Dr. Ray Cleary, DDS: Bringing Back Your Smile

Dr. Ray Cleary, dentist and owner of Tidelands Dental, knows a lot about smiles and how important they are to our quality of life. “When you smile, people think you’re happy. Your smile brings back a lot of smiles,” he said thoughtfully.

Dr. Cleary and his wife have four children and eight grandchildren between them, the newest baby, a girl, was only a few days old at the time of our chat. He graduated from Ohio State University Dental School in the ‘70s, and as a young dentist, Dr. Cleary enlisted in the military and served as Director of Operative Dentistry at Shawn Air Force Base until his discharge from the service. In 1976, he moved to Surfside Beach where he has lived and practiced dentistry ever since.

Dr. Cleary has always had a strong sense of community and an unwavering desire to serve, which led him to his work with a variety of community organizations, all while maintaining a successful dental practice. His belief that everyone needs a voice in government led him to run for the South Carolina legislature in 2004, where he served for 12 years. Calling himself a compassionate conservative, Dr. Cleary shared a little about his time as a state lawmaker. “Two of the accomplishments I’m most proud of are being honored as legislator of the year by the Committee for Disabilities and Special Needs for my work helping autistic children, and I was given the Green Tie Award, which is another legislator of the year award given for environmental work.” This caring legislator also helped pass the Raffle Bill, which benefitted all South Carolina non-profits, especially his beloved Shriners and Lion’s Club.

I asked Dr. Cleary about the importance of dental work and he shared a wonderful story. “We had an older woman, in her mid 70s, come in to the office with her husband,” he began. “Her teeth looked like a quilt – they were badly deteriorated, and she wanted crowns and veneers. Her husband wasn’t excited about his wife having the work done and wondered if it was really necessary.” Continuing with a laugh, Dr. Cleary told me, “A month after we finished, her husband stopped by the office to bring me a bottle of wine and told me, ‘My wife smiles so much now people think she’s ten years younger – and everyone has noticed a huge change in her attitude.’”

“Dentistry is kind of like your cell phone,” Dr. Cleary said when I asked about the many changes he’s seen. “The work is more durable; it lasts, and is done much more easily. I’ve had patients who were very fearful of dental work and now they have no fear at all. We always take our time and make sure they like our work before we finish.” He then told me that some of the caps and crowns done today are guaranteed for life against breakage. “My patients are like family, and I want them to have the very best experience possible.”

Dr. Cleary and his partner, Dr. Russell Boatwright, along with their team of dental professionals, are ready to give your smile the care it deserves at Tidelands Dental, located at 1625 Glens Bay Road in Surfside Beach. Visit Tidelands Dental at tidelandsdental.net, find them on Facebook or call 843-650-4500.