As of September 9, Twin Cities residents will have access to a new dental practice owned and operated by a Black dentist.
Dr. Quint Lester has purchased Hilltop Dental Clinic at 50 County Road B East in Maplewood. He will lead a team of seven at the east metro office that includes a dental hygienist, three dental assistants and office staff.
“I want to be a beacon and a place of refuge, especially for those who have had a bad experience with dentistry,” Dr. Lester said. “I’m excited to provide a safe space for patients to receive comprehensive and compassionate oral care.”
Lester said he is especially eager to work with patients who have a fear of dentists.
“Fear stems from a bad experience. Dental school teaches procedures, but doesn’t do a very good job speaking to the fact that patients come with their own experiences, cultural beliefs and traditions,” he said.
According to the American Dental Association, a mere 3.8% of dentists in the US are Black. In Minnesota that figure is even lower. The 2019 Minnesota Dental Workforce report by the Minnesota Department of Health found that 1% of Minnesota’s dentists are “Black or African American.”
“The African American community has a distrust of health care providers, especially when we don’t have providers that look like us and have the same experience and background. There’s a lack of mutual understanding,” Lester said.
Black Americans are disproportionally plagued with dental and oral health concerns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that periodontal disease is higher in African Americans and that African Americans experience untreated tooth decay nearly twice as often as white Americans.
“People are thought to be in control of their teeth. If they don’t brush or floss and eat junk, they have a bad outcome. Dentists can be very judgmental about how a patient presents,” he said. “That doesn’t open the door for good oral health care. That’s not my approach.”
The oldest of six children, Lester was born and raised in central Georgia where he was a standout athlete, playing football and running track. He was still in high school when he shadowed a relative who was a dentist and observed his “pure, selfless acts of care” afforded to patients that made him “fall in love” with dentistry.
After graduating from Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry in Nashville in 2018, Lester completed a residency at a community health clinic and found he enjoyed working with patients with dental anxiety. His “favorite patient” turned out to be a woman who had not been in the dentist’s chair in 30 years.
“Dentistry is an intimate field; I was able to build rapport and eliminate her fear,” he recalled. “I’ve been blessed with many patients like that. They tell me, ‘I hate the dentist, but I don’t hate you.’”
After his residency, Lester was recruited to Minnesota, a place he “couldn’t have found on a map.” He settled in Brooklyn Park with his wife Saida and four children and, five years in, they consider the Twin Cities their home; the southern family has taken up snowboarding and learned to embrace winter.
They are members of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Minneapolis; Lester says his strong Christian faith guides him in his work.
“My logo is an illuminated tooth. My practice is my way of bringing light into the world; my ministry, if you will, is giving people the ability to shine with their smile to make this world brighter,” he said.
Lester’s goal in purchasing the Hilltop Dental practice is to make dentistry accessible and affordable for families. He plans to accept state insurance and those without any insurance at all as patients.
For information and appointments with Dr. Lester, go here or call 651-488-2541.