Photos Andy Calvert
If a person is lucky, they only see their dentist twice a year, yet even in those few and far between visits, we form a bond with both doctor and hygienist. Luck isn’t the only factor of course. Good oral hygiene from a young age certainly plays a role, and that takes the combined effort of both doctor and patient. At Weldon Dental, the husband-and-wife team of Drs. Ryan and Leigh Weldon have combined their expertise to offer comprehensive care for both adult and pediatric patients, with a focus on building relationships with their clients that build both friendships and healthy teeth.
Achieving an atmosphere that is welcoming to young and older patients was a carefully thought-out process and one the space at 1013 North 5th Avenue was well equipped to handle. The layout allows pediatric and general patients to have their own waiting and treatment areas, with design aesthetics suited for both demographics and the latest tools and technology to provide the highest quality of care.
The paths Ryan and Leigh took to get to this point started in Ringold and Rome, but converged at the Dental College of Georgia in Augusta, Ryan via Georgia Tech and Leigh via the University of Georgia.
“My father was an OBGYN and always encouraged me to consider practicing medicine,” recalls Ryan Weldon. “I always knew I wanted to care for people in some form or fashion and when my younger brother applied to dental school, it opened my eyes to that opportunity. I’ve always loved drawing and engineering, and dentistry gave me the opportunity to combine those two skills into helping others.”
For Leigh, the road to that decision had a few more twists and turns, but when the calling presented itself, she knew it was the right career choice for her.
“My path was a little less direct than Ryan’s,” admits Leigh Weldon. “I originally wanted to teach British Literature at Model High School because that’s where I went to school, and I loved the idea of being a teacher. Most of the women in my family are educators, but as I progressed through college at the University of Georgia, I changed my major from education to biology. I actually landed on the idea of pursuing a career in dentistry at the 11th hour after joining the pre-dental club on a trip to the dental school in Augusta with a sorority sister. It was an unexpected twist, but I’m so glad this career found me.”
After graduating from dental school, Ryan and Leigh both took part in residency programs to complete their training. Ryan was accepted to the prestigious General Practice Residency (GPR), a year-long advanced surgical residency program focused on specialized training and honing skills in specialty dental services including dental implant placement, oral surgery, and advanced restorative techniques.
“Completing the GPR program was probably the biggest piece of me building the confidence and skills I needed to create the kind of practice I wanted to have,” says Ryan. “The hands-on training was amazing, but the weekly case reviews with my peers and mentors were invaluable.”
Leigh went on to take part in two additional years of pediatric dentistry residency, resulting in her crowning achievement, becoming a Board-Certified Pediatric Dentist.
“For me, I came into dental school not really knowing what kind of dentistry I wanted to specialize in”, Leigh recalled. “The summer after my first year in Augusta, I went on a dental mission trip to Bulgaria and was paired with a pediatric dentist for most of the week and absolutely loved the experience. Working with children allowed me to do the things I was hoping to do as an educator, which was to connect with and educate kids in a fun and positive way. When I began my second year of dental school that fall, I spoke to the program director of the pediatric department and started shadowing and working with pediatric residents during any free time I could find. I was accepted into the program and spent two years working in both the pediatric clinics in Augusta as well as spending every third month working with the dentists at Children’s Health Care of Atlanta’s Scottish Rite Hospital. I was fortunate to have some incredible mentors who taught me so much and encouraged me to always continue learning.”
Leigh eventually moved home to Rome to begin practicing, while Ryan was working at an office in Cartersville. The couple had joked around about working together, but never seriously considered it until Ryan was approached in 2021 about purchasing Dr. Dennis Heller’s practice on North 5th Avenue in Ansley Park.
The more he thought about it, the more the opportunity made sense for their family. Dr. Heller’s patients needed a dentist and while Ryan was happy in Cartersville, the idea of taking care of patients in his own local community was something that he couldn’t pass up, so he decided to take the leap.
The former practice was only using about half the available space and after about a year of Ryan learning how to manage both patient care and small business ownership, the idea of Ryan and Leigh bringing their skills together under one roof started to become a reality. The division of the building allowed them to separate the kid-friendly and adult atmospheres, allowing the Weldons to offer a lifetime of dental care to their patients.
“We never planned on this happening, but Ryan and I already shared the same ethos on patient care,” said Leigh. That shared ethos is putting the patients and their care as their top priority.
“We work really hard to make sure every decision is made through the lens of caring for our patients to the very best of our ability. That means we need to be able to see them when they have an emergency or any dental concern,” states Ryan. “That means putting quality service over quantity of patients. We want to grow, but we want to grow responsibly so we can provide the best care possible to our patients.”
Leigh adds that she thinks about every moment of a child’s experience in her office. “Our specialty at Weldon Dental is always taking a gentle and kind approach to dentistry with our pediatric friends. We begin seeing patients as early as age one – or when babies get their first tooth! – so we want to create a safe and fun environment for our kids and their parents. Our time is reserved specifically for each child and their family, parents are welcomed and encouraged to join their child during their appointments, and we want to consistently provide “wow” experiences! From having lots of fun toothpaste flavors to choose from to keeping a stocked wall of prizes, we want our toddlers to teens to look forward to coming back.”
Another crucial part of that quality service comes with the team surrounding the Weldons. From the hygienists to the administrative staff, they inherited and assembled an excellent group of people.
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“We couldn’t do this without our team,” says Ryan. “Our hygienists Candy and Keri have a combined 60-plus years of experience. They know our patients by name, and we couldn’t provide the level of service we do without them. The administrative team of Christi and Tabitha goes above and beyond to answer patients’ questions and to make sure we value our patients’ time and stay on schedule. And my chairside assistants Autumn and Ashley are excellent. They are experienced at what they do, but are also quick with a smile, a warm blanket, or anything else a patient may need to feel comfortable.”
“I couldn’t agree more and feel lucky to work with such great people,” says Leigh. “My assistant Allie is also amazing. She has several years of pediatric experience, makes work fun, and the kids absolutely love her. One of our patients asked for a selfie with her just this week!”
From the advanced technology to the coveted prize station, the pediatric and adult patients at Weldon Dental are treated like family by a team that always tries to go the extra mile. Whether it’s two cleanings a year or more frequent visits, Ryan and Leigh approach each patient with the same attention to detail, because for both, this profession is a calling and the relationships they build are what it’s all about.
“We had a patient of Dr. Heller’s that I saw not too long ago tell me that she was so glad that I was the one that bought his practice,” says Ryan. “I get chills thinking about it. It means a lot to me knowing our patients – old and new – trust us and are happy with the care we provide.”
“I was picking our kids up from school recently,” recalls Leigh, “and suddenly one of my patients ran over excited to see me and told me their ‘tooth was feeling so much better!’. To see a child feel excitement over seeing their dentist and to build those types of relationships is an incredible feeling and why we do what we do.”
At Weldon Dental, of course it’s about the smiles and the teeth behind them, but just as much, it’s all about the people.
Visit www.weldondental.com for an General and Pediatric Dentistry.
