Rock Dental Brands and Apex Dental, both of Little Rock, announced Thursday that they would be combining operations. Apex Dental’s six multi-specialty dental clinics and corporate support staff, led by Dr. Todd Stewart, will join the Rock Dental Brands team.
“My team and I are very excited to be joining Rock Dental Brands. We share a common vision of practicing patient-first dentistry. I’m personally very excited to begin working with the well-established network of dentists and specialists they have put together,” said Stewart.
The combination, effective immediately, will raise Rock Dental Brands’ managed clinic count to 74 and employees to nearly 600 across its managed clinics in Arkansas, Missouri, and West Virginia, as well as its dental management headquarters in downtown Little Rock.
Stewart, who will maintain principal ownership in his practices, will be joining the Rock Dental Brands management team as Chief Dental Officer. Current Chief Dental Officer and co-founder of Rock Dental Brands, Dr. Mark Dake, will transition to the role of Chief Clinical Officer and Orthodontic Director, spending more time on clinical quality assurance and further reinforcing Rock Dental Brands’ commitment to supporting its dental providers with clinical leadership.
“Rock Dental Brands has grown to a level where now general dentistry and pediatric dentistry make up nearly half of our business. Todd’s leadership in our dental clinics is going to ensure that our doctors and clinical staff are providing the highest quality of care to each and every patient,” said Dr. Mark Dake, a specialist in orthodontics. “His addition to our team will allow me to put my focus fully into the clinical outcomes of our doctors and the oversight of our 41 orthodontic practices.”
Scott Crews, long-time consultant to Apex Dental and current managing partner of Coastal Empire Dental Management of Liverpool, Ohio, will be joining Rock Dental Brands as president.
“Rock Dental Brands is one of the most exciting names in the dental industry right now, and I am delighted to join this team,” said Crews. “They have quickly grown to one of the largest dental support organizations in the country, and more importantly have done it the right way with a focus on patient care. I think the brightest days are still to come.”
“The addition of Dr. Stewart, Scott, and the Apex Dental team are a great thing for us,” said Rock Dental Brands CEO Merritt Dake, “the wealth of knowledge and expertise in the general dental space is going to add tremendous value to our company. The clinics that Dr. Stewart has built fit perfectly into our model and help fill out our growth footprint in the state of Arkansas.”
Founded in 2015, Rock Dental Brands was formed by Dr. Bryan Hiller, Dr. Mark Dake and Merritt Dake to create a network of multi-specialty dental providers who could collaborate to provide the highest quality of patient care. Rock Dental Brands manages clinics under the names Rock Family Dental, Leap Kids Dental, Westrock Orthodontics, and Impact Oral Surgery.
Apex Dental was formed as a multi-specialty group dental practice in 2011 by Dr. Todd Stewart. Apex Dental manages general dental clinics under the name, Central Dental, in Little Rock and Conway, Lakewood Dental Care in North Little Rock, Helena Family Dental in West Helena, as well as Kidz Choice Dental in Fort Smith and Conway.
