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Out of this World Experience
He opened its doors five years ago with two employees and has seen it explode into a current staff of 33, including three full-time dentists and two part-time associate doctors. With 11 chairs to treat patients, Molloy and his staff serve ages from infant to 18 years old. A majority of their patients are under the age of nine.Molloy’s idea for Smile Zone started while he was an associate at Dr. Wavel Wells’ pediatric dental practice in Lawton. Molloy saw a need for more pediatric dentistry coverage in the Moore/Norman region, so he came up with the concept for Smile Zone. The idea was simple: Have a dental practice that was inviting and welcoming for kids, and they won’t fear coming
to the dentist.In fact, they might actually want to go. When Smile Zone’s doors opened at its present location in south Oklahoma City in December of 2005, the lime- green color scheme and outer-space theme that you see today was there.“We wanted to provide a place where you would get top-quality patient care,” Molloy says. “But beyond that, we wanted it to be both patient and family friendly. We want to give children a positive dental experience, and making them comfortable is the first step in that. If we’ve made them feel a little more relaxed, and can provide quality dental service on top of that, we’ve done our job.”The interior design of the practice is unique, to say the least. Molloy’s wife, Julie – a graphic designer by trade – was the creative driving force with the “look” for the place, utilizing the outer space theme. Combine the kid-friendly visuals and activities (including their stuffed animal mascot, Cookie, who sits high above the dental chairs) with a staff that goes out of the way to make everyone feel welcome, and you’ve certainly created a family-friendly environment.A Lawton native, Molloy’s parents are retired and living in the Lawton area, and his brother (also a Cameron graduate) is an officer with the Lawton Police Department. A graduate of Eisenhower High School, Molloy decided between his junior and senior years at Ike he was going to attend CU, based in large part on the reputation of Cameron’s science department. “I always enjoyed science,” Molloy says. “Cameron had a great program in that area, and the fact that I could live at home and go to a quality school made the decision pretty easy for me. It absolutely was the right decision, and I’m glad I chose Cameron.”While an undergraduate, Molloy was a member of Phi Delta Theta and the Chemistry Club, served as Student Government Association President in 1992-93, and was on campus for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Sciences Complex. “I look back and see my college experience at Cameron as one of the best times in my life,” Molloy says. “Cameron allowed me to grow and flourish as both a student and a person. It helped shape and prepare me as I was moving towards my personal and professional goals.
I loved my time there and think back on it very fondly.”From seeing eight patients the first day they opened to averaging more than 1,300 patients per month currently, Smile Zone has certainly grown (“Beyond my wildest dreams,” Molloy says). While the practice has expanded about as far as it can go at its current location, Molloy has ideas for spreading his unique concept for his practice, by possibly opening additional offices with the Smile Zone brand in other locations around Oklahoma. The goal, Molloy says, is to keep outstanding pediatric dentists in the state and allow the Smile Zone theme and service to be accessible to as many children as possible. “Children shouldn’t fear a trip to the dentist,” Molloy believes. “We focus on treating our patients with as much compassion as possible. We want to have an environment that allows kids and their families to feel relaxed and have some of the anxiety taken away while they are getting great dental care.” Mission accomplished.