Water skiing, car racing, deep-sea diving? Just a few of Dr. Tim Johnstons favorite calming activities after a thrilling week of dental research & management. A self-professed CE junkie, Dr. Johnston lives for the moment when a new dental technology emerges. He knows its only a matter of time before hes teaching his staff, and a patient is benefiting from the latest streamlined, painless procedure.

After graduating from dental school in 1989, Dr. Johnston embarked on the epic journey of building a private practice from the ground up. While he never specifically set out to inspire others to give great dental care, he always wanted to have his own practice, and he studied diligently on the best ways to do that. Since then, hes mastered enough techniques and improved enough systems to train entire legions of dentists. And he has if you count the hundreds of dental students he taught for 17 years at his alma mater, the Medical College of Virginia, as well as the groups of practicing dentists who have attended his professional development seminars.

Dr. Ray Henley is that cool dentist your mother warned you about. Now, hes the one she and all her friends go to for root canals, implants, and any procedure where artistry is just as important as the cutting-edge science behind it. A former 14-year-old professional drummer, Dr. Henley bucked rock star tradition and decided to become a dentist, to the great relief of his parents. He had a cool dentist growing up, and felt a personal calling to show people who are normally petrified of the dentist how it feels to take care of things as soon as possible from someone who gets it.

Dr. Henley cut his teeth, so to speak, during a fast-paced residency as an army dentist in the 1990s, performing up to 600 procedures a year in overseas and rural areas. In fact, he did more root canals in three months of being in the army than he did in all of dental school. He always had two duffel bags ready at all timesknowing he could be sent anywhere in 48 hours. Fortunately, he never needed his gas mask or his weapons training. When he returned, he opened a private practice in Yorktown, 16 miles north of the town where he grew up. But he missed having a band of his owna peer group of other dentists to consult and share information with.

When he was invited to join Norge Dental Center in 2000, he accepted without hesitation. At last, a place to work with colleagues who valued quality, artistry, and cutting-edge procedures and materials just as much as he did. Never one to stay in his comfort zone, Dr. Henley views dentistry as a dynamic, ever-evolving field, and is as excited to embrace a new dental procedure or material as he is to master a new song with the local duo he is one half of. Repetition hones his craft, which hes turned into an art form. He knows not every patient had a cool dentist like he did, and he encourages his patients to share their fears with him. Over the years, hes been able to help even people petrified of the dentist see how taking care of things as soon as possible helps them in the long run.

Theres no question that Dr. Hogan loves dentistry. Shes been working on and around teeth, now, for over 10 years. Before becoming a dentist, Dr. Hogan earned a degree in dental hygiene and worked as a dental hygienist. She loves building relationships with her patients and helping them by delivering consistently excellent dental care.

Dr. Hogan was never one of those people who didnt know what she wanted to be when she grew up. In fact, thanks to her own kind and energetic dental care team, shes known she wanted to pursue dentistry since she was a teenager.

I always enjoyed having my teeth cleaned. My hygienist and dentist were always smiling and joking and just seemed genuinely happy to be at work. I knew early on I wanted a career where I would be interacting with people, she said.

Throughout dental school at Virginia Commonwealth University, Dr. Hogan excelled, ultimately graduating with a perfect average in clinical coursework. She completed all clinical requirements for graduation nine months early, despite being pregnant with her second child and having a 3-year-old at the time.

Always caring and upbeat, Dr. Hogan strives to make patients feel they are getting the best care in a fun, safe, and non-judgmental environment. Her goal is to put patients at ease and develop custom treatment plans suited to their specific needs.

New patients will often tell me, No offense, I just dont like coming to the dentist. It is my goal and personal challenge to change that, Dr. Hogan said. I want my patients experiences to be as fun and helpful as possible. I love it when patients say to me You know its funny, but I actually enjoyed this visit!

Dr. Hogan loves that her job allows her to make a positive impact on peoples lives. She has a deep passion for comprehensive head and neck health and is especially passionate about providing thorough oral cancer screenings.

No matter who her patients are or where they come from, Dr. Hogan recognizes that every patient is also a mom, dad, sister, brother, daughter, or son. She strives to treat everyone with the same care and consideration she would her own family.