Smiles and Success: Cory Logan, DDS, and Joey Garcia on Building a Happy Marriage and Prosperous Dental Practice

Cory Logan, DDS, 53, and Jose “Joey” Garcia, 46, live in Spring Branch and met in the late ‘90s through a mutual friend. “Leo kept pestering me that I needed to meet his friend, so we finally ended up making it happen,” says Joey.

“We happened to be throwing a birthday party for one of my friends at Little Pappasito’s,” explains Joey. “I told Leo, ‘Why don’t you and your friend come as our guests? You don’t have to pay for anything. Just come and have a good time.” This informal gathering of friends at a restaurant was arranged as a built-in social buffer that ensured neither one of them felt awkward, while also giving them the space to converse.

“Joey doesn’t hold back,” says Cory of the first thing he noticed about Joey. “I’m a little bit more reserved. There was a very big dichotomy there.”

“It was actually love at first sight for me,” Joey adds. While sitting at the bar, Joey told another friend, upon first seeing Cory, that he would be the man he spends the rest of his life with. “At that point, I made the conscious decision to do everything possible to make it awkward and crazy for him, because if I didn’t push him away, then I knew it was meant to be.”

The dinner at Little Pappasito’s was followed by a night out at Rich’s Houston. “Cory was very reserved, so he and Leo were at the bar, but my friends and I were dancing on the boxes,” Joey recalls. “Cory looked at Leo, Leo looked at Cory, and Leo said to Cory ‘So, he likes to dance.’” The rest is history, and the charming couple will be celebrating 25 years together this June.

Coming of age and dating before the 2015 SCOTUS ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, marriage wasn’t always an idea that was on the table for Cory and Joey. “I had friends growing up that had partners, and they’d pass away, and their lives were wrecked because their families would just take everything and leave nothing,” Joey explains while fighting back tears. “I never got that feeling or that sense from his family, which I’m thankful for. But seeing that happen to others really was heart-wrenching for me.”

The couple didn’t have the typical wedding ceremony and reception. Instead, they opted to pursue a common-law marriage. “We realized by going through the courts that they would only acknowledge the marriage from that date forward, and that wasn’t sitting right for us because we’d been together for so long,” adds Joey. “By doing the common-law marriage, we were able to go back and declare. At that point, we both felt that we were going to be covered with our spousal benefits because our being together for so long is recognized in Texas.”

Cory opened his dental practice in 2002, and Joey came onboard as an administrator in 2005. “I was sitting in the chair for a routine visit with him, and we were talking. He said, ‘I need help. Why don’t you help me out?’ And I said, ‘Well, let’s talk about it a little bit more in depth,’” Joey recalls. “We did, and we both had our concerns about what being together 24/7 was going to do to us. We agreed if it ever got out of hand, we’d re-address it at the time. But we’ve never re-addressed it.”

“We just try to keep business as business, and everything else is good,” Cory chimes in.

One thing they both agree helps keep their business partnership and romantic relationship healthy is leaving work at work. “For me, it’s finding my disconnect—and that’s always been working out. Especially after the pandemic, I got back into taking care of myself physically and got into the Peloton world,” says Cory. “As a practitioner, taking care of my patients and my team at work, I also feel like I have to take care of myself. When I get home, I’ve got to sweat and breathe, and that’s all I have to think about. After that, I can address anything else that’s still around.”

“I de-stress with cooking and Netflix. I can totally disconnect by watching TV because it takes me into a different world or a different perspective,” adds Joey.

The couple also points to understanding each other’s different communication styles as being one of the reasons they have been successful in both their personal and professional relationships with one another.

“I’m pretty direct,” Cory notes. “If I have to say something, I just have to get it out, mostly because I don’t want to forget.”

Joey’s communication style is more fluid. “My mind’s juggling 30 different things at any time,” he elaborates. “Sometimes when I’m going through the different tasks in my head, I have to reassess and say, ‘OK, I’m going to communicate this, and this is how I have to say it.’ So it’s stop and think before I speak.”

The wisdom they’d share with other couples seeking a long-term relationship, with or without being business partners, is simple: “Make sure you’re listening, not just hearing,” Cory says. “Be mindful of each other.”

“We’re our true selves with each other,” Joey adds, “and I think that’s the biggest thing. We don’t have any walls with each other.”

“And have fun, too. Don’t lose your sense of humor.” Cory says.

“I do stupid shit all the time, and I laugh at myself before he even knows what I’ve done,” Joey admits. “That is just making sure that you are who you are.”

Beyond making sure Houstonians have healthy smiles, Cory and Joey are wonderful examples of the power and resiliency of a love that can inspire us all.

For more info, visit CoryLoganDDS.com.