This year, Whitehead Orthodontics is celebrating 25 years of delivering healthy smiles to South Carolina families. “We monitor growth and development and specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of irregularities of the teeth and jaws. Our goal is through either braces or aligners to create not only beautiful smiles but a healthy bite,” said Dr. James (Jim) Whitehead of his practice.
“When I first started Whitehead Orthodontics, Lexington was a small town, but that has changed a lot. We have seen significant growth over the last 25 years and have enjoyed being a part of it.” When looking back, Dr. Whitehead said he always knew he wanted to pursue healthcare, noting how a career in healthcare seemed to run in his family.
“My dad, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all physicians in South Carolina, so we have been caring for South Carolinians for four generations.” Given that his father was a physician, Dr. Whitehead recalled how becoming an orthodontist was not part of his original plan.
“I thought I would pursue medicine because I wanted a career that included patient care, but I chose dentistry instead. I was influenced by some wonderful neighbors growing up who were in dentistry, and as a child through my own orthodontic treatment. That changed my path a little bit.”
One of Dr. Whitehead’s favorite things about being an orthodontist is being involved in the community. “Something that resonated with me – and led me to pursue dentistry, and then orthodontics – is involvement in the community. It’s neat to go to the grocery store or out to eat with my family and run into patients and their families. Typically, you treat your patients for several years, so you get to know them over time. That is truly one of the more rewarding aspects of what I do.”
Dr. Whitehead stays abreast of the latest orthodontic care and brings those developments to his patients. “Braces are what everybody thinks of regarding orthodontics, but technology has allowed us to do other things like aligner treatment. You don’t have to go through the entire braces process anymore. There are multiple ways to treat children, teens, and adults. We are doing even more advanced things now, like digitally customizing braces to fit teeth so that you have a more efficient, shorter period in treatment,” shared Whitehead.
“As an orthodontist, I’m in the business of straightening teeth and delivering healthy smiles, but it’s the relationships I’ve built with my patients and their families that have made me glad I became an orthodontist.” Dr. Whitehead and his wife Crissy reside in Lexington and have three sons – James, Nowell, and Newton.