City Lifestyle

Want to start a publication?

Learn More

Featured Article

Meet Dr. Rob Smith: Franklin’s Thrill-Seeking Orthodontist

Learn About the Happy Harpeth Owner’s Dental Career, Family, And Love Of Extreme Sports

Article by Lisa Valentine

Photography by Provided

Originally published in Franklin Lifestyle

You may know Dr. Rob Smith as owner and orthodontist of Happy Harpeth Pediatric Dentistry + Orthodontics in Cool Springs, but what you may not know is that he has a love of adventure sports that’s taken him all over the world for once-in-a-
lifetime experiences.

Dr. Smith graduated from Harvard Dental School and began practicing in 2015. He initially owned two general dentistry practices in Ohio—where his wife Heidi’s family is from— but when he decided to move from general dentistry to practicing orthodonture,
a residency opportunity at Vanderbilt eventually led the Smiths to relocate to Tennessee.

After moving to Tennessee, he went on to build three startup practices from scratch—Greenwood Local Dentistry + Orthodontics in East Nashville and Smith Local and Happy Harpeth in Smyrna—because he wanted to be able to utilize the best equipment, materials, and technology in the industry. Dr. Smith was approached in 2018 to see if he’d like to take over a practice in Franklin and jumped at the chance to add a fourth practice, purchasing what is now Happy Harpeth’s Cool Springs location. Happy
Harpeth is unique in that it specializes in pediatric and youth orthodontic care, bringing top-notch care to Franklin with doctors who received their dental training from universities such as Yale and Columbia.

“What’s unique about both of the Happy Harpeth offices is that we have specialist pediatric dentists who did three more years after dental school of hospital-based pediatric residency to be able to care for all children including autistic kids, severely disabled kids, the whole spectrum of dental disease among young at-risk children because of other things,” says Dr. Smith.

His team also works to help with conditions like infant tongue tie. They even have a group of lactation consultants and myofunctional therapists that they work within their office. Working with both adults and kids, he also helps those who have issues with undisturbed sleep or snoring by opening their airways; this allows for more oxygen to get to the brain, which can bring better sleep, more energy, improved ability to pay attention, and overall enhanced health.

While his experience in the dental world is clearly impressive, his life outside of his profession is equally remarkable. Describing himself as an “avid outdoor enthusiast,” Dr. Smith grew up playing typical childhood sports like baseball, basketball, football, and
soccer. While he continued to play soccer throughout high school and college—he even plays to this day on a team in Williamson County—as an adult has dove headfirst into his love of extreme sports including heli-sking, surfing, whitewater kayaking and rafting, and mountain biking. His love of the outdoors and adventure can even be seen in the décor across his offices, which feature surfboards in the waiting room, mountain murals, and more.

Rather than simply going to a typical ski resort, he and his friends—whom he’s known since middle school—take a helicopter up into mountain ranges in places like Anchorage, Alaska to do ski runs. “It's one of the best feelings for me, being out there and just bombing powder and taking in the sights and being with friends, of course,” he shares. “But it's a whole investment of time, year-round, just to be in shape to go do it and that's why I play soccer and mountain bike here.”

In addition to time in the snow, he and his friends also like to spend time on the water, but rather than leisurely floating on the lake in a boat, these adrenaline seekers opt for whitewater kayaking and rafting instead. Not only does he do extreme sports with his friends, Dr. Smith loves to do adventurous activities like surfing with his entire family in places like Costa Rica and Mexico.
For the Smiths, family vacations have included getaways such as an epic, 12-day unguided rafting trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. At the time his oldest was 17-years-old and his youngest was 11-years-old, so being away without phone reception allowed for a special bonding time for their group of family and friends. Entry for this 320-mile paddling trip is extremely limited, so it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that they got to experience.

The Smith family is a talented and athletic crew in a variety of ways. Dr. Smith’s wife, Heidi, has completed approximately 30 marathons, five Iron Man races, and an array of intense bike races. All five of their kids have been involved in competitive rock
climbing with two of his daughters being “the first girls from Tennessee to make it to U.S. Nationals Indoor Rock Climbing.” As his kids have grown and gone to college, many of them have opted to attend universities in places like Utah and Colorado to allow them to enjoy the outdoors and adventure sports.

So next time you’re in for an appointment at Happy Harpeth, be sure to ask Dr. Smith what adventures he’s got planned next. HappyHarpethSmiles.com

Businesses featured in this article