Boardwalk Dentistry - William D. Gilbert, DDS & Elias C. Almaz, DDS

02/05/2025

[Dr. Gilbert] I'm retired now but still I often have thoughts and reflections about my beloved profession, and I'll share one now. I hired a contractor to do some work at my house recently. It went well, but when the contractor was finished, he had to come back another day to meet with the county building inspector for a final sign-off. He sat in his truck for three hours, waiting for the inspector to arrive. I know this is commonplace and necessary, but it occurred to me that no such immediate oversight of doctors and dentists is done. Imagine if there were a state inspector looking over your dentist's shoulder while he worked on your tooth. I suppose this means the public trusts us learned professionals to perform our work correctly and conscientiously. It is a sacred privilege that we must never abuse. Sure, we have to comply with state laws and regulations to renew our licenses, but beyond that, in 37 years our practice was never inspected or called into question by the State Dental Board. Dr. Almaz and I feel a sense of stewardship over the trust our patients place in us, and we do our honest best at all times. I wish that all of my colleagues felt the same weight of responsibility and integrity that we do, and I know of some who don't. Be careful who you choose to take care of your teeth. -- WDG

09/07/2024

So what's the big deal with the trains? When You have visited our office, you may have noticed the two large glass display cases in the hallway full of model trains. As Dr. Gilbert explains below, it's more than him indulging his oddball hobby, it's part of his story and part of what led him to become a dentist.
"As long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by trains. I have no idea why. Maybe it's the size and the power and the way the earth shakes when a gigantic locomotive rumbles by. I got my first toy train set for my sixth birthday, then my dad and I built a serious model train layout on a 4x8 sheet of plywood during the summer after sixth grade. After that, model railroading was a serious hobby for me, and it occupied a lot of hours while I was a teenager and it probably kept me out of some trouble other teenage boys were getting into. I found I had a natural aptitude for working with the tiny parts and the tiny tools, and working with different materials to create a model with high levels of detail and precision. I got to wondering if there was something like that I could do for a living one day, and it occurred to me that dentists make tiny things with tiny tools, and it seemed like an obvious choice for me. So I could say that my avocation led me to my vocation, and as it turned out, it was a really good fit. Now that I am retired, I still spend hours at my workbench, building and perfecting my miniature trains. I guess it's just what I was built to do."

07/22/2024

I have a good story to tell about Dr. Almaz.
I first met Dr. Almaz in 2007. I was invited to the career center at Granite Bay High School to talk to students about careers in dentistry. This skinny 15-year-old named Eli showed up, and we had a grand chat for an hour and a half. He was already pretty zeroed in on becoming a dentist, but was interested to hear my perspectives on dental practice and the future.
Fast forward five years. I'm volunteering in one of those free public dental clinics at Cal Expo that you see on the news sometimes. I'm waiting in line for lunch (the real reason I do volunteer events) and guess who rolls up behind me in line. Sure enough, it was Eli from Granite Bay, and he was now in college at UC Irvine and getting ready to apply for dental school. We shared lunch together, then he assisted me with dental procedures the rest of the day.
We kept track of each other, did several more volunteer events together, and as he was nearing graduation from dental school in 2018, I had seen a lot of what he was made of, and I realized that he was who I wanted to take over my practice upon my future retirement. So I invited him to join me in my practice when he graduated, and the rest is history. Local boy makes good.

07/01/2024

I will be serving at the California Care Force clinic in Eureka on Friday and Saturday, July 12 and 13th, and I invite all colleagues (dentists and hygienists) who have an altruistic heart to join me. It's a lot like CDA Cares, but you get a lot more autonomy to do what you and your patient agree to do together. Usually it's restorative, but you can do extractions too if you are comfortable. The events are always very well organized, the equipment works well, there are modern instruments and materials, and usually plenty of eager dental assisting students to help with procedures. It's a long day, but immensely rewarding to help people who really need help, and they are always so thankful. There is nothing like the warm feeling in your heart as you are driving home afterward. Eureka is also a nice respite from the Sacramento heat; daytime highs will be in the low 60s. Following is a link to the CCF website:

https://www.californiacareforce.org/Clinics/Upcoming-Clinics

Bill Gilbert

California CareForce holds several clinics a year throughout California. Large clinics will have up to 72 dental stations, 12 vision exam lanes and 16 medical exam rooms. Smaller clinics like Stand Down clinics can have as few as 12 dental stations, 3 vision exam lanes, and 4 medical exam rooms. You...

05/31/2024

My time has come. I have set a date. After practicing dentistry for 39 years, I will hang up my drill once and for all on June 26, 2024.
Of course I have mixed feelings about leaving the patients, staff, and colleagues who have grown so dear to me over the years. I have a variety of hobbies and interests, and I look forward to pursuing them quietly at my new home in Quincy, CA.

The principal emotion that fills my heart right now is gratitude. I am grateful to the precious flock of patients who have shared my values of integrity and human kindness, and have supported the success of my practice, many for more than 35 years. I am grateful to the staff that have surrounded me and shared my vision, and who will remain with the practice as it serves another generation of patients.

I am grateful for Dr. Elias Almaz, who I have known since he was a sophomore at Granite Bay High School, and who I invited to join me in my practice when he graduated from dental school in 2018. He and I have shared a lot during these past six years, and I know he is the very best person I could choose to carry forward the values that our patients love most about our practice. I have every confidence that my beloved patients will be in the very best of hands.

I am still in the office every Wednesday through June, so come by on a Wednesday if you care to see me one more time. If you have any dental treatment you wish for me to finish before I retire, be sure to call and ask Vanessa to schedule you with me. I might be persuaded to stay a few more weeks after June 26 if demand requires, but I am here to serve you if you need me before then.
My fondest best wishes and thanks to you, your family, and the Granite Bay community for supporting me in a most satisfying life and career.
William D Gilbert, DDS FAGD

02/13/2023

Sorry to see the oak tree in front of our building have to go, but it was diseased and had become a hazard. This crew from Easy Stumps showed up on time and on budget, and were most accommodating to minimize interrruption of our business. Darren was very conscientious about getting the proper permits from Placer County for removing an oak tree. Recommend.

11/22/2022

On behalf of our staff and families, Dr. Almaz and I send you our fondest wishes for a lovely Thanksgiving holiday full of abundance, peace, and warm times with those you love.

Our practice continues to prosper and advance, thanks to the support of our patients. We know that you count on us to be a beacon of trust and integrity in a changing world, and we pledge to continue to remain committed to the values our patients have come to identify with. Our patients are our reason for coming to work, and each day our patients inspire us to do our very best for them.

Finally, we are grateful to our capable and dedicated staff members. Julie, Vanessa, Jolynn, Cindy, Vicky, Claire and Megan make the magic happen every single day, and together they are the best team we could ever wish for.

May the magic of the holidays bless you and your family.

Fondly,

Dr. Bill Gilbert and Dr. Elias Almaz

11/02/2022

November first, the day after Halloween. Always a busy day in a dental practice. No, it's not the kids with new cavities, it's the adults who need crowns re-cemented due to trying to eat the Tootsie Rolls they stole from their kids candy haul, lol!

10/01/2022

We are often asked where we get the carnations we give away to patients. Well, please meet Kaleen O'Callaghan, owner of Becky's Flowers in Roseville. Kaleen brings us our flowers every week, and is a delight to work with. She is a mom running a small business amidst a pandemic and hyper-inflation, and she deserves our support.

09/24/2022

We are all so proud of our Dr. Elias Almaz. Here he is at a recent convocation of the Academy of General Dentistry, where he was presented with the Academy's Fellowship award. AGD Fellowship is a distinction earned by only 10% of American dentists, and recognizes continued learning and excellence after graduating from dental school. I was 12 years into my career before I accumulated enough credits and passed the exam to earn my AGD Fellowship, but Dr. Almaz did it in only FOUR YEARS!!!! I am so eager to see what future accomplishments are ahead for this amazing dentist.

09/08/2022

Today is the day. Our provider contract with Delta Dental, the largest player in the dental benefits marketplace, is officially terminated today. We provided written notice 30 days ago, and we have been preparing and having individual conversations about this with patients for the past six months, and as of today, we and our patients are free.

This is not a decision we reached lightly. I have been a Delta Contracted Provider for 37 years, and over 50% of our patients are Delta enrollees. But over the past ten years, we have come under increasing pressure from Delta to do more with less, and to take shortcuts in the way we care for our patients. Our patients know that we are not willing to compromise their care.

After weathering a pandemic, and suffering through the current wave of hyper-inflation, Delta has done nothing to provide relief to its providers. As a result, many offices, like ours, have reached a breaking point and have decided to go independent. These are unprecedented times.

This does not mean that your Delta benefits are no longer available here. We can still send claim forms to Delta, but you will pay us for services, then Delta will reimburse you. We will be an out-of-network provider, so your benefits will be somewhat less than they were when we were an in-network provider. We feel that you will agree our care for you is worth the difference.

So these are crazy times, and many areas of commerce are going through changes, and dental care is no exception. One thing that will never change, however, are the values Dr. Almaz and I share, and the quality and integrity with which we provide for your dental needs.

08/24/2022

In these times of worker shortages and price inflation, Dr. Almaz and I are proud to inform you that we have have remained fully staffed and we have not revised our fee schedule since early 2021.

Dental office workers are in short supply, but our amazing staff were all eager to return after the shutdown two years ago, and we have kept all positions filled since then, keeping us available to serve our patients promptly. Maybe our office is a nice place to work, or maybe our wonderful patients make it enjoyable for all, either way there seems to be a good recipe here somehow.

And about our fees....We have always been right around the 40th to 50th percentile for fees in the Sacramento Region. Everywhere you go these days, it seems everything is suddenly more expensive. Dr. Almaz and I have decided to not be part of that problem! We know that many families and many other businesses are struggling now, but we are not struggling, so we see no need to raise our fees, and hopefully that will continue well into 2023.