Dr. Lauren Stennis has carved out a spot in New Orleans that goes past dentistry. Her work reveals what can occur when scientific ability, neighborhood values, and cultural understanding come collectively. At this time, she leads one of many metropolis’s standout Black-owned normal dentistry practices—however her path began years earlier than she ever picked up a dental drill.
Early Life: Roots in New Orleans and Atlanta
Dr. Stennis was born in New Orleans however spent a lot of her early childhood in Atlanta. The 2 cities formed her in numerous methods. New Orleans gave her tradition, id, and a way of neighborhood. Atlanta uncovered her to variety, tempo, and ambition.
“My mother and father all the time advised me that wherever you go, you need to go away issues higher than you discovered them,” she remembers. “That concept stayed with me.”
These early classes would later information her strategy to healthcare: individuals first, abilities second.
Training That Set the Stage for Management
Her tutorial path adopted a transparent route. She attended Xavier College of Louisiana, a well known HBCU acknowledged for getting ready college students for careers in well being and science. From there, she earned her dental diploma on the College of Tennessee, the place she additionally acquired the Dean’s Certificates of Achievement—an early indicator of her work ethic and expertise.
Even in class, she centered on the sensible aspect of dentistry. “I favored seeing how easy issues—like explaining a process clearly or exhibiting somebody how one can brush higher—may make a giant distinction in somebody’s life,” she says.
This mindset grew to become a basis for the way she would later run her personal apply.
Profession Begin: Selecting a Affected person-First Path
After graduating, Dr. Stennis returned dwelling to New Orleans. She wished to serve the neighborhood that formed her, particularly neighborhoods that usually lacked entry to constant dental care.
She labored in household and normal dentistry, constructing expertise with sufferers of all ages. She realized how one can run an examination room, how one can lead a staff, and how one can assist individuals who usually arrived with anxiousness or restricted sources.
“Dentistry is about belief,” she explains. “If individuals don’t belief you, they gained’t come again. And in the event that they don’t come again, they gained’t keep wholesome.”
This perception ultimately drove her to construct a apply that mirrored her values from the bottom up.
Founding Smile Philosophy Dental Care
Dr. Stennis now leads Smile Philosophy Dental Care, a normal dentistry apply within the Bayou St. John/Mid-Metropolis space.
(You’ll be able to be taught extra about her work right here: Dr. Lauren Stennis.)
The workplace affords a full vary of providers—routine cleanings, crowns, whitening, root canal remedy, beauty dentistry, pediatric care, and gum illness therapy—however approach alone isn’t what defines the area.
What makes the apply stand out is the surroundings she has constructed. It’s fashionable, calm, and welcoming. Sufferers describe it as a spot the place they really feel revered and understood. “Strolling into this workplace seems like coming dwelling,” one longtime affected person stated.
Dr. Stennis sees that response as intentional. “I would like my sufferers to really feel seen. I would like them to know that is their area too,” she says.
Group-Centered Dentistry in Motion
New Orleans has lengthy confronted healthcare gaps, particularly amongst underserved neighborhoods. Dr. Stennis views this not as an issue to investigate, however as a duty to behave on.
She and her staff recurrently host free dental screenings, go to native faculties for oral-health workshops, and companion with nonprofits to achieve residents who’re uninsured or underinsured.
“Entry isn’t nearly cash,” she explains. “It’s additionally about belief, familiarity, language, and luxury. When individuals see somebody who understands their neighborhood, they’re extra prone to take that first step towards care.”
Her apply has grow to be one of many few Black-owned normal dentistry workplaces within the space—one thing she is aware of carries weight. Illustration brings consolation, and luxury brings consistency, which ends up in higher well being.
Management Type: Easy, Clear, and Efficient
Dr. Stennis doesn’t describe herself as a enterprise strategist, however her strategy displays the mindset of a powerful operator.
Her management type is constructed on:
- Clear communication.
She takes time to clarify procedures and decisions in easy, direct language. - Affected person empowerment.
“We don’t simply deal with enamel—we educate individuals how one can care for his or her well being long-term,” she says. - Cultural consciousness.
She understands that New Orleans residents worth relationships and familiarity, and he or she builds these deliberately. - Excessive requirements.
She expects precision and consistency from her employees, protecting the surroundings organized and patient-driven.
These habits have helped her construct a sustainable, revered apply in a aggressive area.
Staying Curious: A Ardour for Innovation
Outdoors the examination room, Dr. Stennis is a reader and a learner. She enjoys learning new expertise associated to dentistry and oral well being. Whether or not it’s improved imaging instruments, new supplies, or up to date therapy protocols, she pays shut consideration to the place the sphere is heading.
“Know-how ought to make issues simpler for the affected person,” she says. “If one thing saves time, saves ache, or improves accuracy, I need to learn about it.”
Her mindset retains the apply fashionable with out dropping that non-public contact.
A Native Chief With a Clear Mission
At this time, Dr. Lauren Stennis represents a brand new kind of chief in dentistry: half clinician, half neighborhood builder, half instructor. Her work reveals that healthcare could be each high-quality and deeply human.
“We’re right here to assist New Orleans smile—sturdy, proud, and pain-free,” she says.
And with each affected person who walks by way of her door, she continues doing precisely that.
