Dr. Richard Love has been an integral part of the Catoctin community, taking care of generations of dental patients over the last 39 years. While not quite ready to hang up his coat and retire, Dr. Love has passed the torch of ownership of one of Thurmont’s oldest dental practices to Dr. Neil Feldman.
Dr. Feldman and Dr. Love met in early 2020 at a Frederick County Dental Society meeting. Dr. Feldman had been living in Baltimore, while practicing in Harford County for several years. He and his wife were looking forward to moving to Frederick County to be closer to their families and start a practice of their own. Dr. Feldman asked Dr. Love about his office and, over the next several months, learned more about Thurmont and the history of the office.
Dr. Love began practicing dentistry in Glen Burnie before returning to his hometown of Thurmont in 1983 and purchasing the practice at 10 Water Street from Dr. John Doll. In January 2021, Dr. Feldman continued the tradition and became the latest owner. Now, Dr. Feldman and his predecessor Dr. Love work together at Catoctin Dental to treat their patients and serve our community. Working alongside Dr. Love not only helped Dr. Feldman learn more about his new patients, office, and surroundings, it helped him ease into another important role. Just one month after joining the Thurmont community, Dr. Feldman became a father, as his wife, Halley, gave birth to their twins, Clark and Julie, at Frederick Health Hospital. “It all happened at the same time!” Dr. Feldman laughed, while adding, “I was so lucky to have Dr. Love and my new staff there to keep things running smoothly.” The twins are now over a year old and love showing off their new smiles as more and more teeth come in. You can be sure that they’re learning proper dental hygiene early in life.
Though from different generations, Dr. Feldman and Dr. Love have a lot in common. Both are Maryland natives and graduates of small local colleges. Dr. Love attended Catoctin High School and Western Maryland College (renamed McDaniel College) in Westminster, while Dr. Feldman is a Westminster High School and St. Mary’s College of Maryland alum. Both are graduates of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry in Baltimore, the world’s oldest dental school. Both also strongly believe in the importance of staying current on the latest dental procedures. Dr. Love and Dr. Feldman have both attained Fellowship status in the Academy of General Dentistry, a recognition requiring over 500 hours of continuing education and a rigorous certification exam.
The two professionals have a solid relationship in which they share many core values and philosophies relating to dentistry and patient care. Together, their knowledge serves to further expand the variety of services offered at Catoctin Dental. Dr. Feldman said, “There are some things that I do that Dr. Love used to refer out, and I look forward to learning even more from his years of experience.” Catoctin Dental offers something for all ages and levels of care, including routine preventive exams and cleanings, emergency appointments, extractions, implants, Invisalign, root canals, dentures, and all other aspects of general and cosmetic dentistry.
“I want to thank the community for being so welcoming to me and my family,” Dr. Feldman said with a smile. “Thurmont is a great place. Everyone has been so kind.”
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Feldman and Dr. Love, call Catoctin Dental at 301-271-2811. The office, located at 10 Water Street in Thurmont, is open Monday through Thursday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Check out Catoctin Dental’s advertisement on page 72 for more information.
Dr. Feldman is shown with his wife Halley and twins julie and Clark.
Dr. Feldman reads to his twins, Julie and Clark.
