Career transitions are one of the most unsettling experiences in a person’s life. But not for Dr. George Yzaguirre.

A Corpus Christi native, Yzaguirre graduated from Carroll High School and the University of Texas at San Antonio with a B.S. in Biology in 1993. Yzaguirre spent the next few years teaching general sciences and biology at Tuloso-Midway and Ray High Schools, while teaching a medical terminology course at Del Mar college in the evenings. But the position change from high school to junior high did not agree with him.

“I wasn’t happy teaching this watered-down, lower-level science,” remembers Yzaguirre.

A conversation with a friend — then a student at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio — proposed a solution to his predicament. His friend suggested Yzaguirre try dental school despite his lack of aspiration for a career in dentistry.

“At first, I didn’t even know there was a dental school in San Antonio,” Yzaguirre recalls. “I took a day off from teaching and drove up there unannounced to talk about getting into dental school. ‘If you pass the dental aptitude test, I’ll get you in,’ the dean of the dental school told me.”

Though challenging, dental school provided Yzaguirre with the fulfillment he lacked as an educator. A few years older than his peers, Yzaguirre was unlike most dental students.

“Most dental students were in their early 20s, from big universities and had family members [who] were already physicians or dentists,” he explains.

After finishing dental school, Yzaguirre applied for a post-doctoral residency program at University Hospital in San Antonio. However, his plans of practicing were soon in jeopardy. Two weeks before he started his residency, he woke up completely deaf in his left ear.

“I could not walk, and I suffered from vertigo,” he says. “I ended up in the E.R., basically not knowing what in the world was happening to me.”

He was placed through many tests and given multiple medications for and X-rays of his head and neck area. Doctors did not explain much or give him any treatment options. Yzaguirre recalls one physician even telling him, “You’ll get used to it.”

This adversity fueled his need for a comprehensive approach in his private practice. Because of this, Yzaguirre always spends a lot of one-on-one time with his patients.

“After my experience with my hearing problem, I told myself that I was not going to make my own patients feel the way I did at the time,” he says. “Patients have more fear when they do not know what is happening. Having more explained helps tremendously.”

“One thing Dr. Yzaguirre does is educate his patients really well,” agrees Yzaguirre’s office manager, Veronica Ontiveros. “They know exactly what treatment they’re getting, and more importantly, why. When they leave his office, they know what was done.”

During his residency program at University Hospital, Yzaguirre trained with general dentists to perform conscious IV sedation, periodontal surgery, wisdom teeth removal and implant placement. Despite the stress of his residency and his hearing problem, Yzaguirre continued his training and learned a lot about himself.

“That year almost killed me, but I survived and came out a better clinician and a stronger person for it,” he says.

As it turns out, physicians diagnosed Yzaguirre with nerve deafness possibly acquired from a viral infection, but not much else is known, nor are there any treatment options available. Ten years later, many would be surprised to know that Yzaguirre remains deaf in his left ear and suffers from a continuous ringing.

“I made the best of it and haven’t looked back since,” he says. “I didn’t want my condition to slow me down or keep me from performing at a high level.”

Unlike San Antonio, Corpus Christi lacks a large number of dentists, especially dental specialists. As a general dentist trained in IV sedation, Yzaguirre is a rare brand of dentist. Through his extensive experience, he performs conscious IV sedations, periodontal surgery, implants and wisdom teeth removal, in addition other aspects of general dentistry.

During his days at University Hospital, he trained in the operating room and treated immunologically compromised patients in the hospital dental clinic.

“The surgeons there didn’t want any dental infections before major surgery, like heart valve replacement or organ transplants, so part of our job was to remove all sources of dental infection on very sick people,” he explains.

His training allowed him to learn more about medical conditions, diseases and infections, and how they impact dentistry.

Since 2002, Yzaguirre has operated a private practice in Corpus Christi. Running a practice while married with two young daughters has proven difficult, yet manageable, especially after going the extra mile with his patients.

“If you’re running an office solo like I am, you’re the CEO, the dentist, the maintenance man and the business owner,” he says. “It’s a balance.”

A self-proclaimed workaholic, Yzaguirre is the first to come in and the last to leave his office every day.

“It’s just the way I am,” he notes. “I feel very committed to my job and my patients. My staff and I are very well trained, and [the staff helps] me provide the services to patients in a relaxed atmosphere.”

Yzaguirre has several recommendations for anyone interested in fields like medicine or dentistry.

“Students need to see that their profession is a life-long commitment,” he says. “It’s not about the money. It’s about treating patients and being the best clinician you can be every day.” He also recommends shadowing someone established in the field and taking business advice from those with experience.

“The hard part is being a smart business person,” he says. “They don’t teach you how to hire employees or make a purchase on a pre-existing practice or an office building. I recently ran into a friend who deals with a lot of successful people, and some of the best advice he gave me is: You need a good C.P.A., a good banker and a good lawyer. Get those three people, and your financial success will be easier.

“When you’re not a stuffy white-collar worker, patients are more inclined to be at ease with you and trust your clinical judgment. I did all kinds of physical labor [and] sports, and had good parents. My parents prepared me for adversity that I never saw coming.”

For more information on Yzaguirre’s practice, visit www.yzaguirredds.com.