UnBULLieavBULLy excited to introduce our newest Community Partner: A New Reason to Smile and Bull City Dental. Yes, it is possiBULL to get excited about the Dentist. Owner of both practices, Dr. Desiree Palmer and The Bulls of Durham go way back. Doctors Palmer and Audrey Kemp were the second interviews for the project, and with one sentence, Dr. Palmer changed the entire direction of the project.
The original concept of the book project was to find the physical bull (statue, painting, sign, business name, etc.), find the story behind that bull. All the 120+ interviews ended with the question, “Who do you think would be a good contribution to this project?” In that way, Durham could co-create the book with me. I can still hear Dr. Palmer’s answer clear as day, “Call my friend Bill.”
Turns out her friend Bill is Forever Mayor Bill Bell.
In that moment, I realized the true bulls of the Bull City are the people who have and continue to move and shape the city. I did call Mayor Bell and interview him.
Dr. Palmer and her entire staff have a way of changing lives like that. A healthy smile is a big deal. It opens up doors of possibilities. Both locations offer plans for individuals and families who may not have dental insurance making clean, healthy teeth an affordable option for all.
At both A New Reason to Smile and Bull City Dental, their mission is to provide optimal oral health to patients in a chair-side manner that exceeds their expectations. Doctors Desiree Palmer, Janier Barton, and Audrey Kemp constantly pursue educational opportunities enabling them to utilize state of the art technology to provide efficient and effective service to their patients. They seek out these opportunities for both themselves and their dedicated staff of professional women. That’s right. Both locations are staffed entirely by women. Now that’s genuinely A New Reason to Smile.
The story of how Dr. Palmer came to have two successful dental practices in the Bull City is very Durham, inclusive of decisive lady boss moves. She moved to Durham after serving five years in the National Public Health Service Corp in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Palmer received an invitation to come to Durham and enter private practice by a family friend and Durham native Dr. Thomas Bass. She started her practice in his office on Fayetteville Street in January of 1985. Dr. Palmer and her husband Michael, with then two young sons, now three, were very enthusiastic about having the opportunity to raise their family in a diverse community, but also rich with African American role models. Brandon, Austin, and Colton have all greatly benefitted from growing up Durham.
What is it like to have two dental practices in Durham for over 34 years?
Dr. Palmer says, “Durham is a wonderful place to have a family dental practice. Over the years, I have seen kids for their first dental visit, who later graduate from high school, go off to college and return as working adults. Some of them now bring their children to our practice. Our patients range in age from 2 years to 102 years! The diversity of our community is distinctly Durham. It has been an enriching and rewarding experience to own a business and practice over 30 years in this community.”
What motivated Dr. Palmer to expand her practice?
Dr. Palmer said, “ After practicing for almost 30 years in Northern Durham and recognizing the re-emergence of Downtown, particularly the residential growth, I decided to expand. We felt like we could bring A New Reason to Smile, downtown too. We specifically focused on finding a location on Historic Parrish St. for a second boutique-like office. Bull City Dental opened in August of 2015. Our goal was to offer individuals, living and working Downtown, the opportunity to walk to the Dentist.”
And they’ve done just that. They are accepting new patients at both locations: 105 Newsom Street, Suite 204, and 106 West Parrish Street. At Bull City Dental, they offer the Bull City Plan for those individuals or families that may not have dental insurance. That means none of us (including me) have an excuse not to get their teeth cleaned. Darn it. Call the office for more information at 919-680-3531.