The reason I got into dentistry was actually, I didn’t know what I wanted to do in college. There were a few things. I thought I might want to be an orthopedic surgeon. I thought I might want to be a wildlife photographer, maybe a psychologist. And I was speaking to my dad one day and he said, “Taylor, everything you love to do, you love to work with your hands, you love to figure out problems, you love working with people, you love psychology. All those things are in dentistry.” And so the more I looked into it, I couldn’t agree more. So, really everything that I love to do, any giftings that I have, especially working with other people, that’s probably my favorite part of dentistry. But all those things are true. I get to do all the stuff that I really enjoy.
The most rewarding aspect of dentistry is a relationship with patients. I do enjoy the… I like the technical side. I love doing the actual dental work, but I really love the relationships that I’ve formed with patients that I’ve gotten to know over many years, seeing their kids grow up and just getting to know people and form those relationships. It’s been really special. I went to undergrad at Baylor University and then I went to dental school in San Antonio, UT branch there. And I really have focused a lot of my continuing education on implant and surgery. I really love implant surgery and implant restorations. I think continuing education is extremely important for dentists. So as the technology changes, as procedures change, it’s so important to keep up with it because it’s more beneficial to patients as we continue to learn that they get better services and less invasive type in services. So, the continuing education is very important for all dentists.
Dr. Taylor Starr Enjoys Building Rapport With His Patients
In 2000, Dr. Taylor Starr received his Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Baylor University, then received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 2004.
Dr. Taylor’s professional accomplishments include:
- Graduated magna cum laude from dental school (2004)
- Finalist for the James P. Vernetti Operative Dentistry Award (2004)
- Dental implant preceptorship after dental school (2004-2005)
- Hundreds of hours of dental implant continuing education (2004-present)
- Past president of the Central Texas Dental Society (2009-2010)
For Dr. Taylor, dentistry offers many of the aspects of life he is most drawn to. First, he loves people, especially getting to know new people, learning about them, and learning from them. He enjoys building relationships with others based on mutual respect and trust, and he loves helping and serving others.
Dentistry also offers him the challenge of solving both simple and complex problems and allows him to work with his hands to build and fix things. He appreciates the psychology behind dentistry and the multitude of different interpersonal communications he engages in daily. The relational aspect is what drives him most – getting to know so many people from different backgrounds with varied stories. Plus, he enjoys the opportunity to share his faith with his patients.
Dr. Taylor is kind, caring, and relational with his patients. He works to build rapport with each patient by listening to them, engaging them in conversation about their life outside of their dental needs, and setting them at ease with empathy and by understanding their situation.
Away from the office, Dr. Taylor spends time with his wonderful wife, Sarah, and their two boys, Carter and Henry. He has been active coaching multiple sports for his sons. He also loves spending time in nature and the great outdoors, especially hunting, fly fishing, hiking, biking, exploring, and skiing in the Rocky Mountains.
Dr. Taylor also enjoys reading and learning new things, and the Bible is his favorite book. He is a pet lover, especially when it comes to golden retrievers. He has had multiple goldens since he was 7 years old. Dr. Taylor has participated in dental mission work locally, in Mexico, and most recently in Uganda.