This custom California vanity plate is a throwback to the booming, high-flying 1980s.

STATE-ISSUED LICENSE PLATES identifying drivers as dentists or physicians were common at one time. In fact, a few states, like New York, still offer them. While they never came with any official privileges, drivers hoped police might show some leniency if they were caught speeding or parking illegally during a house call. But as that era faded in the 1980s, I saw far fewer official plates, even as I began spending more time crisscrossing the country during Benco Dental’s expansion nationwide.

By then, if you wanted to advertise your profession, you went the same route as everyone else: vanity plates. Which brings us to this gem from late-’80s California. nov kain perfectly captures the era’s prosperity-fueled spirit. The driver’s identity is a mystery because California DMV records aren’t publicly accessible, but this doc’s lifestyle is easy to imagine: successful practice, steady patient flow and no shyness about showing off. So enjoy this moment of 1980s Zen: an authentic throwback to dentistry’s yuppie era. I can practically feel the wind in my hair!

Comfortably numb: nov kain out back, leather and luxury up front, operatory pressures fading in the rear-view.