Meet Dr. Hodges
As an orthodontist, I truly love interactions with people of all ages.
While my profession is centered on aesthetics and oral health/function, as an orthodontist I see my role as something more.
I see the time spent with patients as an opportunity to encourage them in their work and school activities. Personally, I get encouraged when I invest in my patients and am able to motivate them to pursue their various gifts, talents, and interests.
I believe more and more every day that everyone has gifts and talents unique to them. I find great joy in learning what these are in each patient, and then finding ways to inspire them to put their innate abilities to use in their life.
My hope is each patient finishes treatment with a beautifully confident smile, improved oral and overall health, and the knowledge that they are special and have much to offer the world!
Education
I have practiced now for a decade and a half. My older brother is a periodontist — a dental specialist — and my late uncle was a general dentist. My brother’s hard work and dedication in college and then dental school set a great example for me and I followed his example with the same dedication.
I attended Texas A&M University in College Station, where I completed my major in biomedical sciences. I enrolled at Baylor College of Dentistry where I obtained my Doctorate of Dental Surgery.
While in dental school, I found my passion for the specialty of orthodontics in a facial growth and development course. Later, I visited two different orthodontists in the Dallas area and realized this is what I was meant to do. Remaining at Baylor, I completed my postdoctorate specialty training in orthodontics and earned a Master of Science.
I am forever thankful to my big brother and the mentors I met early on, who drew me into orthodontics: I can’t imagine doing anything else!
About HSC Orthodontics
Team HSC is truly exceptional. I believe this to be true because each member of the team genuinely cares about the people who walk into our office at a deeper level than most. We make it our goal and purpose to be a light for those who come to us for treatment!
I am thankful for the team, because they see the profession as an opportunity to serve. This attitude sets our doctors, our team members, and our practice apart from the rest: We place our patients at the forefront of all we do and want only the best for them!
Professional Affiliations and Continuing Education
I am a member of the American Association of Orthodontists and the American and Texas Dental Associations.
The longer I live and practice orthodontics, the more I realize how much each professional has to offer. We have so much to learn from one another, and continuing education (CE) allows for orthodontists with different backgrounds and experiences to come together to share their insights and “orthodontic PEARLS” (tips of the trade).
Each year I enjoy many different types of CE opportunities, which cover a variety of topics in orthodontics. Online training from the AAO has been a great resource over the years, along with the annual AAO meeting, which brings together orthodontists from around the world. Other CE gatherings, with local dentists and dental specialists, are great for collaborating with other oral healthcare professionals while simultaneously gaining CE.
Beyond the Office
I grew up in Rockwall. It was my hometown and residence for the first 40 years of my life, with the exception of my time away for college, dental school, and orthodontic residency. My sweet family — wife Adrien and our five children — recently moved to Sulphur Springs. Our kids love being transplants to Hopkins County and we are thankful for how welcome everyone has made us feel since we arrived in 2018.
Adrien, who was my high-school sweetheart, and I have been married for two decades and I love her more each and every day. We have been blessed with two boys and three girls. I am forever thankful for my Adrien and the joy that we share in raising our beautiful and crazy kiddoes!
I am passionate about my profession and truly love orthodontics, but the love I have for my family overshadows anything professionally. I believe this priority to my family makes me a better orthodontist, as I approach each patient’s care with the thought: “If this was my child, my sibling, my parent, what would I do for them?”
When I’m not working, and not actively chasing the kids around, I love reading and studying the Bible. This was not a hobby of mine for the first 30 years of my life, so I have a lot of making up to do! I am amazed at the writings in scripture and they shape, mold, and prune me, and I am forever thankful for their transformative power in my life, touching my marriage, family, work, and connections with friends and in the community.
If I’m not reading and studying scripture, I love to just hang out with my family and enjoy their various activities and interests, from barrel racing to football and basketball. We are busy, for sure, and I love seeing how the Lord has gifted my children.
I also love going to eat with friends and discussing all things “life.” I gain so much from other people and pray I can be an encouragement to those friends of my who take the time to grab lunch or breakfast with me along the way!