Meet Dr. Al
We want our office to be your child’s dental home. At Pediatric Dentistry there’s fun, there’s excitement, there are jokes – even corny ones that kids and parents like way more than they should. That is not an accident. That is the garden we have been called to steward.
Kids know when they are welcome somewhere. They know when the adults around them mean it. Our duty is to be the kind of place that means it, so that when a child sits in our chair, they are relaxed enough to learn, brave enough to try, and comfortable enough to want to come back.
Kids dentistry rocks. I mean that with all my heart. It is a conviction I have carried since before I even knew I would become a dentist.
Someone planted that seed. My best friend’s mom was a dental hygienist and hygiene instructor at Texas Woman’s University. She always said I would be a great dentist for kids, and I have never forgotten it. She was, and still is, my favorite person in dentistry. She has always believed in prevention, and she passed that belief on to me. Every honest conversation with a parent about what we can stop before it starts – that is her influence continually working.
We are not a stuffy dental office. We take the work seriously and keep the experience fun, because fun and excellent are not opposites. Kids deserve both.
Education and Ongoing Learning
My undergraduate studies were completed at Baylor University where I received my bachelor’s degree. I attended dental school, and obtained my Doctor of Dental Surgery, at Baylor College of Dentistry, now Texas A&M University College of Dentistry. Next came my pediatric dentistry residency at the NYU Langone Hospitals in Providence, Rhode Island.
My residency covered the full scope of children’s oral health: prevention, diagnosis, restorative and surgical treatment, behavioral guidance, sedation, trauma and emergency care, craniofacial development, and care for children with special health care needs and complex medical conditions.
In 2019, I became board certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
I am a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Association. Dentistry as an art and science keeps advancing, and the kids in this office deserve care that reflects the best of what we know today.
Personal Life
I grew up in Denton, Texas, and I am proud to now serve the Quad Cities community. I am a husband and a dad, and both of those things help shape me as a healthcare provider. I know the child in my chair is a significant part of someone’s whole world. Because of this I am truly humbled when a parent chooses me to help them give their child the smile of a lifetime.
Joanna, my wife, is a physician’s assistant in pediatric medicine. We have 5 children Kat, Max, Lucy, Lana, and Marley. We also have one fur baby Ralfalfa (or Ralfy for short). I enjoy being with my family on a soccer field or making noise with instruments. Both have taught me the same thing: show up, be present, and give what you have. I want to bring that to this garden every day.
Come Be Part of It
I’m excited to help build something that makes a positive difference in the lives of people throughout this community. A place where kids leave braver than they came in, where parents feel like partners, and where dentistry is something kids actually look forward to. A place where kids dentistry rocks. Come see for yourself.