Dr. Jerrick Rose and Dr. Chandra Minor first met as students attending dental school at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Fast forward a few years and now the best friends turned business partners own Mississippi’s only combined pediatric dentistry and orthodontics office.
“Jerrick is an awesome business man,” Dr. Minor says of her business partner. “He came up with the idea and approached me. He said with pediatric dentistry and orthodontics having such a hand- in- hand relationship, it would be brilliant for us to go into practice together and it would be really convenient for our patients having two specialties in one place.”
“When they first told me they were going into business together I knew it was going to be a success,” shares Dr. Erica Rose, who is also a dentist and Jerrick’s wife. “When those two specialities come together, it’s like magic happens. There was no doubt in my mind that it wouldn’t be successful.”
Historically, only about 11 percent of African American dental students obtain a speciality. In order to specialize in a particular discipline, after graduating from dental school the dentist must complete another two years of education and then relinquish their license to practice general dentistry.
While reluctant at first, that was a chance they both were willing to take. Dr. Rose completed an additional two years of specialty training in pediatric dentistry, specifically in behavioral management and special needs. Dr. Minor was accepted into the postdoctoral orthodontics residency program at Howard University.
According to Dentgraphics, an online source for dental demographics, Mississippi has 753 general practices and 206 specialty practices. Upon returning to Mississippi, Dr. Minor made history as the state’s first and only African American female orthodontists.
“I never set out to make history,” Dr. Minor shares. “I didn’t know there weren’t any African American female orthodontists in the state. Honestly, I didn’t know if I wanted to go to school for another two years for the speciality. A few of the faculty members at UMMC made me aware of Dr. Theodore Jones, who was Mississippi’s first African American orthodontist. He was still practicing at the time, so I shadowed him. Shortly after, I applied and was accepted into Howard.”
Dr. Rose and Dr. Minor literally built their business from the ground up and now have served more than 16,000 patients since opening their doors four years ago.
“There’s still a lot of shock to us that we own this business,” Dr. Rose explains. “It feels real because we work hard and are tired, but it doesn’t feel real. I’m still amazed. We receive a ton of support from other dentists, doctors and patients who refer clients to us. The outpour of support has been amazing.”
“It has been a blessing,” said Dr. Minor.