The short version
- DMD, University of Kentucky, 1995. Practicing exclusively in Sarasota since.
- Still takes hundreds of hours of continuing education, and teaches at the Nash Institute.
- Published nationally, including in the Woman Dentist Journal.
- Seven professional memberships, listed in full below.
- Any dentist's license and disciplinary history is publicly checkable.
- Qualified
- DMD, 1995
- School
- University of Kentucky
- In Sarasota since
- 1995
- Memberships
- Seven
Training and experience are two of the most important things to check before choosing a dentist, and they are among the easiest. Any licensed dentist has trained extensively. Not all training is the same, and a particular field of expertise may be exactly what you are looking for.
Dr. Back
Qualification. DMD, University of Kentucky, 1995. She has practiced exclusively in Sarasota since.
Continuing education. She still takes hundreds of hours of it, and she teaches at the Nash Institute. Being asked to teach a technique is a judgement made by other dentists, which is a different signal from a credential you apply for.
Published. She has authored articles published nationally, including in the Woman Dentist Journal. One is titled “Moving the Midline”.
Press. Featured in NewBeauty magazine. See Dr. Back in NewBeauty magazine.
Memberships
- American Academy of Cosmetic Dentists
- Florida Association of Cosmetic Dentistry
- American Dental Association
- Academy of General Dentistry
- West Coast Dental Association
- Sarasota Dental Association
- Seattle Study Club, Sarasota chapter
The useful reading of a list like this is the pattern rather than any single entry: national and local bodies, sustained over decades.
How to check any dentist’s training
Do not take a practice’s word for it, including this one. Three routes, and they take minutes.
- Read their site. Most dentists want people to know where they trained, so it is usually published. If you cannot find it, that is itself informative.
- Call and ask. Do not worry about the question being intrusive. A dentist’s training and experience is information you are entitled to as a prospective patient, and any good practice gives it without hesitating. Reluctance is an answer.
- Check the state dental board. Most states publish a board site where you can confirm a dentist is licensed and see whether any disciplinary action has been taken. In Florida that is the Department of Health’s license verification. The disciplinary history is the part worth the trip, because it is the only source that shows problems rather than credentials.
What credentials do not tell you
They establish competence, not fit.
Whether a dentist listens, explains, and tells you when what you asked for is the wrong treatment is not in any register. Neither is taste, which in cosmetic work is the difference between a result that looks like teeth and one that looks like dental work.
That is why the consultation matters as much as the qualifications, and why asking to see the dentist’s own completed cases is the most informative thing you can do. What to look for in one is in how to choose a cosmetic dentist, and the signals to walk away from are in warning signs in a dental office.
Booking
More about Dr. Back is on her page, and the work is in the gallery.
Sarasota Smile Design is on Clark Road in Sarasota, serving Sarasota, Nokomis, Osprey and Venice. Open Monday to Thursday, 8am to 4pm.
Call 941-927-5411.
