Why He Was Nominated

Dr. Bayless’s fast-growing practice is gaining 40 to 50 new patients a month on average, he estimates, and grossed $1 million for the first time last year. He attributes that growth to his focus on keeping patients’ costs down. “I would rather treat somebody knowing I’m giving them a bit of a break than to have to worry, ‘Is someone going to come in today?’ ”

Inspiration

His grandfather, who passed away when Dr. Bayless was 14, was a dentist. He passed along to his grandson the keen ability to empathize with his patients.

Advice to Aspiring Dentists

“The modern dentist is not just an expert clinical professional. He or she has to be a small-business owner and manager, too.”

Something People Don't Know

In another life, Dr. Bayless would have been a professional bass fisherman. A passionate angler, he takes his wife, their three children and the family boat to Texas’s Lake Amistad, near the Mexican border, as often as possible.