The Legacy
718 North Coast Highway in Leucadia is home to a legacy—a tradition of quality dentistry by quality individuals. From the founder and the legacy, Howard Benedict DDS, to his successor, Bogdan Madurowicz DDS, to the current steward, Steve Horne DDS, each has dedicated his life to serving the community by practicing dentistry at the highest standard. Each has enjoyed above all else, that dentistry has been the vehicle to building lasting relationships with people they hold dear. Those relationships are the treasures of their lives.
The Legacy of
Howard Benedict, D.D.S.
Owner, 1978-2000
Howard opened up the dental practice at 718 North Coast Hwy 101, Leucadia, at a time when the area truly was a small funky California beach town. In 1971, it was a community of artsy shops like Swami’s Beach Bag and Sunny Skies. You could eat at a unique restaurant called Da Kine’ and grab a salad there that would usually include shredded beets and sunflower seeds. Local’s shopped at The Community Market on 101 for food items and wheat grass juice shooters.
Most of Howard’s patients followed him over from the little round brick building on Aberdeen Ave. in Cardiff, where he had started working for Dr. West Leffingwell after he graduated from USC. Dr. Leffingwell graciously allowed him to see patients in the evening hours after he was done seeing his own patients. This was primarily how the concept started of seeing patients during evening hours, but it also afforded Howard a way to be outside for exercise and play before his work day began. The office location in Cardiff worked out well as it was near his favorite surf spots Pipes and Swami’s. It was also convenient for diving. He could launch his dinghy in the sand off 101 to the left of The Charthouse and spearfish in the kelp forests all up and down the coast--from Dave’s bull hole near seaside all the way up to Oceanside Harbor. Howard’s beloved sport of spearfishing sparked his interest in wood carving, as he loved making beautiful long spear guns out of wood and creating all their individual metal pieces.
As a teen Howard loved shaping surfboards and doing the colorful artwork on them. Surfing, spearfishing, shaping boards and wood became hobbies, but he was the most passionate about the many patients he helped by perfecting the Art of Dentistry. He excelled in cosmetic dentistry, but his laid back attitude did not seem conducive to owning a business. In the beginning he was helped at the front desk by Emily Baird McClean, and in later years, by Katie Ennis. He trained his two Brothers Mike and Chuck to create beautiful crowns and inlays for his patients.
During the first few years, while building his practice, he lived in Oceanside Harbor aboard his 34’ Hans Christian sailboat The G.V. Black— named after the founder of modern dentistry. He lived in the basement under the dental office in Leucadia during the week if he worked late on patients and was too tired to make the drive up to Oceanside Harbor. Patients were always appreciative of being able to get their dental treatment in the evening, since they didn’t need to take time off work. Lena, Luci and Lisa, the original Hygienists who worked upstairs at 718, fashioned their work hours the same way—seeing patients from 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Howard’s M.O. for LIFE was work hard, play hard. His life ended way too soon, shortly after retiring in 2000, at the age of 55. He packed more into his life than most people could even imagine, and provided a FANTASTIC life for himself, his wife and daughter Bridgett, and a community he dearly loved. Every person he met was the best person you could ever meet. Every day was the best day ever. Every wave was epic.
The Legacy of
Bogdan Madurowicz
Owner, 2000-2017
Succeeding Howard, Bogdan took over the practice at 718 on January 3rd, 2000, the same day of the soft opening of Leucadia Blvd from El Camino Real. As the Leucadia community continued to thrive, the timing couldn't be better for Bogdan to leave his previous practice in Oceanside to be closer to his young family in Encinitas.
Bogdan, a San Diego native, Carlsbad High School graduate, UCSD and UCLA Dental School alumni, shared Howard's passion for surfing and the ocean. At the age of 13, Bogdan took off on his first wave and he knew it had changed his life forever. This passion for the ocean kept Bogdan in Southern California, and while studying at UCSD, Bogdan lived on San Elijo Ave in Cardiff, just a few houses away from Howard's first practice and home. To this day you can find him paddling out at Turtles, 85’s, Brown House or Swamis.
Bogdan continued with the philosophy that Howard ensued, "Dentistry for the Quality Conscious," through his love for meticulous and aesthetic care. Alongside the passionate participation of the original staff, some of who are still there, Bogdan, a 20-year member of the prestigious American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, further developed the practice as it is today.
For the past 17 years, Bogdan's passion for the patient's happiness and transforming smiles was at the core of the practice's success. He ran the dental practice as he ran his life, with everything having its place, organization being paramount and letting the details determine the process.
Early in Bogdan's career he met the love of his life, Kelly, who is a former US Air flight attendant and the mother of their two adult children, Ali and Alex. Bogdan and Kelly still reside in Encinitas and have been married for 25 years. You can find them checking out the latest restaurants, watching the sunset with their dog Mia, or mixing up one of Bogdan's famous Bog-aritas with friends. An eternal optimist, an executional perfectionist, and a true SoCal surf kid at heart, Bogdan exemplifies what it means to live the California dream.