Dr. Lauren Stennis is a general dentist and the founder of Smile Philosophy Dental Care in New Orleans. Her practice serves patients in the Bayou St. John and Mid-City area. It is a Black-owned private office built around a simple idea: people stay consistent with care when they feel respected and understood.
Stennis is a New Orleans native who spent part of her early childhood in Atlanta, then returned to Louisiana roots. She studied at Xavier University of Louisiana and later attended the University of Tennessee, where she earned The Dean’s Certificate of Achievement. That mix of local ties and wider training helped shape how she thinks about healthcare access and long-term community trust.
At Smile Philosophy, she focuses on family and general dentistry. The practice provides routine cleanings and exams, fillings and crowns, root canal therapy, whitening and cosmetic care, gum disease treatment and prevention, and care for kids and adults. Her work centres on helping people take small steps before problems become emergencies.
Outside the chair, Stennis and her team also run free dental screenings, host oral health workshops in local schools, and partner with nonprofits to support uninsured and underinsured residents. She is also known for staying curious about new technology in dentistry and oral health, and for treating prevention as a business strategy that protects patients and strengthens relationships over time.
Q&A on success
When you think about success, what does it look like in your world?
Success looks like consistency. Not a big splash. It is the steady choice to do good work, explain things clearly, and keep showing up for people.
In dentistry, trust is everything. If a patient feels rushed or judged, they disappear. If they feel respected, they come back. So my version of success is a practice where families return, kids are not scared of the chair, and people start treating cleanings like a normal part of life.
What helped you build momentum early in your career?
Education gave me a strong base. I studied at Xavier University of Louisiana and later attended the University of Tennessee. Earning The Dean’s Certificate of Achievement mattered to me because it reflected discipline and follow-through.
But momentum also came from understanding my home city. I am a New Orleans native, and I spent early childhood in Atlanta. That early shift taught me to adapt. When I came back, I paid attention to what people needed, not just clinically, but emotionally. A lot of patients carry stress into healthcare spaces. If you ignore that, you miss the real work.
What is one decision you made that changed your business path?
I chose to treat prevention as the centre of the practice, not an add-on. That sounds simple, but it changes everything. It changes the way you schedule. It changes how you educate. It changes the way you measure progress.
I also made a real commitment to community work. We host free dental screenings, oral health workshops in local schools, and we partner with nonprofits to help uninsured and underinsured residents. Those efforts take time and planning. They also build a level of trust that you cannot get from ads or slogans.
What challenges come with running a community-focused dental practice?
The biggest challenge is time. Outreach takes hours that could be used for production. You have to be honest about that tradeoff. You also have to build systems so it does not burn out the team.
Another challenge is that many people come in after years of delay. They might need more than a quick fix. You have to balance what is ideal with what is realistic for their life. Success is not only a perfect treatment plan. It is a plan the patient can actually follow.
What is a behind-the-scenes habit that supports your success?
I read a lot about new technology in dentistry and oral health. I do not chase trends. I look for tools that make care clearer, faster, or more comfortable. Then I ask one question: does this help patients stick with prevention?
A niche practice I use is keeping a simple decision list for changes. For any new tool or process, I write down three things: what problem it solves, what it changes for the patient experience, and what it changes for the team’s workflow. If the patient experience does not improve, I pause. That keeps growth grounded.
What advice would you give someone trying to build success that lasts?
Start with trust, then build systems that protect it. In any service business, trust is your real product. Skill matters, but consistency is what people remember.
Also, choose a lane that matches your values and your market. For me, that is family and general dentistry in New Orleans, with a patient-first approach and real community effort. When your work fits your place, you do not have to force a brand story. You just have to do the work, every week, and let the results stack up over time.