I always liked the sciences and math. And then as I got older, we had a lot of family friends that were physicians, several that were dentists, chatted with them. And I always liked working with my hands. So it was a great combination of kind of using my mind but also being able to connect that with using my hands too because it’s definitely a very hands-on profession.
And the dentistry, I leaned toward as I talked to more friends and family members that it just seemed like they loved what they were doing more than the physicians did, back in that time anyway. And so yeah, that kind of took me from starting off, like, software engineering to business to pre-med and to go to dental school.
So I feel like we have a huge opportunity to be difference-makers. There’s so many. In modern dentistry, number one, we can help people overcome fear, you know, or bad experiences from the past and show them that it can be done comfortably, it can be done efficiently. And then, you know, we can change the way people feel about their smile, help them gain confidence, want to smile more, want to be happier, you know, various things in cosmetic dentistry.
And I think, you know, the overall health, now we know so much in the last 15, 20 years how the mouth affects the rest of the body. And we really focus on how things we can see or things that we notice going on can have a great impact on how the rest of the body feels or, you know, heart disease, blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, and apnea. So many things and even, you know, Alzheimer’s, some other things they’re trying to connect with a lot of the bacteria that can be harbored in the mouth. And if we don’t address that, it can affect the rest of the body.
So I think we just have so many ways we can impact. And everybody can be impacted differently, but there’s so many things we can do there.
Dr. Russell Roderick Values Serving Patients and the Community
Dr. Russell Roderick has devoted his dental career to elevating the patient experience. A graduate of Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine with a Doctorate of Dental Medicine, he earned a Graduate Certificate from the Pacific Aesthetic Continuum (PAC-Live) through hands on, live training in both cosmetic and rehabilitation techniques. He has invested well over 2,000 hours in continuing education, concentrating on aesthetics, cosmetic dentistry, restorative dental implants, periodontal (gum) therapy, and oral care as it relates to cardiac and systemic diseases.
Dr. Roderick has earned his Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry, an accreditation earned by only about 6 percent of dentists in North America. He is on the track to earning his Mastership. Additionally, he has earned his Advanced Education in General Dentistry Certificate from the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Dentistry. In addition to the AGD, he holds memberships with:
- American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
- American Dental Association
- Arizona Dental Association
- Central Arizona Dental Society
He volunteers with the Boys & Girls Club dental outreach program, an initiative committed to helping underprivileged children attain healthy smiles. He also has volunteered his services to the Christina’s Smile Children’s Dental Clinic, an effort that works in cooperation with the Senior PGA Tour to provide children in need with dental services. The 20-30 Club of Scottsdale, which focuses on raising financial support for local children’s charities, has recognized Dr. Roderick with its Fellowship Award for his philanthropic contributions.
Dr. Roderick sponsors many local youth sports teams as well and has served on the board of directors for the Cactus Foothills South Little League. He has also served as its Director of Fundraising and has been a Title Sponsor for the league. Coaching baseball is one of his favorite pursuits outside of work.
Dr. Roderick has been honored with numerous awards, including:
- 2012 Phoenix Award in the Dentists category by the Phoenix Award Program
- Vitals 2014 Patients’ Choice Award
- 2015 Opencare Patients’ Choice Award
- 2018 Dental Insider Best of Phoenix Patient Satisfaction Award