As a dedicated dentist for patients from Waverly and surrounding communities, Dr. Smiley works hard to foster an atmosphere of trust and comfort throughout his dental office. Here, each visitor can receive high-quality care and the transparent, honest education needed to achieve optimal oral health for years to come. If you’d like to learn more about him, just keep reading below.
Trusted Waverly, IA Dentist
Get to Know Jonathan Smiley, DMD
Why Did You Decide to Become a Dentist?
Dr. Smiley’s grandpa and uncle were both dentists, so his family had some close familiarity with the field for many years. Over time, he realized that the type of work (especially the problem-solving element) was really appealing to him as well. And of course, there’s his last name – he really had no other choice!
Today, Dr. Smiley takes great satisfaction in being able to participate in a person’s healing and leave them feeling better than before, whether he’s placed a perfect dental implant, restoring a broken tooth, or simply relieving a bad toothache.
Where Did You Study Dentistry?
Dr. Smiley is originally from Hoopeston, Illinois. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of Illinois before pursuing his Doctor of Dental Medicine at the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine. During his studies at the University of Illinois, he also pitched for the baseball team!
Dr. Smiley also continued his education with advanced training from the Dawson Dental Academy. This experience allowed him to practice dentistry with a more comprehensive diagnostic approach. Instead of isolating and treating immediate problems, he takes a step back and thinks: why do these problems continue to occur? For example, how does joint misalignment contribute to poor occlusion and increased tooth decay? How might early childhood development of the mouth impact breathing problems and the eventual grinding of the teeth? This deeper understanding allows him to create treatment plans that lead to a functional, aesthetic smile and the likely elimination of problems further down the road for his patients.
Today, Dr. Smiley is a member of the following organizations:
- American Dental Association
- Iowa Dental Association
- Academy of General Dentistry
Outside of the Dental Office, What Do You Like to Do?
Dr. Smiley and his family moved to Waverly from the St. Louis area in 2014, hoping to build a home in a community that shares the small-town values they loved while growing up. Today, they are enjoying the chaotic, joy-filled life that has come with their three young children. They also have a new poodle named Poppy and enjoy spending lots of free time at Waverly’s dog park, on trails around their home, and warming up with Waverly-roasted coffee at Duos. They feel very privileged to be a small business in the community and are very passionate about finding other ways to support like-minded small-business dreamers and makers.
As for personal hobbies, Dr. Smiley leads worship and is on the board at their local church while also serving as a board member on the Waverly Chamber of Commerce. He loves passing along a love of music and sports to his kids, regularly visiting his family farm in Illinois to help his parents with planting and harvest seasons, and being a University of Illinois Fighting Illini fan.