Alumnus Helps Brighten Your Day and Smile!

Story by Shaun Robinson

Upon first meeting him, you think about the young, extremely talented and charismatic doctors on TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy. Vincent Smith is a tall, lean man who looks like he could run a marathon in the morning and still have the energy to perform a root canal in the afternoon. When asked why he enjoys his job so much, Smith’s response is, “I enjoy helping people, taking people’s pain away and helping them get their confidence back. I wake up every day excited about what I do, and I’m always conscious about the energy that I give off.”

Smith serves the community in Takoma Park, Md., as a licensed dentist. He attended Dupont Park Adventist School in Washington, D.C., for primary and middle school where his mother served as a teacher. He spent all four of his high school years at Takoma Academy in Takoma Park, Md., graduating in 1994.

“Vinny,” as he is known by many of his friends and patients, matriculated to Oakwood College (now Oakwood University), located in Huntsville, Ala., graduating in 1998. He then began his dental career at Howard University (D.C.). Smith obtained his Doctor of Dental Surgery in 2002. After completing his residency at Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center (N.Y.), he returned to the Washington metropolitan area.

According to Smith, a series of blessings from God allowed him and a business partner to establish their own practice, Elite Dental, in 2012. “The practice kind of fell into our laps!” says Smith. “We acquired the business from a well-established dentist that we worked for, and later opened our Takoma Park location in 2016.” This highly skilled team of dentists, orthodontists, periodontists and dental assistants offer preventative care through regular checkups, restorative options like white fillings, veneers, crowns and dental implants, as well as cosmetic enhancements like Invisalign.

Reflecting on how TA impacted his future, Smith says, “Overall, my experience was great at TA! Just enough to push you, but the support and resources were there when you needed it. I remember that my geometry class with Mr. Hooker was a challenge, but another teacher, Mr. Vanderhorst, tutored me, and I went from an ‘F’ to a ‘C’ that semester. I didn’t get an ‘A,’ but that experience gave me the confidence to become a high achiever. By the time I reached Oakwood, I had all the tools that I needed to be successful at the collegiate level.”

He adds, “I might not have been the best student, but I know that, if you really want something, you can attain it! As for dental advice, ‘Don’t Wait Until it Hurts!’ At least, that’s the advice displayed on a poster hanging in the lobby of Elite Dental.”