It’s not “uncommon” for a private practice that is dedicated to personalized, comprehensive care with a mostly fee-for-service patient base to develop one or more “niche” services that distinguish it from other practices. For example, they might develop expertise in Invisalign, Airway Management, Integrated Dental Medicine, Microscopic Dentistry, or in my case, Personalized Implant Dentistry.

Passion and Purpose

I have a passion for what I do, which is making a difference in people’s lives with implant treatment and the care and attention I give them. Each patient is special to me, and I want to solve their dental problems. Becoming an associate in the practice of a Pankey Scholar and faculty member, Dr. Steven Malone, has been an incredible experience. Our relationship has been synergistic from the start! He has mentored and supported me as I built an implant practice inside his comprehensive general dentistry practice and became known in the Knoxville area as a person-centered implant dentist. With the implant practice and a full-service in-house dental lab inside our Knoxville Smiles location, Steve and I offer more comprehensive dental services under one roof than most private dentists.

Invested in Best Care

At Knoxville Smiles, we have invested in state-of-the-art equipment because it enables us to provide better, safer care and improved outcomes, but that is not the only thing that sets us apart. We genuinely treat our patients as members of our family and provide compassionate, personalized care in a comfortable environment designed to make them feel safe and at home. We take things as slowly or as quickly as each patient desires. We spend as much time with each patient as they need. And, because we are known for this, we have no shortage of patients who place priority on health and collaboratively participate in diagnosis and treatment planning. We rarely have a patient who declines to move forward or stalls out with achieving the dentistry they need and a naturally beautiful smile.

Recently, we invested in a robotically-guided dental implant surgery assistant called “Yomi.” It uses haptic guidance and comprehensive information about the patient’s oral and facial structures to guide the precise placement of implants. What “sold” me on the investment was that it provides real-time, multi-sensory guidance. With it, I can monitor nerve locations and other orofacial structures, so I can immediately alter treatment based on real-time information. With this greater precision, the implant surgical experience is less-invasive.

My experience, in the couple months that I have been using Yomi, is that the implant placement procedure takes less time, and the desired results are more predictable. We have made a point in our implant marketing to mention our “latest technology” and new patients who call say they like the idea of having their dental implant treatment done with Yomi.

Much of the Fun Is in the Adventure

If you are a dentist working in a person-centered general practice who has the desire to develop a niche within the practice, my advice is to go ahead and develop the knowledge and expertise it will take. The road to get you to where you want to go will be eventful and personally rewarding. Much of my implant knowledge and experience was gained while in the military, I completed the Augusta University Comprehensive Training in Implant Dentistry Course, and I am currently working on becoming an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. I believe I will always be on the road to mastery because it is so meaningful. My “personalized” approach to clinical patient care is constantly being honed as I progress through The Pankey Institute curriculum and am mentored by Dr. Steven Malone. Can you tell I love what I do?

See you at The Pankey Symposium!