Cuong Tran, D.M.D. ’91 P’25 Has Plenty to Smile About
In addition to owning a dental practice, Tran serves as team dentist for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, helps run a Vietnamese restaurant, and supports Muhlenberg students interested in dentistry.
Cuong Tran, D.M.D. ’91 P’25 came to the Lehigh Valley from Vietnam when he was six years old: “We got out of the country a month before the fall of Saigon,” he says. “April 30, 1975, is when it officially fell. We got out in March, so we were very fortunate.”
St. Thomas More Church, a couple miles from campus, sponsored his parents, their six children, and a cousin as they moved to the area. (Tran’s family later sponsored his cousin’s siblings and parents as they moved to the Lehigh Valley.) He grew up in Allentown and eventually attended Muhlenberg thanks to a scholarship available at that time to local high school students.
Another formative childhood experience was getting braces to fix his “summerteeth — you know, some are here and some are there,” he jokes. “It built a lot of confidence in me, and I thought to myself, ‘I want to do that for somebody someday.’” So, he studied natural science and biology at Muhlenberg before attending the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine.
“My philosophy is: Treat every patient like a family member. What would you do if they were your brother, your sister, your dad, your cousin, whatever? That’s how I treat everybody, and I can’t go wrong when I do that.”
In 1996, he moved back to the Lehigh Valley and became a general dentist because he wanted to be able to help his extended family with their dental needs. His office is across the street from Dorney Park, and there, he does it all — “fill and drill,” root canals, extractions, orthodontics, and beyond.
“My philosophy is: Treat every patient like a family member,” he says. “What would you do if they were your brother, your sister, your dad, your cousin, whatever? That’s how I treat everybody, and I can’t go wrong when I do that.”
Through the professional organizations he belongs to, Tran heard about and volunteered with MOM-n-PA (Mission of Mercy in Pennsylvania) when it launched in 2013, and he’s continued every year since. The nonprofit brings two days of free dental services to a different city annually; this year’s event took place at the Allentown Fairgrounds. The volunteer dentists, hygienists, and oral surgeons see more than 1,000 patients in 48 hours and provide more than $1 million in dental services pro bono.
“It’s exhausting, but it’s a lot of fun, and it’s rewarding,” says Tran, who also helps plan and advertise the events. “It’s a small way for us to give back to the community and help out people who need it.”
When the Lehigh Valley Phantoms launched in Allentown in 2014, Tran became the official team dentist through a connection he had with the team’s trainer. He’s part of the home medical staff, treating players from both teams when the Phantoms are in town.
“I owe Muhlenberg — it gave me such a great background. I had such a great education there. Everything about Muhlenberg for me was a great experience — the social life, the academics, everything. I want to give back. I’m very proud to have a degree from this school.”
“We see things that are very critical, injuries where patients have been sent to the hospital with broken jaws and lost teeth and broken hands and ankles,” he says. “Our main purpose is to make sure they’re cleared to go back on the ice.”
As if that weren’t all enough, he opened a Vietnamese restaurant with his brother and cousin called PHO•NOM1NAL in a plaza near his office in 2021. He is president of the Pennsylvania Academy of General Dentistry. And he has remained involved with Muhlenberg: Students interested in dentistry are welcome to shadow him, and he also helps conduct mock interviews for students applying to dental school.
“I owe Muhlenberg — it gave me such a great background. I had such a great education there,” he says. “Everything about Muhlenberg for me was a great experience — the social life, the academics, everything. I want to give back. I’m very proud to have a degree from this school.”
Listen to a more extensive interview on the alumni podcast “2400 Chew”.
