Dedication, Persistence and Drive Paves Road to Success

There are many success stories of individuals who have come to our country, put down roots, worked hard and followed their dreams. Some say that attaining personal goals are only part of their stories. Having close relationships with family and friends are a big part of the formula that creates success.

Many of those who traveled to the United States have been given a helping hand from acquaintances who made the journey prior to their arrival, including my own grandparents. I must admit that when I taught U.S. History, I found the immigration period between the 1880s and 1920s extremely interesting due to my own family’s background of arriving in the U.S. in the late 1920s.

The same is true for Thilo Bayer, who has been a resident of Marco Island for 42 years and whose love of the island began in the early ‘70s with a family visit. His parents, like many others, fell in love with the tranquility and beauty of this paradise and eventually invested in and called it home. Only a few years later, Thilo would do the same.

A relatively reserved man by nature, Thilo set long-term goals for himself that included Marco Island. Following his fateful trip to the island in the 1970s with his parents and brother, Thilo began his own personal journey in life, which would include Marco Island.

He first set the goal of becoming a Certified Dental Technician. Thilo spent four and a half years in an apprenticeship where he grew up, in Freiburg, located in southwestern Germany near the French and Swiss borders. This area is near the Black Forest region. You might recall the area, as it is associated with the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales and was renowned for the hand built cuckoo clocks created there in the 1700s. If you have one, hold on to it because it has great value.

Upon completing his apprenticeship, Thilo was required to complete 18 months of national service in the Federal Defense Forces of Germany, known as the Bundeswehr. His mandatory military service had been deferred during his apprenticeship and began upon its completion. (Germany no longer has compulsory military service.)

Thilo joked that following the end of his apprenticeship, where he was making 175 Marks ($45) a month, he then served in the Bundeswehr for the same modest compensation. “You can only be thankful for the help given to us by our parents,” said Thilo, while we both nodded in agreement.

At age 20, when Thilo completed his military service, he applied for an E-2 Visa to come to the United States and join his parents. In April of 1980, his dream of coming to America became a reality.

As we talked about the past, we reminisced about many of the businesses that were on Marco Island at that time, including the era’s popular restaurants, such as Petrocelli’s (when it was in Town Center) and Dell’s Convenience Store (located near Manatee Road on 951). During this time period, you took your life in your own hands navigating the narrow two-lane road that connected Marco Island to the rest of the world.

Thilo built his first office on North Collier Boulevard, on the second floor of the building where today Doreen’s Cup of Joe is located. Thilo spent several months designing and laying out his first lab, where he put his education to work and utilized skills demonstrating a high level of technical proficiency and dedication. It required a solid commitment to remain on the cutting edge of technology, which Thilo says in his field changes on a daily basis.

Thilo’s skills are as important as those of the dentist or dental surgeon who sees the patients first. Patients who are referred to Thilo may need replacement of only one tooth or a full mouth of teeth. His skilled services are not just for physiological purposes, but for the aesthetics, coloration, or comfort of the patient. The coordination between the two professionals who service a patient must be absolutely in sync with each other to result in a perfect outcome.

Replacement teeth are called upon not only due to tooth decay, but for facial injuries caused by accidents or diseases, such as cancer that may, depending upon the extent of the issues, require the extraction of one or more teeth.

The utilization of modern-day CAD and computer skills are an essential part of the dentist and the certified dental technician’s jobs. This ensures that the patient has the best outcome and is absolutely pleased with the result. Although Thilo’s job doesn’t require patient contact, the technology that he employs is a result of 3-D imaging and high-definition photos taken in the dentist’s office. This allows the patient to have a comfortable experience, as well as a more accurate process. The integral partnership created with the dentist ensures that Thilo’s end product is extremely well-received by the patient.

Six and a half years ago, Thilo was required to relocate his lab to a location off San Marco Road, where it still is today. Once again, a complete redesign of his offices and lab areas were needed. He took on that challenge and personally designed the new work areas, ordered the materials, and oversaw the buildout.

When you visit with Thilo and watch him work you might envision a sculptor sitting before a block of marble, such as the famous German sculptor Arno Breker, working on the intimate details of his latest creation. Unlike Breker, however, Thilo works on a computer screen using specially designed software, while utilizing the information received from his dental partners and impressions or digital scans. He uses a mouse to move around his canvas, flipping his model of a set of teeth, matching every precise detail of the dental outline provided to him, as well as ensuring that the enamel is impeccably shaded to match the color of the patient’s existing teeth.

Forty years of dedicated service to his profession has allowed Thilo Bayer to build special relationships in the dental field between himself and his colleagues. But when you ask him what he is most proud of, he points to the many photos of his children, who are successful in their own rights. His youngest child is 16 years old and has just started to drive, and you can sense the very special place she holds in his life, as does his wife Natalie.

It’s a long way from the Black Forest of Germany, as well as the long drive down the old two-lane S.R. 951 that Thilo traversed when he first visited the island. Over 40 years of practice on Marco Island fueled by ambition, dedication and drive, made Thilo Bayer into the accomplished professional he is today.