Where Art Meets Dentistry
Long known for its clinical excellence in advanced dentistry, SK Smith & Associates refines its purpose by reinforcing its commitment to education and philanthropy.
It’s late on a Friday afternoon and Scott K. Smith, D.D.S., is on the road, heading south. Beside him sits Rebecca Smith, the COO of his King of Prussia-based practice, SK Smith & Associates—who also happens to be his wife. Their destination: Atlantic City, New Jersey. Rather than indulging in casinos or the boardwalk, however, the Smiths are headed to the coast so he can share his expansive clinical knowledge at a major implant dentistry symposium called “Digital Solutions in Modern Implantology.”
He will likely have many more opportunities like it in the months and years ahead.
Considering his gift for teaching others and his more than 30 years of experience as a periodontist and surgical implant expert, Dr. Smith has become a sought-after lecturer. Each of his presentations is part education, part inspiration. In Atlantic City, where he expected to address a crowd of more than 300 doctors, he would speak in depth about reconstructive strategies for implant failures—highly advanced procedures not taught in dental school.
Considering his gift for teaching others and his more than 30 years of experience as a periodontist and surgical implant expert, Dr. Smith has become a sought-after lecturer. Each of his presentations is part education, part inspiration. In Atlantic City, where he expected to address a crowd of more than 300 doctors, he would speak in depth about reconstructive strategies for implant failures—highly advanced procedures not taught in dental school.
“Implant failures aren’t something we want to talk about, but they happen when they’re not done properly,” he says. “My goal is to use new technology and techniques to help dentists turn complicated, even catastrophic, cases into something routine.”
Playing the role of educator is nothing new to Dr. Smith. In fact, he has been welcoming clinicians into his King of Prussia operatories for several years. While he always appreciates opportunities to share his knowledge, the motivation to teach goes beyond professional recognition.
“There are only so many patients I can treat myself,” he says. “But if I can help my colleagues deliver better results, then even more people will benefit. That’s what drives me.”
The Heart of the Practice
SK Smith & Associates was founded on the philosophy of blending clinical mastery with genuine compassion. As corporate dental chains known as DSOs (dental service organizations) snap up more and more independent offices, Dr. Smith’s practice has taken a defiantly different path: remaining private, patient-focused, and deeply personal.
SK Smith & Associates was founded on the philosophy of blending clinical mastery with genuine compassion. As corporate dental chains known as DSOs (dental service organizations) snap up more and more independent offices, Dr. Smith’s practice has taken a defiantly different path: remaining private, patient-focused, and deeply personal.
“Patients are leaving these corporate-run offices because they feel like a number,” says Dr. Smith. “When DSOs take over a practice, the staff often quits, the doctors are rotated out, and the heart of the practice changes. People come to us because they want to be seen and heard.”
Rebecca, the practice’s COO, echoes her husband’s sentiment. She cites a sign in the office fully visible to patients: Leave your problems behind and let us help you smile.
“Our staff is handpicked for kindness and professionalism,” she adds. “We’re a busy practice—we see more than 30 patients a day—but every single person gets treated with care. … I come from a corporate background—sales, marketing, running my own photography business—and I’ve been on every side of it. What matters most here is our culture. Corporate offices push quotas, but I don’t believe quotas belong in medicine. We’re here to take care of people, not numbers.”
When Rebecca joined the practice two years ago, she led restructuring efforts from the ground up—and patients noticed a monumental shift. The practice’s considerable growth since includes the addition of Peter Susanin, D.D.S., a periodontist who shares the Smiths’ commitment to personalized care and giving back to the community. Today, SK Smith & Associates is not only thriving, but also setting a new standard for care and collaboration.
“Being a master clinician requires constant learning and challenging myself,” Dr. Smith says. “What I’ve learned, I want to pass on. I do these lectures because it helps my patients, but also because it can help other dentists help patients, too.”
A Team, A Family, A Mission
That spirit of service doesn’t stop at education. Rebecca recently dreamed up a program that takes the practice’s commitment to community even further. Known as “Three Acts of Kindness,” the philanthropic initiative will offer no-cost dental care to someone in true need … on one wonderful condition.
That spirit of service doesn’t stop at education. Rebecca recently dreamed up a program that takes the practice’s commitment to community even further. Known as “Three Acts of Kindness,” the philanthropic initiative will offer no-cost dental care to someone in true need … on one wonderful condition.
“To be eligible, a person must complete three acts of kindness and submit proof through our website,” she says. “It could be anything—helping a neighbor, paying for someone’s coffee, volunteering. We’ll select one recipient for treatment, but more importantly, we’re encouraging people to look out for each other.”
The idea came from a moment on the road. She saw a man with a broken-down car by the side of the road. Countless drivers passed by, but no one but her stopped to help.
“I want this program to remind people we’re all connected—and maybe inspire other businesses to do the same,” she says. “We can’t help everyone, but we can ask them to contribute something, too. We want this to spread far beyond us. This country needs more kindness, now more than ever, and we think this can be the start of something special.”
SK Smith & Associates may have clinical excellence at its core, but it’s also about doing the right thing. With a small, tightly knit team and a culture built on empathy, the practice has become a rare example of what modern dentistry can still be: deeply and unabashedly human. Rebecca says it all starts with Dr. Smith.
“Scott is absolutely gifted at what he does,” she adds. “He has the same energy at 5:30 p.m. that he had at 8 a.m. It’s in his blood. I’ve never seen anyone in any industry with that kind of passion. He’s an artist. I didn’t used to know much about surgery, but I can look at his work and say, ‘Oh wow, that’s beautiful.’”
She would know. As a professional fine artist who has had her work placed in several area art galleries—oil paintings in the contemporary realism genre, all done under the name Rebecca Hodges Smith—she sees artistry in many forms. Together they have created something truly extraordinary, and something they expect to continue to grow in their quest to help as many people as possible.
Whether their efforts involve helping a nervous or frightened patient, devoting their weekends to educating the next generation of doctors at the King of Prussia clinic, or standing behind a podium to instruct seasoned clinicians how to better serve their patients, the Smiths lead by example—with skill, with heart, and with purpose.
SK Smith & Associates
357 S. Gulph Road, Suite 250
King of Prussia, PA 19406
(610) 265-7023
www.drsksmith.com
357 S. Gulph Road, Suite 250
King of Prussia, PA 19406
(610) 265-7023
www.drsksmith.com
Photo by Alison Dunlap
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, September 2025.
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, September 2025.
