studies and a career in dentistry. While at IU, he met his wife, Gwen, who was an education major.
After dental school and one year as an associate in a dental practice, they stumbled onto the current log cabin structure that now houses Cedar Lane Dentistry. Another dental practice had occupied most of the space, as well as a hair salon. Firm believers that God directs where you should be, Mirise says he was able to not only buy the current practice but the building as well.
Clients appreciate the unique interior of the office space. Each room has hand-painted murals created to relax patients. One room features a space theme, one has a jungle theme and another is an ocean scene complete with a dolphin and other sea life.
Once the practice took off, Gwen quit her teaching job and helped more in the office. As the practice grew, they eventually took over the space the hair salon had been renting from them. They fell in love with the community, where they felt the people were down to earth. They eventually built a home in Union Township. Their children, a son, Cordin, and daughter, Kendall, grew up around the practice. They helped stuff patient bags with samples of toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss.
Mirise says he responded to the community’s need for quality dental care when they decided to offer a Free Dental Day for the public.
Several years later, they still host a Free Dental Day on the first Saturday of December. Mirise says it takes not only his family but staff who have generously volunteered their services to pull off a successful event year after year. In the early years of Free Dental Day, people would line up for hours, some showing up at midnight and sleeping in their cars to snag the first appointment times. The first several years, they would see more than 100 patients. They have fine-tuned the process through the years. Today, clients are given a number so they can anticipate their waiting time. Anyone who is disabled receives an appointment time.
From the very beginning, Greenwood Oral Surgery has partnered with Cedar Lane Dentistry and generously agreed to see up to 10 cases for free. This service is for complicated cases such as wisdom teeth extractions. Free Dental Day at Cedar Lane Dentistry addresses cleanings, simple extractions and fillings. Other community partners have volunteered services, providing refreshments in the parking lot for those waiting to be seen.
Dr. Mirise recalls one of those early years when it was 5:30 p.m. and he was still attending to patients. He had told his staff to go home. He recalls this as “his darkest hour,” when he says Gwen walked into the room with her cheerful attitude and told him he was doing great and there were only 27 patients left to be seen.
While his children grew up around the dental office, Mirise says he encouraged them to find their own direction in life. Cordin started his studies at Indiana University as a psychology major. When he started shadowing cases, he was afraid too much of the heaviness of the job would follow him home. He switched his major to dentistry and is now working alongside his father at Cedar Lane Dentistry.
Dr. Phillip Mirise says he is extremely fortunate to have his children work beside him. His daughter, Kendall, is currently in dental school, and she plans to join the practice soon.
Dr. Cordin Mirise wrapped up their family sentiment about Free Dental Day.
“It’s an opportunity to make dentistry something that doesn’t have to be a luxury.” The family practice, and what Cedar Lane Dentistry exemplifies — from the Mirise family members down to every staff member — adopts the philosophy of giving back to the community.
This concept is also evident on Thanksgiving Day. Since 2009, the Mirise family has volunteered at the Johnson County Thanksgiving Banquet. They have served in numerous ways, but for the past 10 years, they have delivered meals to homebound people throughout the county. “It is a privilege for our family to go and deliver a hot meal to their doorstep,” Mirise says. They believe their family has experienced the opportunity to meet many genuine people, and they make it a point to listen to those who seem especially lonely.
While Dr. Phillip Mirise is quick to praise those around him, it is evident that he leads by example in the practice of compassion, modeling to his children through work and service. He is proud of what he calls an honest living.
