A persons teeth can have a huge impact on how they are perceived, as well as how they feel about themselves. People see an orthodontist in order to have straight, properly aligned, and aesthetically pleasing teeth. Not only do straight teeth look great, they are also easier to clean. This means better dental checkups, and less likelihood of TMJ and other jaw joint problems.

With braces, there is no one size fits all. Every persons teeth are different and the orthodontists expertise is knowing how to properly guide each tooth and underlying bone so that the end result is perfectly aligned teeth, healthy gums, and a beautiful smile. Additionally, your bite, jaw joints and jaw muscles are an extremely complex anatomical puzzle that often requires expert, hands-on supervision. Dr. Tom will ensure that your bite fits together and functions the right way, and that everything works together in perfect harmony.

It may surprise you to find out that the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all children should be examined by an orthodontist by age 7. Why so early? It is important to forecast any of the dozens of problems that can occur with the rapid development in a childs jaws. This means well before age 12-13, when the last adult teeth usually come in. However, having an exam at age 7 doesnt always mean they will need to start braces right away. Its just a way to see how their teeth are developing in order to plan for the future.

If you are an adult wanting to finally have the smile youve longed for, Dr. Tom can help! About 25% of our patients are adults and we provide several options from which you may choose Invisalign, Clear Braces, Invisible Braces (behind the teeth), and our highly advanced metal SPEED braces, the tiniest metal braces made.

Dr. Tom Atkinson is a native of Greenville, SC and has practiced orthodontics here since 1990. He started practice in the same office with his father (the first pediatric dentist in South Carolina) and patients started call him Dr. Tom they have ever since. He now treats many students of the very schools he attended years ago in Greenville: Beck Academy, J.L. Mann High School, and Furman University. His grown children Trey and Katie, are both graduates of Furman University and have diverse careers. Dr. Toms greatest reward in practice is the positive impact he makes for his patients which lasts their entire lifetime.

In addition to creating beautiful smiles Dr. Tom is also a craftsman and musician. His passion since the early 2000s has been woodworking creating one-of-a-kind pieces of heirloom quality furniture, repairing antiques, or crafting something unique for his home. He also plays electric bass guitar, something he has done since childhood, playing in several bands and performing for many church functions. Dr. Tom has also been involved in his church, serving as a deacon along with other leadership roles in his church.

After leaving Furman in 1983 he earned his doctorate in dentistry in 1987 from the Medical University of South Carolina, College of Dental Medicine (Charleston, SC) where he was awarded 4 prestigious honors:

International College of Dentists: Outstanding Achievement Southeastern Academy of Prosthodontics: Outstanding Achievement The Quintessence Award for Academic Achievement American Association of Endodontists: Certificate of Merit

In 1990, Dr. Atkinson earned his Masters of Science in Orthodontics from Washington University (St. Louis, MO). He maintains membership in the American Dental Association, American Association of Orthodontists, and Southern Association of Orthodontists. He continues his education constantly, studying with the world leaders in orthodontics, various MasterMind groups, the Dawson Study Group locally, and various other associations. Dr. Tom is constantly teaching within his profession and regularly writes articles to educate fellow dentists professionals about orthodontics.

I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and lived there for about 30 years where I earned my degree as a Certified Dental Assistant from Nashville Technical College in 1994. After working in general dentistry for 6 years I had the opportunity to work with an orthodontist and I was hooked Ive been in orthodontics ever since. Ive now worked in dentistry for over 20 years and I joined Dr. Toms team in the Spring of 2019 and love the people here.

I have 4 grown children, two boys and two girls, who are all local and I enjoy being with them as much as I can. My husband has been with Michelin for over 20nyears and we love to spend time with our children and our dogs. Grilling out and swimming are our favorite pastimes.

Fun Fact: I grew up spending Sundays at the airport with my grandfather watching the planes land and I would love to someday take flying lessons. As a side note, dont tell anyone butI am TERRIFIED of bees!

Cranford, New Jersey was my childhood home but Ive also lived in Clearwater, FL and I graduated Flagler College (St. Augustine, FL) in 1991. Prior to joining Dr. Toms team in December of 2013, I worked as a merchandising specialist and as a pharmaceutical sales consultant. My husband John and I have two beautiful girls- Maryn is the creative-free-spirit-dreamer, while Grace is a peacemaker-book lover-broadway music fanatic.

I love exploring new craft breweries with my husband, and I particularly enjoy decorating and re-creating things into something wonderful. I have a dream of buying land and opening what I call the Rescue Ranch where I see and care for dogs that nobody wants anymore.

Growing up in Greenville my dentist as a child was Dr. Toms father (who happened to be the first pediatric dentist in South Carolina) and when I was 19, he began my orthodontic treatment. Dr. Tom happened to finish orthodontic school around that time and he actually completed my braces. Shortly afterwards, Dr. Tom asked me to come to work for him as an orthodontic assistant. Ive been working with Dr. Tom on and off for over 30 years now!

My husband and I have two wonderful children and we love taking short trips together. My kids are everything to me. I love to sing and if youre a patient in my chair youll hear me humming to the music.

I am a Greenville native, having attended Hillcrest High and Greeville Tech and I currently live in Simpsonville. My husband Bruce and I have 4 children along with 4 marvelous (and busy) grandchildren. I came to work with Dr. Tom in 2013 after having been the Office Manager for an Internal Medicine group for 12 years, and involved with medical billing for about 5 years before that.

I grew up in Arlington, Texas and moved to Greenville in 1994 with my husband who Id met in Dallas years before. We have two grown children and have developed a love of exploring new fun places to eat in the Greenville area. We also enjoy weekend trips to visit our children along with hikes with our rescue dog Frankie.

I have fun in my job as Treatment Coordinator because it is surprisingly similar to my former career as a Guidance Clerk for Northwood Middle School I was surrounded there by teenagers for 10 years, and we have fun with the same age group here.

What do braces cost? Because almost everyones bite problem is different and unique, the cost of orthodontic treatment is based on the complexity of the problem, the specific type of procedures involved, and the timing in a patients life when they start treatment.

When you consider the long term benefits and problems that orthodontic treatment can help you avoid, the cost of braces is actually quite a good investment in a smile that will last you a lifetime along with making sure that the bite, the jaw joints, and the jaw muscles all work together properly.

Orthodontic insurance is always beneficial, but the entire cost of braces is not usually covered by most insurance plans. Not all employers offer insurance benefits so we are happy to help you with financing. The amount of your out of pocket investment depends upon the type of orthodontic procedure required, the length of time required, along with the complexity of the treatment, and the specifics of your insurance plan.

If you already have Dental / Orthodontic Insurance: Orthodontic insurance is almost always an optional, separate benefit within your dental insurance, just as dental insurance is different from medical insurance. Therefore, just because you may already have dental insurance, you may or may not have orthodontic insurance.

Most orthodontic insurance policies cover some of the cost of your orthodontic treatment, but it depends upon your specific policy. The typical policy is structured to cover 50% of the cost of orthodontic treatment up to a once-in-a-lifetime-maximum. This means that your policy will usually contain two significant restrictions:

Many orthodontists do not accept assignment of your insurance benefits, which means that your out of pocket costs is higher. But we are here to help you, and will do all the paperwork for you in order to file your insurance on your behalf. And because we will accepts the assignment of your benefits, your out of pocket cost will be less.

I have two insurance plans. Can I use both to pay for my orthodontic treatment? Yes! Generally you will receive ALL of your benefits from your primary insurance, while your secondary insurance will pay a percentage (typically 50% up to the lifetime maximum).

What happens if I change jobs during my orthodontic treatment? If you lose your job, your benefits will stop and any remaining balance not paid by your insurance company becomes your responsibility. We will work with you to get this balance paid. If your new job offers orthodontic insurance, we will file a claim when you become eligible to receive your benefits.

Does your office accept Medicaid? Unfortunately, South Carolina Medicaid does not pay for orthodontic treatment. We are happy to work with each patient on an individual basis with payment arrangements.

FALSE! Every child should have an orthodontic exam by age 7 because there are DOZENS of problems that can occur while the bite is developing from age 7 (first adult teeth come in) to age 12-13 (when the last ones erupt) And its Dr. Toms job to forecast and prevent these problems. Just take a look at this example

Olivias parents thought they were doing the right thing by waiting until she was 12 years old before bringing her to Dr. Tom for her first orthodontic exam. He immediately discovered something very wrong with Olivias bite (not the space between her front teeth).

If Olivias parents had brought her to see Dr. Tom years earlier, he would have seen this problem developing and been able to prevent her from needing to now have painful surgery on the roof of her mouth to remove two impacted teeth. But her parents mistakenly thought they should wait until most of her baby teeth had fallen out before getting an orthodontic exam.

Remember an orthodontic exam at age 7 or 8 does not automatically mean braces at age 7. With Dr. Tom as your orthodontist, he will only advise treatment at an early age if it is necessary to prevent other problems from developing. So, if nothing else, youll have the peace of mind in knowing what treatment may or may not be needed for the future.

Our goal is getting you a great smile and a healthy bite. Dr. Tom is trained to forecast how your childs bite is developing, so he places a special emphasis on preventing bite problems when possible, and on intercepting current problems to prevent them from becoming worse. Performing orthodontic treatment at the ideal time will save you time and money and help prevent tooth or jaw problems before they become more difficult and more expensive to fix.