Dr. Mark Conard D.D.S., M.S.: You Can Save Your Smile

Endodontist Dr. Mark Conard is passionate about smiles. A Clemson University alumnus, Dr. Conard continued his education at MUSC, graduating from dental school in 2009. After working in General Dentistry for a year, he decided to pursue a degree in Endodontics and graduated from Ohio State University. An Endodontist must complete two or more years of additional training after becoming a General Dentist.

Born in the small town of Clyde, North Carolina, about 25 miles west of Asheville, Dr. Conard practiced in the Charlotte area for two years, but jumped at the opportunity to move to the South Carolina coast in 2014. An outdoorsman, he loves to hunt and fish – along with most any outdoor activity. The most important thing in his life is time with his family and friends. “And my dogs,” he said with a chuckle.

I asked Dr. Conard why he chose to be an Endodontist, and he told me, “I have a passion for this industry because it is both rewarding and satisfying to help someone save a tooth and their smile!” Dr. Conard continued, with a more personal reason for his choice of career.

“I love baseball, and played from the time I was very young – I was even offered a chance to play professionally,” Dr. Conard began. “When I was 16, I was playing and had a line drive bounce up and hit me in the face. It hit me so hard it broke my upper face bone (maxilla) and knocked my two front teeth out completely. My friend that played second base handed them to me, but my coach knew they had to be placed back into my mouth immediately.” Dr. Conard laughed then, telling me the coach put his teeth in the wrong positions, but this action saved his natural teeth. “I rode an hour home and my dad, who is a General Dentist, repositioned the teeth correctly. As a result, I had to have root canals on those two teeth and ended up having to have three more later due to the trauma. Root canal therapy saved my teeth and they are still there today.”

Many people are not aware that root canal therapy is used extensively after accidents that damage the teeth. Recently, Dr. Conard had a young patient who lost teeth in a sport accident and was able to save them all.

Root canal therapy is a frightening idea for many people, and I asked Dr. Conard to explain how it works. “Root canal treatment is designed to eliminate bacteria from the infected root canal to prevent re-infection of the tooth and save your natural tooth. We painlessly remove the infected pulp and carefully clean the inside of the tooth. The tooth is then disinfected, filled and sealed.” Continuing, he said, “This treatment is virtually painless and often leaves you with less discomfort than a tooth extraction. We use modern techniques and effective anesthesia to make sure you have a positive experience.”

Dr. Conard is committed to being available to his patients in order to ease their pain as quickly as possible. “We will relieve any worries you may have about your Endodontic procedure and make the experience as stress free as possible. We Endodontists refer to ourselves as ‘Specialists in Saving Teeth,’” he told me. “I am committed to helping you maintain your natural smile. Your natural teeth are worth saving.”

Intercoastal Endo, Dr. Conard’s practice, is located at 4382 Oleander Drive in Myrtle Beach. Contact his office by calling 843-449-4900, visiting intercoastalendo.com or find Intercoastal Endo on Facebook.