A few years ago, Dr. Ashley Roark was back in her hometown and looking forward to spending some time with her grandmother. She was excited to tell her how she had been thinking about opening her own business in Franklin, Tennessee, and was seeking
advice or insight from the woman she trusted so much.
“My grandma was two weeks shy of her 100th birthday and she told me she wished she had had the opportunities that are available to me,” Dr. Roark says. “Because being a business owner or a dentist were things that were out of her reach when she was my
age.”
She was proud to see her granddaughter become a college graduate, wife, mother and medical professional. And though she passed away a few months ago, somewhere she must be beaming with pride at the sight of Roark Orthodontics, a practice Dr. Roark owns and operates at 212 East Main Street in historic downtown Franklin. “Franklin has that cozy vibe that reminds me a little of my hometown and when I saw this building available, it just clicked,” she says of the ideal location.
Dr. Roark was born and raised in Middlesboro, Kentucky, a town located at the tri-point of the Kentucky-Tennessee-Virginia border and near the entrance to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. “Both of my parents are from there; it’s a beautiful place and
there’s nothing like growing up in the mountains,” she says. “And if there was ever a need to go to a larger city, Knoxville was only an hour away.”
After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of Kentucky in 2010, the lifelong Kentucky Wildcats fan (her father, Kenny Roark, played football at UK) enrolled at arch-rival University of Louisville to attend dental school. That’s where she met Brian George, a classmate and Lexington, Kentucky native, who later became her husband.
They chose Nashville for the big-city convenience and the proximity to family. Dr. George has a practice of his own, George Family and Cosmetic Dentistry in Old Hickory. The couple have two daughters, Margot (4) and Sloane (3) and make their home in Brentwood.
Initially, Dr. Roark set out to be a dentist. But it was while working at her first practice that she decided to pivot to orthodontics. “I was in general dentistry, but the practice also had orthodontics,” says Dr. Roark. “One day, I was working with the orthodontist when she asked me to take a look at a case and I was blown away by how interesting it was. It was intellectually stimulating and challenging, like solving a puzzle.”
That led to three years of specialized ortho training and the eventual opening of Roark Orthodontics. Dr. Roark says it’s the level of specialization that separates a dedicated orthodontics practice from one of general dentistry. “We spend a lot of time in training; for three years, correcting bites is all we do,” she says. “That’s not taking anything away from others, but orthodontics is a specialty
discipline, especially for complicated cases.”
She says that orthodontics has come a long way from being something that traditionally was seen as a remedy for straightening the teeth of young people once they had all their adult teeth. “Early intervention is sometimes needed, and we’ll see kids as young as seven-years-old if they have, for example, a narrow palate or impacted teeth,” says Dr. Roark.
There’s also a growing number of adults seeking orthodontic services. They could be either first-time patients or those who need a minor adjustment that might require only a few months of Invisalign treatment. “Retainers are the key to long-term success,” she says. “If not, relapse can occur very quickly, sometimes within weeks. But retainers can prevent that from happening in the first place.”
Roark Orthodontics offers flexible payment plans with in-house financing. Most treatments require a downpayment, followed by no-interest monthly payments for up to 18 months. This is especially helpful for larger families who have multiple children in treatment for an extended period. Family discounts are also available.
Dr. Roark’s team includes Nicole Zielinski, a Registered Dental Assistant and Franklin resident, who has been with her since Roark Orthodontics opened. Dr. Roark sees patients Monday through Wednesday. Appointments may be made online or by calling
the office directly.
Because whether it’s for her grandmother, family or patients, bringing smiles to people’s faces is Dr. Ashley Roark’s specialty.
RoarkOrtho.com