A. Douglas Smiley, DMD

Some people are born with a specific purpose in life. With a last name like Smiley, it’s only natural that Friendly Smiles Dentistry owner, Douglas Smiley, DMD went into the field of gentle dental care. In 1985, Dr. Smiley graduated from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry in Kentucky and has been practicing his dream ever since.

A Passion with a Purpose

Before finding his true passion for dentistry, Dr. Smiley spent time working as an electrician with his father who owned an electrical company. “Lying on the basement floor of a building, running electrical line made me know I wanted to do something with my hands, but more importantly, something that helped people.” says Dr. Smiley. Thus, inspiring to him to find a career that combined both of the things he loved – dentistry.

With a pride for mentoring new dentists in his Tampa offices, Dr. Smiley infuses his philosophy – treating every patient like family and having fun while doing it – into the practices of his staff. When you enter one of the four Friendly Smiles locations, you’ll see what we mean!

Dentistry Runs in the Family

As a head dentist in Tampa, Dr. Smiley spends most of his time helping patients. But when he’s not in the office, you can find him spending a Saturday outside doing yard work, teeing up for some golf, and having quality time with his family. One of the things Dr. Smiley is most proud of outside of his Tampa dentist offices is his son, Stephen. Stephen shares the passion of dentistry with his father and is graduating from dental school this year.  He will continue to training with an extensive AEGD program and then joining the practice!

Keeping Tampa Dentistry Current

One trend that Dr. Smiley is particularly concerned about is the idea of “dental therapists”, because it puts patient safety in jeopardy when healthcare providers don’t receive proper training. According to Dr. Smiley, “There is a reason that dentists require four years of training, it’s a difficult field. While lawmakers are looking for a quick fix for inexpensive care, they are compromising care which will inevitably lead to problems both clinically for patients and lawsuits against therapists.”. That’s why it’s important for patients to seek care from a properly trained and skilled dentist.

When you find your life’s passion, you want to share it with others – and that’s what Dr. Smiley is doing every day at Friendly Smiles. According to Dr. Smiley, by changing someone’s teeth and smile patients tell him “you’ve changed my life’; and there is no greater compliment in his mind than that. Change your life today and let the gentle dental team at Friendly Smiles take care of you.