Every year, our 40 Under 40 is chockablock with dynamic dental duos, some of whom are also business partners. Here’s why this year’s honorees say dentists attract dentists—and why these relationships work.

HEALTH CARE practitioners—physicians, dentists, pharmacists—are among the top professions for married couples sharing similar occupations, the U.S. Census tells us. Little wonder, since advanced degrees require lengthier schooling and residencies, which inevitably happen during the life stage in which people are statistically most likely to seek a partner.

It’s also hardly surprising that people in demanding professions gravitate toward one another. “I think that’s what really draws people together,” says Dr. Jim A. Ervil, who met his wife, Dr. Stevie L. Ervil, at Loma Linda University. Says Dr. Nicole Del Carpio, on this year’s 40 Under 40 with her husband, Dr. Kelsey Tengan: “Dentistry can be a pressure cooker. It’s isolated while you’re in school with other students. And that kind of carries forth when you leave.”

“It’s a bubble,” says Dr. Jancy A. Parkerson-McGovern, who practices with her husband, Dr. Daniel McGovern. “In dental school, you’re all around the same age. You work hard and play hard together. So innately you build bonds with those people—mostly lifelong friendships, but inevitably some romantic relationships.”

Dr. Kalynn F. Naglieri met her husband, Dr. Christopher Naglieri, at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “I went to St. Louis for my residency, and he went to New York.” Often, that’s enough for couples to drift apart. “But we met up in North Carolina and made the decision to head back to Florida together.”

Together—Even Apart

Suits them: Drs. Nicole Del Carpio and Kelsey Tengan will soon share a building but practice separately.

The mutual understanding dental couples enjoy seems to benefit business partners especially. “I couldn’t do this without her,” says Dr. Daniel McGovern. “Running the practice, we balance each other out.” It’s not for everyone, he says, and he and his wife count many dental couples as friends—but few of them practice together.

Yet even those who practice separately have built their careers through cooperation and strategic sacrifice. “Kelsey started a practice with his friend. It was nice to have one of us focusing on that growth, while the other one had a regular reliable position,” Dr. Del Carpio says. “By the time he was feeling stable, I was feeling ready for that independence too. Then it was my turn to buy a practice.”

Dental spouses aren’t just carbon copies, though. “Each specialty has variations,” Dr. Kalynn Naglieri says. “Orthodontists [like me] are generally a little more outgoing, whereas endodontists [like my husband] can be a little bit more introverted.”

Of course, it can be equally beneficial having a partner outside dentistry. “I used to treat sleep like a negotiable item,” Dr. Corey Hastings says. “A few years into my career, my lovely wife reminded me I wasn’t as invincible as I thought.” Dr. Allison Poget Penland says “getting married gave me a purpose in my life outside dentistry, which motivated me to prioritize work-life balance.” Dr. Alyssa G. Ricci also appreciates some separation. “When I’m at work, I strive to give 100 percent to my team and patients. When I’m at home, I strive to give 100 percent to my husband and my kids.”

The antidote to burnout, to loneliness, to that soul-level exhaustion, is each other.”

—Dr. Jody Carrington, psychologist

While two dentists in the same household can relate to each other, they can also multiply their stress. “My husband is also in dentistry, so we talk about office and staff struggles,” Dr. Sarah Connell says. “I realized the most important thing is my happiness, and that starts with leaving work at work when I can.” Drs. Del Carpio and Tengan know their limits as well. They’re constructing a new building to share, but “while we’ll both be under the same roof, we’ll still be practicing separately,” Dr. Del Carpio says.

Built to Last

“I can’t say it gets easier as you get older, because there are different responsibilities. We just bought our first house, so instead of coming home to an apartment and studying, now we’re doing chores,” Dr. Christopher Naglieri says. “But it’s also about your perspective. If you think of everything as a chore, it’s never going to get easier. You have to ask, as a couple, what are all the blessings that we have now?”

“We were never meant to do any of this alone,”says renowned psychologist and author Dr. Jody Carrington. “The antidote to burnout, to loneliness, to that soul-level exhaustion, is each other.” In this demanding profession, having a thoughtful and like-minded partner can potentially be the ultimate defense against burnout—and a recipe for staying positive and motivated.