A dentist as a hero? Yep, he keeps smiling despite life kicking him in the teeth

By Branigan Knowlton

May 3, 2005 | Clark Alan Dana knows about fights. He's never slogged it out in a parking lot with a high school nemesis, he's never even slogged it out on a boxing video game, but Dana has fought some of life's greatest battles.

Super heroes are extraordinary men that overcome adversity time and time again. However, most super heroes don't have to deal with marital problems, depression and life-threatening diseases. Men that overcome those obstacles are real heroes.

Each day Dana, 32, puts on his super-hero cape, a doctor's jacket, to fight two of the world's greatest evils, bad breath and crooked teeth. He can't do much about bad breath.

"Some of my patients, even after brushing, have the worst breath you could ever imagine. Thank goodness we have masks," Dana said. Crooked teeth, on the other hand, get no mercy.

Who knew fixing someone's teeth was such a battle? Superman wakes up each morning knowing whom he'll be fighting. There's really a list of only 10 villains. Dana's enemies are as unique and limitless as the human population.

"Everyone's teeth, and mouth for that matter, are different," Dana said. "I see similar cases, but none that are exactly the same."

Dana is a general dentist practicing orthodontics. He graduated from the University of the Pacific, San Francisco, in 2003. That same year he began working for Dana Orthodontics, a business owned and operated by his father. Dana Orthodontics has five locations across Utah. Dana is the head doctor at the South Jordan location.

"I feel extremely blessed to have all that I have. I have a great job, a beautiful family, and my health," Dana said. "Years ago, I never would have foreseen any of this."

Nostradamus couldn't have predicted where Dana would be now. In 1996 Dana went into a depression after an unsuccessful marriage. The marriage lasted only six months. It left Dana and his family in a state of shock.

"My poor Clark didn't deserve all that," said Diane Dana-Hyde, Dana's mother. "It just didn't make sense. Clark makes everyone feel special. How could that girl not reciprocate his love?"

Dana said it took several months of praying and soul searching before he was able to be himself again. His recovery, as he calls it, helped him focus on school. Up until that point he didn't know what he wanted to do for a career. He chose dentistry.

A year later, while pursuing his undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University, he met Lisa Black, an attractive, smart woman who, strangely enough, looks like Lois Lane. They were married on Feb. 11, 1999.

"Things were great. I married the most amazing person in the world, I had been accepted to the dentistry school I wanted, my life had totally changed," Dana said.

Then came the kryptonite.

Dana's dentistry school required its incoming students to receive medical physicals. During Dana's physical, a doctor found a lump on one of his testicles. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in March of 2002.

According to TC-Cancer, an organization established to provide information and support to testicular cancer sufferers, testicular cancer accounts for only 1 percent of cancers in men. Fortunately, it is one of the most treatable forms of cancer, with cure rates approaching 100 percent if detected early.

Dana's cancer was detected early enough and he beat the disease with radiation treatments. It cost him a piece of his manhood though. "Let's just say he doesn't fill his red Speedo as well as Superman does," Lisa said.

Losing a testicle to cancer was hard, but it didn't affect his pride in any way.

"I wasn't too concerned about the whole thing, but when we started to try and have children, it became an obstacle. Between the radiation and the fact I only have one testicle, I couldn't do my part to help us get pregnant," Dana said.

Dana and his wife decided to try to have a child through in vitro fertilization. The first successful in vitro fertilization was performed in England in July of 1978. In vitro involves inserting an egg into a laboratory dish, where fertilization occurs, then transplanting the developing embryos into the woman's uterus.

"Even after the radiation and surgery, I'm able to be the sperm donor. The in vitro process increases the likelihood my sperm will work," Dana said.

After a year of multiple tests, Dana's wife became pregnant in 2002. Dana graduated from dental school in June of 2003 and a month later, he and his wife welcomed Katelyn Dana into the world.

During his fight with cancer, Dana began to follow the life of Lance Armstrong, a world-renowned cyclist, who was fighting testicular cancer at the same time. Dana said Armstrong inspired him to start cycling and competing in triathlons. This summer he is competing in the Iron Man in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The Iron Man consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run. Dana trains about 12 hours a week. It's not six Tour de France victories like Armstrong, but Dana, no matter how he finishes, said he will feel like a winner.

"I feel a great sense of fulfillment when I complete a race or triathlon. When I was fighting cancer I wondered if I'd be able to run again. Like I said, I'm blessed," Dana said.

Dana said his orthodontic work is also fulfilling.

"Straight teeth give people confidence. I've seen mothers cry when their child leaves our office for the last time. I love taking someone's braces off and then watching them look at themselves in the mirror. I get emotional sometimes too," Dana said.

Dana said the Dana Orthodontic way of fixing teeth is different than conventional orthodontics. He said they try to minimize the extraction of permanent teeth.

Most super heroes delight in knocking someone's teeth out, Dana on the other hand, wants to keep everyone's teeth in.

"Extractions can produce straight teeth, but it can also cause narrow smiles. At Dana Orthodontics we want to maximize a smile's genetic potential. We use procedures that move bones in the mouth and jaw so extractions aren't necessary. This produces full, broad smiles. Those are the best kind," Dana said.

It's fitting that Dana went into density because even after all he's been through, he's all smiles.

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