Good Neighbor Podcast: TN-WNC-SWVA
Bringing together local businesses and neighbor of the TN-WNC-SWVA region. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Skip Mauney helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around The TN-WNC-SWVA.
Is your business serving the residents of TN-WNC-SWVA? Then, we need to talk! Visit gnpTri-Cities.com to schedule your free interview.
Good Neighbor Podcast: TN-WNC-SWVA
EP# 288: Meet The Motorcycle-Loving Dentist: Dr. Turner and Gray Station Dental
What makes Dr. Richard Turner with Gray Station Dental a good neighbor?
Ever wondered what happens when a small-town Kentucky native with a passion for motorcycles and guitars becomes a dentist? Dr. Richard Turner's journey to founding Gray Station Dental reveals how an offhand comment from a college professor—"You're constantly working with your hands... you realize that's what dentists do, don't you?"—can change the trajectory of someone's life.
Since establishing his practice in 2007, Dr. Turner has transformed what he describes as once-sleepy Gray, Tennessee into a destination for cutting-edge dental care. The conversation reveals his dedication to bringing metropolitan-level dental technology to a small community, including 3D x-rays, CEREC same-day crowns, scanners, and lasers. "One thing people don't expect right here in Gray is we have all the latest dental technology," Turner explains, highlighting how his education taught him not just dentistry, but "how to learn"—a philosophy that drives his continuous professional development.
The interview takes a fascinating turn when Turner discusses his motorcycle-themed office, complete with an actual bike in the waiting room, reflecting his personal interests beyond dentistry. He thoughtfully addresses common dental misconceptions, emphasizing that oral health affects the entire body—from heart health to pregnancy outcomes—and that pain-free doesn't necessarily mean problem-free. His perspective is shaped by his upbringing in a tiny eastern Kentucky coal town of just 150 people, where he witnessed the struggles of drug addiction and limited opportunities before teachers in his family encouraged him to seek education as an escape. This background perhaps explains his mission to bring exceptional healthcare to his adopted community.
Ready to experience a dental practice that combines advanced technology with personal touches? Visit Gray Station Dental's website at www.graystationdental.com or call 423-926-5000 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Turner and his team of dental professionals.
To learn more about Gray Station Dental go to:
https://www.graystationdental.com/
Gray Station Dental
423.926.5000
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Skip Monty.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast of the Tri-Cities. So I am really excited today to have a very special guest in our studio for the first time and if, in case you're in need of dental assistance, one might be closer than you think, because today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, mr Richard Turner, who is the owner operator of Gray Station Dental.
Speaker 3:Richard, welcome to the show, thank you Glad to be here, appreciate it.
Speaker 2:Well, we're glad to have you and, like I said, very anxious to hear all about you and what you do. And so, if you don't mind, why don't you kick us off by telling us about your practice?
Speaker 3:Well, we're located right in the heart of Gray, so which was once kind of a sleepy little area between Kingsport and John City, of course, and now it's booming. It's growing like crazy between Kingsport and Johnson City, of course, and now it's booming. It's growing like crazy. So one thing people don't expect right here in Gray is we have all the latest dental technology. We have 3D x-rays and CEREC, same-day crowns, scanners, lasers we kind of do it all in general dentistry. So I think people would be surprised to know that we have that right here in Gray. I opened the practice in 2007,. Cold, didn't buy a practice, just opened up. Cold, turned the shingle and hoped for the best and have been building it ever since.
Speaker 2:Very good, Now are you originally from Gray?
Speaker 3:I'm not. I'm from eastern Kentucky, a little town in the middle of nowhere in eastern Kentucky, coalfields. It's a little town called Maytown or Langley in eastern Kentucky. The population was never. It was generally around 150 people.
Speaker 2:Wow, now, that is a little town, little town. Wow, well, 2007,. You're coming up on 20 years. I am. That's awesome, nothing to sneeze at, dude 20 years.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, how did you get into the dental business?
Speaker 3:So when I was an undergrad, I always loved biology and chemistry. When I needed to make my GPA look great, I would just go take biology or chemistry classes, which should have been an obvious thing. Oh, you should go into something like that, but it wasn't to me. I had a professor that said, probably my fourth year of school, I was in an advanced microbiology class and he said Turner, what are you going to do with your life? And I said, doctor, I don't know. I'm trying to figure this out. And he said and you know, I'd known him for years at this point because I'd taken all these biology classes and he said you know, you're constantly working with your hands, you fix things constantly. You realize that's what dentists do, don't you? And I said well, I never really thought about that, and that's how it all began.
Speaker 2:Wow, Wow, that's uh. Yeah, I would think it's. Oh, you need to be a mechanic.
Speaker 3:I guess a mouth mechanic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there you go there you go. So in the dental industry. Are there any myths or misconceptions that come to mind?
Speaker 3:There are a lot. One thing people think if nothing hurts, I really don't need to go see a dentist. But you could have cavities that are sneaking up on you, gum disease, oral cancers. You could have cavities that are sneaking up on you, gum disease, oral cancers. Lots of things can start early and be caught before they get out of hand. Oral cancers are just scary. They scare me. That's one of the things. People think that brushing their teeth harder means cleaner, and it really doesn't. You need to be thorough but gentle. So sometimes people think that baby teeth don't matter. Um, they'll think, well, I'll let you know. Little johnny or whatever his teeth it's fine, uh, but it's not. Those baby teeth hold spaces for the permanent teeth, so you need to take care of those. Lots of little things like that. Really, dentistry is a whole body thing, it's not just the mouth right, right.
Speaker 2:Well, I know if you don't take care of your teeth it can lead to a lot. You know the large health issues with your heart, lungs probably, probably, it does.
Speaker 3:It's your whole body. It's low birth weights. It's linked to so many different things.
Speaker 2:Wow. Well, if you have any time on the side besides work, what do you like to do for fun?
Speaker 3:Well, I beat on guitars a little here and there. It's Sounds horrible. It sounds a lot like cat screeching, but I try, they look really cool behind you there. Yeah, thanks, and I love to work on and ride motorcycles so those are kind of my things I do and, oddly enough, my entire office is motorcycle themed, like the waiting room. There's a motorcycle in the waiting room of the office.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, that is cool. That is very cool. I used to have a barber who played guitar and his whole shop was decorated with guitars and had a guitar set out with an amplifier hooked up that you could just walk in and play while you're waiting to get a haircut. Man the first time I ever first time I walked in there I thought, okay, this is my barber.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I love it. Yeah, that's one of the things that worries me is a very masculine office and I'm afraid, you know, maybe I probably need a little more feminine decorations.
Speaker 2:But Get you a pink bike.
Speaker 3:I'll tell you.
Speaker 2:Maybe, maybe not. Maybe, Well, let's switch gears for just a second. Richard, can you describe a hardship or a life challenge that you've overcome and how it made you stronger coming out the other side?
Speaker 3:You know, yes, I was lucky in that my mom, dad, dad and both grandmothers were all teachers. That being said, my parents were divorced. My grandmother raised me, but I saw a lot of really hard things happen. You know, these small, small little eastern kentucky towns. There's drug abuse, drug addictions. There were lots of problems with the area, lots of issues that you could fall into. Luckily, because of my family, I didn't. They told me my whole life to escape that area. I guess I did. Now, when I go back, I see what they meant and why.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So it's still going on, it is.
Speaker 3:Wow, still going on.
Speaker 2:Wow. Well, if, richard, if you could think of one thing that you would like our listeners to remember about you and about your dental practice. Besides having a motorcycle greeting you in the front door, which I will not forget, what else would you like for them to remember?
Speaker 3:Just that, even though we're in the heart of grade great, that we do have the latest of all technologies. One of the concepts dental school taught me I was lucky, went to a really good school which University of Louisville and they teach you how to learn. So when you graduate dental school, you don't know everything there is in dentistry. You're not suddenly the greatest dentist in the world. They have taught you how to learn. So constant C courses, constant learning, is the key. And yeah, and that's what we do. We have myself another dentist, three hygienists, three assistants, two front desk folks, so we're a good size office that can accommodate most issues awesome with all the latest equipment too all the latest equipment dude very good in motorcycles
Speaker 2:I'm sorry, in motorcycles and motorcycles absolutely well that's. That's just the cool factor. I'm sure kids love coming in to see that.
Speaker 3:I hope so.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm sure they do, Because you know, I'm sure when I was a kid I dreaded going to the dentist, because for me, a misconception is that every time you go to the dentist it's going to be painful and that's not the case. That is not the case.
Speaker 3:I think a lot of people you know, maybe 50 years ago things might have been a little different in dentistry, but I think people see us sort of as the dentist from the little shop of horrors, steve Martin's character, as the you know, the masochist. No, we're not. We don't want to hurt you, I promise.
Speaker 2:Right, oh, I've. I've had some dental, some hygienists that uh, you know, just doing the cleaning can be painful, um and uh, they were so sensitive to not hurting me that you know they say, oh, I'm so sorry and I'm like I didn't feel anything. You know, it's great, yeah, it's great.
Speaker 2:I love it. Well, if, doc, if, if any of our listeners in the area or need a dentist or interested in coming to see you and checking out your bikes or your guitars, hopefully you need to put some guitars in there too. How can they learn more?
Speaker 3:Our website wwwgraystationdentalcom. Our phone number 423-926-5000. Give us a call. We'd love to get you in. Maybe get you in for cleaning or whatever you need.
Speaker 2:So you do have, you do have availability.
Speaker 3:We do.
Speaker 2:Awesome, awesome. Good to know, good to know, very cool. Well, dr Turner, I can't tell you how much and I apologize, I've been calling you Richard.
Speaker 3:No, that's fine.
Speaker 2:Really appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to to tell us all about your, your practice and your motorcycles and your guitars, and we, moving forward, wish you and your family and your practice all the best.
Speaker 3:Well, thank you.
Speaker 2:I appreciate you as well, you too. Maybe we can have you back sometime. Great, all right. Thanks so much.
Speaker 1:Thank you, thank you. Thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Try dash citiescom. That's GNP Try dash citiescom. Or call 4, 2, 3, 7, 1, 9, 5, 8, 7, 3. 423-719-5873.