Almost every kid watches professional sports and dreams of one day being on a team, and Dr. Mike Mayer was no exception.
As a boy, the Rochester native grew up watching the Rochester Red Wings baseball team play at Silver Stadium. Today, Mayer is a member of the Red Wings team off the field as their official team dentist.
“I figured somehow there had to be a way to combine my profession with my love of sports,” said Mayer.
His love of the team has stayed with him into adulthood. What used to be a bedroom filled with sports memorabilia is now a dental office in Fairport decorated by bats, gloves, jerseys, and plenty of autographed photos from the athletes.
“Some patients have said that if you turn down the lights and serve drinks, it could be a sports bar,” he said with a chuckle.
He first approached Red Wings general manager Dan Mason in 2006 to offer his services to the team. They already had a team surgeon, chiropractor, an athletic trainer, and even an eye doctor, but the organization gladly accepted him into the fold as a new addition to their staff.
The athletes and their families come to his office for regular dental care or emergency treatment during the season.
“It’s been a thrill for me, being a lifelong fan,” he said. “It’s really a dream come true.”
Their ‘home’ base
Like other minor league teams, the Red Wings see a large turnover rate of players who come from across the country and the globe to play in Rochester before getting called up to the major league.
The long season that starts in April and lasts until September can be difficult for players who don’t call Rochester home. Mason said that a big challenge for team managers is making the new members feel welcome.
“Guys come from all over the world, and Mike is an important piece in making them as comfortable as possible during their stay here,” Mason said. “He really cares about them as people and not just as baseball players.”
Mayer has worked on the teeth of numerous players who are now in the big leagues including famed Minnesota Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano and outfielder Denard Span.
For him, it’s a more more personal tie to those who move on to bigger and better games.
Some even say his touch has helped them hit home runs, and get called up to the big leagues sooner — since he’s started, about 40 players have moved up.
Almost every kid watches professional sports and dreams of one day being on a team, and Dr. Mike Mayer was no exception.
As a boy, the Rochester native grew up watching the Rochester Red Wings baseball team play at Silver Stadium. Today, Mayer is a member of the Red Wings team off the field as their official team dentist.
“I figured somehow there had to be a way to combine my profession with my love of sports,” said Mayer.
His love of the team has stayed with him into adulthood. What used to be a bedroom filled with sports memorabilia is now a dental office in Fairport decorated by bats, gloves, jerseys, and plenty of autographed photos from the athletes.
“Some patients have said that if you turn down the lights and serve drinks, it could be a sports bar,” he said with a chuckle.
He first approached Red Wings general manager Dan Mason in 2006 to offer his services to the team. They already had a team surgeon, chiropractor, an athletic trainer, and even an eye doctor, but the organization gladly accepted him into the fold as a new addition to their staff.
The athletes and their families come to his office for regular dental care or emergency treatment during the season.
“It’s been a thrill for me, being a lifelong fan,” he said. “It’s really a dream come true.”
Their ‘home’ base
Like other minor league teams, the Red Wings see a large turnover rate of players who come from across the country and the globe to play in Rochester before getting called up to the major league.
The long season that starts in April and lasts until September can be difficult for players who don’t call Rochester home. Mason said that a big challenge for team managers is making the new members feel welcome.
“Guys come from all over the world, and Mike is an important piece in making them as comfortable as possible during their stay here,” Mason said. “He really cares about them as people and not just as baseball players.”
Mayer has worked on the teeth of numerous players who are now in the big leagues including famed Minnesota Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano and outfielder Denard Span.
For him, it’s a more more personal tie to those who move on to bigger and better games.
Some even say his touch has helped them hit home runs, and get called up to the big leagues sooner — since he’s started, about 40 players have moved up.
“His good karma has help a lot of our players over the years,” said Mason.
On the job
Whether it’s making protective mouth guards for players or performing emergency post-game dental work late at night, Mayer has had his share of unique bonding experiences.
Catcher Rene Rivera, of Puerto Rico, remembers one time when the dentist went the extra mile to help him.
Rivera was playing for the Red Wings when he took a foul ball off the mask and needed a root canal and crown for one of his teeth. Just days later, he found out he’d been called up to the major leagues and had to leave Rochester for Minnesota early the next morning.
Mayer finished the crown after midnight after the Red Wings’ game so Rivera could leave without any worries.
“He’s always there for us,” said Rivera, of his dentist. “He just wants you to feel better.”
Mayer routinely stocks the team clubhouse with mouth wash and toothbrushes, which can sometimes bring strange glances from players from other countries.
“Some of them have grown up in places where they only go to the dentist if they get a toothache, and just pull (the tooth) out. I bring Listerine and they look at me like, what am I gonna do with that?”
With long bus trips comes plenty of tooth-decaying goodies like candy, bubble gum, or softdrinks. These can sometimes be just as harmful as the occasional chipped tooth from a foul ball of a catcher’s mask or a wayward sunflower seed. Because the team is on the road, and often has night games, it can also be difficult to schedule appointments.
Still, Mayer says he wouldn’t trade his job for anything in the world. The real question is, will he get called up to the big leagues one of these days?
Mayer laughed.
“I’m waiting for my big chance,” he said.
