Raymundo Landavazo & Anays Avalos shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Raymundo & Anays , it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
From the moment I wake up, I try to start my day with intention and clarity. I usually get up early and take a few quiet minutes to reflect before diving into my routine. First, I drink a glass of water to rehydrate and prepare a good cup of coffee. With my coffee in hand, I sit down to read for about 30 minutes, something meaningful that helps me grow personally or professionally.
After reading, I review my schedule and plan out the day ahead, setting priorities and organizing tasks to stay focused. Then I move into some light stretching and about 30 minutes of exercise to energize my body. Once I’ve finished that, I take a shower and prepare my breakfast. That morning flow sets the tone for a productive and balanced day.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Our story began about nine years ago when Dr. Anays Avalos and I, Dr. Raymundo Landavazo, decided to turn a shared dream into reality. Together, we co-founded our dental practice (A&R Dental Care) with one clear mission: to help people restore their health, confidence, and well-being through their smiles.
What makes our practice truly special is the personalized, ethical approach we bring to every case. Whether it’s relieving dental pain, performing full-mouth rehabilitations, replacing missing teeth, or helping someone achieve the smile they’ve always wanted, we see every patient as a whole person—not just a set of teeth. We believe a smile is not only a reflection of how we look, but also of how we feel and how healthy we truly are.
A little bit about us, Anays and I have known each other since we were teenagers. We were classmates in both middle and high school. Life took us on different paths during our university years, but after graduating, we reconnected and decided to open our own clinic. Today, we’ve had the privilege of caring for over 3,000 patients, and we continue to grow.
We know that going to the dentist isn’t always a pleasant experience, which is why we focus so much on making our patients feel calm, safe, and cared for. That’s what drives us every day: to make dentistry more human, more comfortable, and more meaningful.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before I became a dental surgeon, I was honestly a completely different person. I’ve always been very active—I loved playing sports, spending time with friends, and traveling, and I still enjoy those things today. But who I am at my core has evolved tremendously since stepping into this profession.
Dentistry is a demanding career. It requires discipline, precision, and a deep sense of responsibility. Over time, it has shaped not only how I think, but also how I live. It taught me that challenges—whether clinical or personal—are part of everyday life, and learning how to face and resolve them with calm and clarity is essential.
More importantly, this profession has made me more empathetic. When you work with people who are in pain, who are vulnerable or afraid, you start to understand just how powerful it is to help, not just with your hands, but with your presence, your words, your honesty.
In many ways, becoming a dental surgeon has been less about changing careers and more about becoming the person I was always meant to be.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Absolutely, there have been multiple times when I’ve almost given up. As I mentioned earlier, dentistry is an incredibly demanding profession. It requires constant focus, precision, and emotional resilience. On top of that, we often work with patients who are anxious or fearful, which means we’re not always welcomed with open arms. That emotional weight, day after day, can be mentally exhausting.
There were moments when I seriously considered walking away, when the pressure, the responsibility, and the stress felt overwhelming. I questioned whether I wanted to continue down this path or pursue something entirely different. But in those moments of doubt, We always found something deeper, purpose.
Remembering why we chose this profession in the first place, and the impact we can have on people’s lives, is what keeps us grounded. That sense of purpose becomes stronger than the exhaustion. It’s what gives us the strength to keep moving forward, even on the hardest days.
We are grateful to say that today, we no longer feel like giving up. This profession, while challenging, has also given us so much, growth, perspective, and the privilege to help others. But it’s important to acknowledge that difficult moments are part of the journey, and it’s okay to feel overwhelmed. What matters is that we keep showing up.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, absolutely. What you see is who I really am. I’ve never been someone who shares much of their private life publicly. I use social media very little and maintain a low profile online. What we do promote heavily is our dental clinic as a business, because that’s where our passion and service are directed. But when it comes to me personally, there’s no curated version or alternate persona.
The way my patients see me in the clinic, that’s genuinely who I am in everyday life.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Absolutely, yes. There was a moment in our journey when we realized we had finally achieved what we had dreamed of for so long—and yet, we weren’t fully satisfied. Back when we were still studying to become dental surgeons, we imagined having a busy, thriving dental practice—our own clinic, full of patients, building something meaningful from the ground up. It was a goal we held onto for years.
Eventually, that dream became a reality. But at the time, we were so overwhelmed by the stress, the responsibilities, and the daily chaos of running a business that we didn’t even notice we were already living the very life our younger selves had once wished for. We were too distracted to enjoy it.
That’s the thing about entrepreneurship—it’s never easy. And anyone who’s built something from scratch knows that success often arrives wrapped in long hours, heavy decisions, and constant pressure. But with time, we learned to shift our perspective. We began to recognize that we were in the middle of the dream, and we started to truly appreciate it.
Today, we’re incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together. We’ve come a long way. Challenges that once felt impossible now feel manageable. That’s one of the gifts of experience—you gain the skills and the mindset to handle problems with more clarity.
So yes, we’ve experienced that feeling of emptiness even after getting what we wanted. But we’re also grateful to say that now, we’re fully aware, present, and deeply satisfied with the journey we’re on.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aandrdentalcare.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aandrdental/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aandrdentalcare/
