The family later returned to New Brunswick and expanded, not only clinically but operationally. Today Dr. Preston owns three dental practices along with three Mary Brown’s restaurants. The restaurant business reshaped how he thinks about operational systems. “There’s a procedure for everything,” he says. “Even slicing a tomato. There’s a page outlining exactly how it should be done.” That discipline migrated into his clinics. “We have consistent operational guidelines across all three practices. Patients can expect the same experience in each location,” he says. Dr. Preston served on the NBDS board, later on its executive, and rose to the presidency in 2016–17. He went on to serve as a member representative with the Canadian Dental Regulatory Authorities Federation (CDRAF) and eventually as a board member from New Brunswick with CDA. For Dr. Preston, organized dentistry was never peripheral, instead it was a parallel commitment, a way to contribute beyond his own practices while his career continued to evolve. A decade ago, Dr. Preston earned his private pilot licence, later adding instrument and night ratings. In Atlantic Canada, where ground travel can sometimes consume hours, flying compresses distance. “If I want to go to Halifax, I get in the plane and we’re there in Kirk and Ruth celebrating his graduation from the MBA program at Oxford University. breadth of practice. I can provide implants, crowns, bridges and complex restorative care. That range of work appealed to me.” After completing his specialty training, Dr. Preston briefly joined the faculty at the U of T. He would’ve stayed longer, but family considerations, specifically the challenge of raising a child in a big city like Toronto, pulled him back east. The family moved to Halifax, where Ruth earned her law degree and Dr. Preston taught part-time at Dalhousie’s faculty of dentistry while also working in private practice. “It’s difficult to do both things well,” he says of balancing teaching and full-time clinical work. He eventually chose to focus on private practice, though he credits his education background with shaping how he trains his dental team and communicates with colleagues. Dr. Preston successfully completed his private pilot’s license.
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