It’s not just because of his dental skills that Dr. Chris Pickel is consistently voted as one of the top cosmetic and family dentists in Seattle it’s also because he makes his patients feel comfortable, at ease, and he builds long lasting relationships with them.

It doesn’t hurt either that he brings a good sense of humor too. “I try to make dental visits seem like they are non-dental visits by bringing some levity into my patients’ appointments to lighten the moment,” he says.

Making Long Lasting Connections
Making connections with his patients is one of the things Dr. Pickel enjoys most about being a dentist. “Whether I’m helping someone feel better or look better, it’s about getting to know them and building a relationship.”

And these meaningful relationships often expand to an entire family, or to generations of a family. “As a family practice, we see generations of families, starting with the kids that see us when they are young. They grow up, start their own families and bring their kids in. They become part of our family.”

Sometimes the biggest challenge of his job is completing his dental services, while catching up with his patients’ lives. “I’m very fortunate to be able to do what I love and also see my friends every day, make new friends, and deliver care I am passionate about.”

Philosophy of Dental Care
Whether it’s cosmetic or restorative dentistry, Dr. Pickel’s approach to practicing dentistry is the same with every patient: Deliver excellent, comprehensive dental care, at the highest quality, and have fun doing it. And he brings this exuberance to all of the dental services he performs from dental implants to routine dental exams.

Staying on top of the newest dentistry techniques and passing this dental information on to others is something this self-proclaimed life learner and educator would not have any other way. Every year, he puts in about 200 hours of continuing education in dental cosmetics and reconstruction technologies. Dr. Pickel also teaches classes to other dentists at the Kois Center in Seattle, one of the most prestigious training schools in the country. “Caring for my patients requires being a lifelong student.”

Having the passion to offer great oral health care with excellent dental skills is a good start, but ultimately for Dr. Pickel it all begins with the patient and understanding their unique situation, their biology and their background, taking the time to listen and helping to make informed decisions about their dental health.

“It is our purpose to provide an extraordinary level of care not seen elsewhere,” Dr. Pickel points out. “I realize that our expertise is critical to providing that care, but the experience that patients have with us in our practice is how we are judged and we will always strive to make that an exceptional one.”

Family Values
The importance of family and striving for excellence are values Dr. Pickel learned from two of his greatest role models: His parents. The son of a career military father and a Greek mother, he cites his parents commitment to working hard and following their dreams to helping him develop his own lifelong commitment to integrity, wisdom and success.

Growing up as an army kid, he lived just about everywhere at one point or another (Greece, Germany, Seattle, Mississippi, Florida, etc.). Often finding himself in a different school every year, he not only had to repeatedly correct the teachers on how to pronounce his last name, he learned to be independent and make friends with a lot of different people.

When he’s not working or learning new dental techniques, Dr. Pickel enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter and son. During the winter, you’ll find him with his family somewhere on a ski slope in the Northwest. For a boy who grew up in some warmer climates, snow skiing is now a part of his life. He is quick to add, however, that there was some incentive. “My wife made it a condition of marriage that I learn how to ski,” he says. After ski season, he enjoys heading over to Eastern, Washington to water ski, Jet Ski or fish on the Columbia River.

Some things you may not know about Dr. Pickel. He bleeds purple and gold and takes his tailgating at  Husky football games seriously. A season ticket holder since 1978, when he was a University of Washington undergrad and then a dental student, he has helped orchestrate epic tailgate functions for over 25 years.

A true music lover, Dr. Pickel played the trombone and the piano for many years all the way through college. In fact, he nearly went on to attend music school had it not been for his mother, who was in the music business as a singer. “She told me to choose another career”, he says. And we can thank her for that.

A Tradition of Excellence
The themes of family and tradition come full circle for Dr. Pickel at the North Seattle Dental practice, which began in 1958 in the Seattle Green Lake area and then moved to the Northgate neighborhood as a family dental practice in 1980. Dr. Pickel points out that the original partners established an enduring legacy of dental and personal excellence. Dr. Pickel was recruited to North Seattle Dental in 1990. Since then, the North Seattle Dental staff and doctors have continued this legacy and are carrying it on to future generations of patients throughout the Seattle area. For Dr. Pickel, this is the most rewarding part of caring for his patients and working with his exceptional staff at North Seattle Dental.