Orthodontic Smiles: Interview with Dr. Heber Simmons

Orthodontic Smiles is a podcast that is designed for all dentists and their staff that practice orthodontics. The podcasts include interviews by Dr. Ed Gonzalez with practitioners, educators and practice management gurus from all over the world.
The guest interview for this column is Dr. Heber Simmons. Dr. Simmons has served as the Congressional Liaison for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry since 1997. He is a Past President of the Mississippi Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, serves on the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry as well as a member of the Mississippi Dental Association, American Dental Association and a Fellow of the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists and the Pierre Fauchard Academy. Additionally, he was awarded both the Distinguished Service Award and the Ann Page Griffin Humanitarian Award by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

Dr. Ed Gonzalez: When Dr. Simmons completed his dental education at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis, the Tupelo native could not have predicted the national impact he would have on his chosen specialty of pediatric dentistry. His advocacy is credited with obtaining more than one hundred million dollars nationally from the federal legislative appropriations in support of pediatric dental education. He received both his dental and master’s degree from the University of Tennessee and has practiced in Jackson, Mississippi for 55 years, but his sphere of influence in pediatric dentistry extends nationwide. He has spent more than 20 years visiting key congressional offices on Capitol Hill cultivating relationships resulting in funding that significantly increases the number of pediatric dentists trained each year. And as well as the number of faculty in pediatric dentistry education. His efforts have been credited with creating awareness for and the importance of dental care for our nation’s children. An endowed professorship of pediatric dentistry was established in 2017 at the University of Tennessee in his name. To honor a man who has made a lifetime of contributions to the field, a former president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and trustee of the American Dental Association. Dr. Heber Simmons from Jackson, Mississippi may possibly be the most famous pediatric dentist in the United States as well as internationally. Some of you may be wondering, “Why am I interviewing the most famous pediatric dentist in America for the Journal of the American Orthodontic Society?” Well, the reason is that he is a member of the American Orthodontic Society and got his start just like all of us and has been practicing orthodontics in his office for many years. Tell us, Heber, how you got started doing orthodontics.