Dr. Aaron Polk

Continued from "Local Lumberjacks Mean Business" story.

Polk Dental Associates

General, cosmetic and implant dentistry

The fourth-generation representative of a long line of dentists, Dr. Aaron Polk grew up in Nacogdoches and always knew he wanted to establish his practice there.

"A small town is a great place to practice, and this is home," he said.

In 2002, Polk purchased the practice from another SFA alumnus who was also his mentor: the late Dr. Robert Smith. Dr. Ryan Smith (no relation to Robert) joined the practice in 2023, and Polk Dental Associates moved to its new building in 2024.

The practice provides comprehensive preventive care, restorative treatments and cosmetic enhancements to its several thousand customers. It features an in-house lab and a milling machine so custom crowns can be created on-site, Polk said. "This helps us cut costs, which makes our services more affordable for patients."

To stay up to date with the latest dental treatments, Polk said he and his team are "constantly learning. We've invested a lot of time, money and education in providing state-of-the-art, comprehensive care."

As a dentist and business owner, Polk said he has to think like an entrepreneur as well as a health professional.

"There are a lot of moving parts in a dental practice. You have to have a really good team like I do. Working with insurance companies can be challenging, but we're successful when we can meet the needs of a patient medically and financially. If you need us, we're here. We don't have patients or clients. We treat friends."

Polk spent 3.5 years majoring in biology and minoring in pre-dentistry at SFA before being accepted early to dental school in 1997. He graduated with a Doctor of Dental Surgery from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry, where he now serves as a clinical assistant professor teaching third- and fourth-year students.

Polk is also the dental care provider for SFA's student-athletes as part of the university's sports medicine team.

"We help not only with injury treatment and prevention — mouth guards, splints, etc. — but also with dental health issues like tooth abscesses at no cost to students. That helps them focus on their studies and the competition instead of finances."

polkdentalassociates.com
936.305.7696
211 Russell Blvd.

Owner

Dr. Aaron Polk