Laura's Family History

I am a family history buff and have been since I was ten, when I completed a family tree project in my fourth grade class.  Years later, after I heard about ancestry.com, I started working on my family history and have been at it now for about 8 years.

I already knew that my ancestors that came to America were from Germany, Ireland, and England.  I have learned where some lines of my family were prior to settling there as well.  They were from Scotland, The Netherlands and France.  I have traced one line of my family all the way back to the 1000’s AD!  I found an ancestor, John Howland, who arrived in America on the Mayflower.  Sir George Beeston, my 15^th great-grandfather, was serving Queen Elizabeth I as the captain of one of the ships that defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588 .  Beeston was 89 years old when he accomplished this feat and was knighted.  Records show that he lived to be 102 years old.

I have also discovered a great amount of family history in Massachusetts and Connecticut and will be visiting New England this fall!  Can’t wait to tell you all about that trip in a later blog!

Zona, Office Manager and Former Dental Phobic.

Zona, Front Office Manager and Receptionist


By now if you've called or been in to the office you have already met Zona.  But in those short interactions, you probably don't get to talk much in depth.  We're starting a series of blogs where we can explore the history or passions of our team here at the office as if y'all got to sit down over a cup of coffee.

Hi, I'm Zona, the upfront office manager of Toothbrusher's Dental.  The majority of my life has been spent in the mental health field working as a mental health worker, admissions, accounting, marketing, office manager and project coordinator.  Ever since I was young and read every true crime story every written, I had a love of how the mind works and functions in day-to-day life and its challenges.

My son, Adam Richardson, graduated from OU with a degree in zoology, and a desire to go to dental school.  he was told by many people not to get his hopes up of being accepted on his first try, but he was!  He entered dental school at OU.  From that moment on, I began to learn all about dentistry as he explained every procedure in detail to me.  His interest and hard work and dedication have placed him in the top ten percent of his class.  He teasingly would tell me "Mom, you should go to work for a dental office and learn all about it and then you can become my office manager someday!"

It was then I decided I wanted to do something different, something I had never envisioned myself doing!  Working in a dental office!  Those who have known me forever, have known my fear of dental work.  And so, when Dr. Guilford bravely hired me with no dental background, I was determined to grow and learn all about the dental field, as well as conquer my fears of sitting in the chair as a patient.

And so, at this point in 2017, a lot has happened! My son is a senior at OU.  He has chosen pediatric dentistry as the field he wants to purse.  He remains in the top ten percent of his class. Another joy of this year has been the marriage of my son to the most awesome young lady, Lana, who is also pursuing a degree in pediatric dentistry.  They were married in May in the most beautiful ceremony and reception I have ever been to!  I have gained a daughter I never had!

As for me, I have had the opportunity to work with the most fun, kind, spirited, caring team of professionals ever here at Toothbrusher's Dental We really do care about our patients.  As I check patients out, and they make comments like "Dr. Guilford is so gentle. I didn't feel a thing!", or "I don't want to ever go to another hygienist!", or "Dr. Guilford's assistant was so nice to me!"---I know that I have been blessed to be a small part of this caring office.  And, oh yes, I really have conquered my fears of sitting in the dental chair!!