Oxford Dental Comforts While Improving Smiles

Walker Swaney, DDS / Photo by Justin Taylor

Oxford Dental Clinic has brightened Oxford smiles for 25 years. Doctor of Dental Surgery Walker Swaney has been a leading Oxford dentist for nearly 40 years.

It’s one of life’s little annoyances. Going to the dentist. Just the word ‘dentist’ sends chills down a person’s spine. The staff at Oxford Dental Clinic on South Lamar Boulevard aims to change that feeling whenever a patient comes through their doors.

“Nobody wants to go to the dentist and nobody likes being there while they are there,” Swaney said. “But when we finish with 99 percent of our patients, they get up and say ‘that was easy and painless.'”

Swaney adds if something is uncomfortable, he stops at the patient’s request.

“We’re on time with our appointments and we’ll work in emergencies,” Swaney said

Swaney, from Holly Springs, has lived and worked in Oxford since graduating from Tennessee Dental School. Swaney set up shop in Oxford because his wife is an Oxonian and Lafayette County needed more dentists at the time. The government paid off Swaney’s student loans for working in Oxford for three years.

Dentistry has been rewarding for Swaney. He finds satisfaction in helping patients develop a brighter smile. “It really changes their personalities because of added confidence,” he said

Oxford Dental serves patients of all ages. About 20 percent of patients are college students. Family visits make up the majority of Swaney’s practice. The experienced dentist doesn’t hesitate to call in a specialist when needed. “If there is a case where I think a specialist is needed, we have five great practitioners in Oxford,” Swaney said. “But we work on 90 percent of the patients who walk through our door.”

Swaney said he sees patients from 3 to 100 years old.

Swaney noted great technology advancements over his dentistry career.

“The improvements have been incredible,” Swaney said. “In the past when we built crowns we waited a few weeks to complete the process. Now we have a machine that lets us prepare the tooth, take a picture, make the crown and put it in the same day.”

Swaney says helping people avoid pain with anesthetic improvements makes his job and the patients’ experiences easier. Porcelain fillings are another material improvement over the old metal-base fillings.

Oxford Dental Clinic’s quality work and patient care separates them from the competition.

“We make an extra effort to listen to people,” Swaney said. “We are always on time. We don’t have people coming in the waiting room sitting for an hour to see us. We appreciate people, we thank them for coming and we thank them for trusting us with their family and friends.”

–Justin Taylor, Associate Editor, HottyToddy.com

–You can email Justin at justin.taylor@hottytoddy.com