The Doctor Is In, Olney: Drs. Tim and Lauren Sweeney
THE DOCTOR IS IN Five-part Series
As part of our continuing series “The doctor is in,” we caught up with the busy husband and wife dentist duo, Doctors Tim and Lauren Sweeney, owners of Olney Family Dentistry located at 125 E. Main Street, the same building that Tim’s grandmother worked in previously. The Sweeneys restored the vintage building in the heart of downtown to create a peaceful environment for their patients.
With their dental practice standing strong for 16 years right here in Olney, both doctors are thrilled to see the neighborhood children become adults. “We see the children we [treated] in elementary and high school becoming parents who now bring their children to us with [the] confidence of knowing they will have a good experience. They know we are going to care for their children the way they expect because they know us, and they trust us,” Lauren said.
Many people who have had to face challenges in a dentist’s office may understand the importance of having a good rapport with the dentist. Lauren said she and Tim strive to have a good connection with all their patients. She said they have the chance to sit with them, get to know them and explain things. “We want to be certain we address patients’ fears and concerns, and we will support them in every way we can,” she said. “The dental office is scary for many people, so we want to make it comfortable.”
Comforting patients is not the only priority for the Sweeneys, strengthening the community is essential also. Lauren said the family is No. 1 and the business is No. 2. “I love that we have a schedule that allows us to spend time with our children and be there for them. We also allow staff to leave early to attend games and spend time with their family,” Lauren said. “Now that Julienne is 16 and a junior in high school, she won’t be in my house for much longer, so I am excited to spend time with her. I want that for our employees, too.”
The Sweeneys have impacted the community in many ways, and their connection to the Olney employees they hire and the Olney families they care for is an indication of their values on a personal and professional level. “I want the families to know that [visiting the dentist] is not the worst thing on the list. It is a great feeling knowing that we have honed our craft of making [the visit] as easy as possible,” Lauren said.
Tim and Lauren have two children—Julienne, 16 and Ford, 13. Both children compete in United States Tennis Association (USTA) tennis tournaments that occur once a month. Julienne has won 1A State Champ TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools) in tennis as a sophomore at Christ Academy. When not playing tennis, Ford enjoys history and has a special interest in World War II. As a family, they enjoy watching and rooting for University of Texas and traveling.
In addition to rollerblading down Main Street, Tim serves as the vice president of the Wichita Falls chapter of Ducks Unlimited, and he along with the organization hosts several fundraising events every year to preserve wetlands. Lauren shares the love for tennis with her daughter Julienne, and she also competes almost every month in USTA tournaments around the state. In 2016, she participated in USTA League Nationals in Mirage, California and USTA’s first ever NTRP Nationals in 2017 in Surprise. Arizona. Off the court, Lauren enjoys painting with oil. Her art is on display at Maplewood in Wichita Falls during December.
Several residents expressed how lucky Olney is to have two qualified dentists “right in our backyard.” Tim and Lauren graduated from a top dental school—University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, where they met during their first year of dental school. Olney Family Dentistry has stateof-the-art equipment and offers a variety of services. Both doctors provide dental examinations, fillings, crowns and bridges. Time specializes in tooth extractions, wisdom teeth and root canals, while Lauren specializes in orthodontics, veneers, implant restorations, dentures and partials.
The Sweeneys are using a new treatment called silver diamine fluoride that has been used in Japan for 80 years according to Lauren. “The Food and Drug Administration approved this treatment in the U.S. for patients who have cavities but may be too young to get treated. It is a paint that we put on the teeth and it stops the decay process until the child is old enough to have the proper treatment. Although it’s not perfect, it is a tool we can use in selective cases,” Lauren said. She added that they also use the treatment on elderly patients who may not be able to come into the office.
Tim is in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Lauren is in on Tuesdays and Thursdays and they both alternate Fridays. When you stop in for treatment, you will see their commitment to this community mounted on the wall. In 2007, after practicing in Olney for five years, they said they were here to stay, and 16 years later, they remain.
For more fascinating details about the Sweeneys, please review the Nov. 30, 2017 issue in the Olney Enterprise archives at www.olneyenterprise.com.