To paraphrase an old idiom, two brains are better than one. At the UMKC School of Dentistry, that saying holds true, especially when two brains have been connected since birth. The school has welcomed an unusually large number of twins as students over the years.

Whether identical or fraternal, these pairs have an uncanny ability to divine their siblings’ thoughts, share their burdens and enjoy working in tandem, giving them a unique experience both in their clinical and class work and also as they build their practices after graduation.

Richie Bigham, assistant dean for student programs, estimates the school has an incoming class with a set of twins every three to four years.

“We’ve had a lot of siblings,” Bigham said, “but having them in the same class is unique to twins. One benefit is they get double the friends.”

What gives? Are genetics responsible for the twin phenomenon? The environment? Nature or nurture?

The twins say it’s not that complicated.

Third-year students Abagayle and Annabella Moody saw dentistry as a healthcare career that would give the sisters the opportunity to work together after graduation. Their classmate, Jade Bauer, also a twin, put it more succinctly – twins do everything together.

“It’s just a twin thing,” Bauer said.

Identical in every way

The Moody sisters are a quintessential pair of identical twins. Not only do they finish each other’s thoughts, but they sometimes say entire sentences in unison. The sisters, originally from Frontenac, Kansas, now live together, commute to school together and work out together. They also share a dog named George.

The Moodys have had two goals since they were young: work in healthcare and work together. Dentistry seemed like the profession that would give them the best chance at achieving their vision. After they earn their dental degrees, both want to complete pediatric residencies and work separately for a while. But their ultimate goal is to buy a practice and work together for the rest of their lives, according to Annabella.

In dental school, both sisters feel double the fun and double the pressure.

“Sometimes during a test, I would look at Annabella and try to read how she’s doing,” Abagayle said. “And then I would be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I need to focus on what’s in front of me.’”

In clinic, the two team up on difficult cases. If one is doing a complicated crown prep, for example, the other makes sure she is there to assist. Whoever is done with her patients first will help clean up the other’s operatory.

“It’s like a built-in third hand,” Annabella said.

As identical twins, bringing patients to the clinic from the waiting room leads to some unique interactions.

“We’re on different teams, so our patients don’t see us together,” said Annabella. “But we’ll be walking with our patients and pass each other. Our patients are like, ‘What is going on?’”

Always there for each other

Students Sydney and Jade Bauer have wanted to be dentists since middle school. But neither recalls who had the idea first.

During their first two years of dental school, the pair lived together and thought it was helpful to always have a study partner nearby, especially when it came to sharing flash cards. Although they live separately now, they live in the same apartment complex and help keep each other motivated.

“Nobody else really understands what we’re going through in dental school,” Jade said, “so it’s nice being able to vent to someone who understands.”

Now that the two are in clinic, their bond gives them an advantage.

“I wouldn’t say we have a telepathic connection, but I understand when Sydney is stressed or frustrated,” Jade said. “I can tell her to slow down and take a couple breaths, and that’s something her friends wouldn’t be able to recognize.”

Along with their twin intuition, Jade and Sydney share similar values when it comes to caring for their patients. Both of them believe it’s important to form strong relationships, and they think having a twin helps break the ice.

“We’ll tell them about being a twin and introduce them to the other,” Jade said. “It’s also fun when we pass by Sydney and I can say, ‘Oh by the way, that’s my twin.’”

As fraternal twins, Sydney is surprised by how many people get the two mixed up.

“I don’t think we look anything alike,” Sydney said. “But some people think we’re identical.”

Another topic up for debate? Whether or not they share a talent for singing. Following Sydney’s impressive vocal performance at the school’s annual talent show, many asked Jade if she sings too.

“Jade said, ‘I try, but she tells me not to,’” said Sydney.

Originally from St. Louis, the Bauers’ hope is to own a practice together at some point, either in the Kansas City area or in Austin, Texas. For now, they both just hope they can practice in the same city.

“If I ever buy a practice, it will be with Sydney,” Jade said. “We understand each other so well. There’s never been a fight that we haven’t been able to overcome.”

Double the success and the stress

Alumni Adam (DDS ’10, PERIO ’12) and Peter McClellan (DDS ’10) never know what to say when they are inevitably asked about their experience as fraternal twins.

“People always ask what it’s like,” Adam said. “It’s hard to answer that, because you don’t know any different.”

Like the Moody sisters, when the McClellans were students, they experienced everything twice – the success and the stress. Adam internalized Peter’s struggles as much as his own.

During an endodontic competency test, the two sat across from each other working on typodonts. Adam could hear Peter getting frustrated, unable to find the pulp in a specific tooth. It was distracting Adam. He knew his brother was drilling on the wrong tooth, trying to find pulp that wasn’t there.

“Eventually, he figured it out and passed the practical,” Adam said. “But I was so stressed out worrying about him that I failed the practical. It’s something we laugh about to this day.”

Their connection as twins gave the brothers a unique perspective on the benefit of collaboration and mentorship. These values are now built into their everyday at each of their practices. They began separate practices in Prairie Village, Kansas, and over the years each has expanded his individual practice to offices around the Kansas City metropolitan area.

“Part of being a twin is seeing firsthand that things are easier when you do them together,” Peter said. “We both saw collaboration was the future of dentistry. Collaborating instead of being solo practitioners.”

Looking back on their time in dental school, Adam is grateful he always had a partner in Peter.

“I’m glad we had each other to lean on,” said Adam. “I often wonder how I would have done if it was just me. Same for Peter.”

Bigham sees it as an advantage as well.

“You think about their journey and how twins share so much in life,” Bigham said. "When we make acceptance calls with twins, we always like to try to call them at the same time. We notify them together so that they find out at the same moment.”

A Family Affair

Identical twins Daniel (B.S. ’79, DDS ’83) and David Stamos (B.S. ’79, DDS ’83) were raised in Independence, Missouri, by a single mother who instilled in them the desire to live a more comfortable life. They believed education was the key to achieving their goal – and they knew they had to do it together.

“In high school, we would split the assignments,” David said. “‘You do the even numbers, and I’ll do the odd numbers,’ and the ones we couldn’t figure out, we would work together on them,” David said.

That collaboration never stopped. After high school, they both attended Metropolitan Community College-Longview in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, on tennis scholarships. They finished their undergrad at UMKC with degrees in biology. Next came dental school (and part-time jobs at the same grocery store). After earning their dental degrees, Daniel headed to Marquette University in Milwaukee for an endodontic residency. David headed to Wisconsin a year later for the same residency.

Now the brothers have started a family of endodontists who are all proud UMKC alumni. David’s son, Alexander Stamos (DDS ’14) practices with his father in Independence, Missouri. Daniel’s daughter, Kate Edwards (DDS ’17), also joined her dad’s practice, with two locations in Kansas City, North. His son, Patrick Stamos (DDS ’15), owns an endodontic office in Columbia, Missouri. The two fathers couldn’t be prouder.

“The kids are following in our footsteps because they saw what the profession could lead to and they liked it,” Daniel said. “I asked my son why he wanted to be an endodontist. He said, ‘All those meetings you used to drag us to, everybody was always just so nice and looked like they were having a good time.’’

Although the Stamos twins practice separately, the two live 10 minutes from each other, and they talk every day on their way to the office.

“Every morning on the way to work, Dave will call me, and we spend five or six minutes rehashing everything,” Daniel said. “And at night as well.”

Through the ups and downs of dental school and beyond, each one of the twins has leaned on that special relationship and second brain to share in their passion and devotion to the field of dentistry. While their paths look a little different from each other, there is no denying their common bond: they cherish their time at the School of Dentistry and deeply value their chosen profession.

“We’ve had a lot of blessings in our life,” Daniel said. “We’re old, but we haven’t forgotten what dentistry has given us.”