Our mission is to provide the highest quality orthodontic care possible in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. We will do this using the utmost in honest and ethical business practices. Simply put, if at any time we are faced with a choice that puts what is best for our practice in competition with what is in the best interest of our patients, we are committed to choose what is best for the patient.
Dr. Smart attended dental school at LSU School of Dentistry in New Orleans and completed a three-year residency in Orthodontics at the University of Tennessee. He graduated first in his class from Orthodontic Residency and also won the Chairman's Award for Excellence in Orthodontic research.
Dr. Smart has been practicing orthodontics in Montgomery, Alabama since 1995. He truly LOVES his work as an orthodontist! He says he feels extremely fortunate that he has the opportunity to earn a living doing something he enjoys so much. He is extremely thankful to his wife Lori for all of the sacrifices she made to allow him to go back to school to pursue a career in Orthodontics. Dr. Smart says that although there are many reasons he loves being an orthodontist, probably the greatest reason is the chance to get to know and build relationships with his patients.
Dr. Smart and his wife Lori have three grown children. (Josh (married to Danielle), Melanie, and Jonathan (married to Ashton)) whom they dearly love and feel like have grown up too fast. They also have one (precious) granddaughter (Mary Landon). Being a grandparent is (way) better than can be described!! Dr. Smart 's hobbies are running (reluctantly :), ultimate frisbee and computer programming. He also describes himself as a 'wanna-be' youth minister and enjoys hanging out with students as much as possible.
Dr. Smart worked for a contracting firm (T.L. James & Co.) in the New Orleans area before and during dental school. He says the engineers at this firm were some of the smartest people he has ever met. He feels he was privileged to work with these men and women. They routinely 'thought outside of the box' to solve some of the most challenging engineering problems. This is just one example of such thinking.
T.L. James was contracted to build a section of I-310 bridge over marshland near New Orleans, LA. Because the project was over an environmentally sensitive area, the normal construction method of having cranes and equipment located on the ground while building the bridge could not be used. Instead, a method had to be devised to have the cranes and equipment positioned on a recently completed section of the bridge itself while building the next section.
Engineers came up with a plan to have the cranes and equipment work off of a series of crane platforms to build the bridge. (Dr. Smart designed the crane platforms - no cranes fell in the marsh! :) )The bridge was built in 40 ' sections called 'spans'. Each day, the crane would be used to drive piles in front of it for the next 40 ' span and attach a precast concrete cap over the piles (called a 'bent cap'). The same crane would also set in place precast concrete slabs on the span behind it which functioned as the beams for the roadway. The next day, only 24 hours after the piles and bent cap had been placed, the crane would pick up the crane platform behind the one it was resting on and, in a 'leap-frog' fashion, swing it around and place it on the bent cap it had set the day before. It would then drive forward onto the crane platform that was now in front of it and repeat the whole process.
One could understandably ask, 'What 's this have to do with orthodontics?' While bridges and orthodontics may not be directly related, some of the principles of coming up with creative solutions to solve complex problems very much apply to both fields!
Montgomery is fortunate to have many excellent orthodontic practices to choose from. Dr. Smart has known his fellow orthodontists in Montgomery for many years and considers them to be colleagues instead of competitors. He adamantly states that Montgomery orthodontists practice excellent, patient-centered orthodontics incorporating the highest ethical standards.
Even though each practice is excellent, they are not identical. There are differences in procedures focused on, atmosphere, size, etc. SmartSmiles Orthodontics is a relatively smaller practice than some others. Some patients and parents feel more comfortable in a larger practice. However, others may appreciate the benefits of more personalized, individual care that is possible in a smaller practice. We believe that this ability to connect with and get to know our patients is one of our greatest strengths. Simply stated, we LOVE our patients! We really do! They are the reason that we work in the greatest field there is! (a somewhat biased opinion :) )
In addition to personal, individualized care, we are committed to excellence. We continually strive to achieve and maintain the highest standards of orthodontic excellence. This applies to every aspect of our practice from customer service to orthodontic techniques. Providing healthcare to humans is exceptionally rewarding, but also comes with enormous responsibility. We take this responsibility extremely seriously. Dr. Smart often says, There is a person attached to those teeth!
Orthodontics is a very worthwhile investment of resources that can bring dramatic, life-long benefits. However, there are some inherent realities that must be communicated in order for patients and parents to make a truly informed decision about treatment. Orthodontics truly is a 'team effort'. Patient cooperation with oral hygiene, commitment to wearing elastics or aligners, etc. is one of the biggest factors in determining treatment outcomes. We are committed to doing everything we can to provide patients and parents with clear, factual information about each member 's role in orthodontic treatment. It 's not easy, but it is definitely worth the effort!