RL Howell DDS & Associatesis a private general dentistry practice that has served the greater Suffolk community since 1959. Dr. Leroy Howell began practicing in the current location at 102 Western Avenue in 1968. His son, Dr. Ralph Howell, joined the practice in 1989, forming a partnership with his father. In 2017, another dentist was added to the family with Dr. Dani Howell becoming the third generation Howell to serve Suffolk. Dr. Melissa Kovacevic joined the practice in August2020 completingthe Howell Dentistry team.
As the practice expanded, the Howells brought inadditional dentists to help serve the greater Suffolk community.Dr. Ralph Howell saw a need in the patient population to expand the practice beyond downtown Suffolk. In 2007, the second location, Harbour View Dental Center, opened in the Harbour View section of Suffolk.
Dr. Ralph L. Howell, Jr. grew up in the Suffolk community. In 1982, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the College of William and Mary. He then went on to earn his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the Medical College of Virginia in 1989, where he graduated with honors and was a member of the distinguished national dental honor society Omicron Kappa Upsilon. Dr. Howell was also recognized with the Medical College of Virginia's A.D. Williams Scholarship Award.
Recognizing thatdentistry is constantly advancing and evolving, Dr. Howell attends many continuing education courses and maintains knowledge considered on the cutting edge of dentistry. In line with his high regard for continuing education, Dr. Howell earned his Masters from the Academy of General Dentistry in 2012. The Master is the highest achievement within the AGD andis awarded to AGD Fellows who have completed over 1100 hours of Continuing Education. Following completion of his implant training, Dr. Howell was awarded a Fellowship in the International Congress of Implantologists in December 2012.
Dr. Ralph Howell is an active member of the community, as well as organized dentistry. He isa past President of the Virginia Dental Association. He currently represents the Virginia Dental Association as delegate to the American Dental Association. Dr. Howell serves the ADA on the Council on Communications and on the Appeal Board of the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition. In December 2011, Dr. Howell was appointed to serve onthe Virginia Healthcare Foundation's Board of Directors. From 2015-2017, Dr. Howell will serve as the Healthcare Foundation's chair. As the Chair of the Lake Prince WoodsAdvisory Committee, he isacts as a member on the Executive Board of United Church Homes and Services.Dr. Howellserves as theon the Colonial Virginia Council Executive Board for the Boy Scouts of America and has served as the medical officer for three national Boy Scout jamborees at Fort A.P. Hill. He is a past president of the Suffolk Rotary Club, and as an active member of Oakland Christian Church where he served as the Chairman of the church's board of trustees.
Dr. Howell has been honored as the Western Tidewater Free Clinic's Volunteer of the Year, Richard F. Simmons Memorial Award by the Tidewater DentalAssociation, and the Leadership Award by the Virginia Dental Association.
Dr. Howell has been married to his wife, Tammy, for over 30 years. His daughters, Lauren and Danielle, have followed in his footsteps in the Boy Scouts of America and Dentistry, respectively. Dr. Howell enjoys spending time with his grandson, Gavin, photography, boating, and skiing.
Dr. Leroy Howell has been a member of the Suffolk community for most of his life. He attended Chuckatuck High School before going to Elon College in North Carolina, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry in 1951. He returned to Virginia to study dentistry at the Medical College of Virginia, where he completed his doctor of dental surgery degree in 1955 and oral surgery internship in1956.
Later in 1956, Dr. Howell joined the U.S. Army Dental Corps and subsequently served in the U.S. Army Reserve until 1964. During that period, he also began the private practice in Suffolk that has becomeRL Howell DDS & Associates.
Dr. Howell is actively involved in the Suffolk community and participates in many civic organizations, including the Rotary Club of Suffolk (member since 1964), the Chuckatuck Ruritan Club (member since 1959), the Boy Scouts of America;Colonial Virginia Council, the Suffolk Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Elon College Board of Trustees, the United Church Homes & Services, and the NationsBank Advisory Board.
Dr. Howell is also an active, lifelong member of the Oakland Christian Church. Through the church he continues to provide many services to the congregation and the surrounding community. Dr. Howell is the past chairman of the board of deacons and previously served as the church moderator. Dr. Howell has also been a member of the Long Range Planning Committee since 1996 and has enjoyed teaching at the Oakland Christian Church Sunday School since 1959.
Born in Richmond while Dr. Ralph Howell was attending the Medical College of Virginia, Dr. Dani Howell was raised in Suffolk. Despite spending an overwhelming amount of her childhood in the office, Dr. Howell had little interest following in her father and grandfathers footsteps by becoming a dentist.
Dr. Howell studied Political Science and Business Administration at Elon University. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2010, Dr. Howell discovered her love for dentistry while volunteering at a Mission of Mercy Project. She attended Virginia Commonwealth University and received a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Health Sciences in 2011. Following a few years spent managing the business aspect of the practice, Dr. Howell left to pursue dental school.
Dr. Dani Howell received her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 2017 from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry. Although if Dr. Ralph Howell or Dr. Leroy Howell ask, she graduated from MCV (as the school was named when they attended)!
Following graduation, Dr. Howell entered private practice. She since been awarded fellowships in the Pierre Fauchard Academy, the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, and the American College of Dentists.
Dr. Howell remains an active advocate and leader in organized dentistry. Since entering private practice, she has been a member of the Tidewater Dental Associations Executive Committee where she currently serves as President. Dr. Howell is a member on the Virginia Dental Associations Council on Government Affairs and the New Dentist Committee. She also serves as a delegate and alternate delegate to the Virginia Dental Association and American Dental Associations House of Delegates respectively. Dr. Howell has been active in the Virginia Academy of General Dentistry (VAGD), serving as a delegate to the AGD House of Delegates and as the VAGD's current Vice President.