“Artistic” might not be the first word you think of when someone asks you about your dentist. But in the case of Club Drive resident Dr. Debra Gray King, her passion for art and painting as a youth is partially what led her to focus on cosmetic dentistry and designing beautiful smiles for her patients.

 

Life has come full circle and in addition to using her creativity to design smiles Dr. King is once again painting. She picked it back up during what she calls her pandemic sabbatical, and displays her works in her dental office and throughout her home.

 

Dr. King paints colorful abstracts from the studio she set up on her front porch and is quick to note she is still very much an amateur. “What I like to do on a pretty day is put on some music, sometimes have a glass of wine, and paint,” she says. “I’m big into color. I start putting color on the canvas and it comes to me.” Her white English Labrador Retriever, Cali, is often by her side.

 

In addition to painting, Dr. King embraced cooking, taught herself a few songs on the guitar, and started gardening. “Most people live all their lives wanting a sabbatical,” she notes. “I thought, ‘I’m going to take up some of these things that I’ve been wanting to and haven’t had time for.’” (Dental practices were closed in Georgia, except for emergency procedures, for the first six weeks of the pandemic.)

 

For many years, Dr. King was busy building and running a successful cosmetic dentistry practice as well as raising a family. She is the founder and owner of the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry (ACCD) on Roswell Road. The office is in Atlanta but the patient base comes from all over the world and includes musicians, actors, sports stars, and other notables. Big Boi, Zac Brown, Usher, and Toni Braxton are among those whose portraits adorn a wall in her office.

 

While she knew from the start that she wanted her practice to focus on cosmetic dentistry, Dr. King spent her first years in general dentistry and worked hard to build ACCD into an award-winning cosmetic dentistry practice. She tells the story of answering the phone one day when she was first out on her own. The patient on the other end of the line was requesting her dental records so she could switch to an office closer to her new home.

 

“That impacted me so much that I wrote a mission statement that I wanted to create a practice that people would not only drive five or ten miles to but would fly in from all over the world to visit,” Dr. King notes. Not only has she achieved that goal but her talents as a cosmetic dentist are widely recognized and have earned her spots on Extreme Makeover, The Doctors, Entertainment Tonight, CNN, Fox & Friends, and more.

 

Another part in fulfilling that mission statement involved turning a visit to the dentist from a dreaded experience into something patients looked forward to. A visit to Dr. King’s practice includes warm blankets, scented neck pillows, pleasing décor, and massage therapists who will provide a complimentary arm and hand massage while a dental professional works on your mouth. “It’s something we implemented to make a visit to the dentist pleasant and pampering,” she says.

 

On top of providing top-notch dental services, Dr. King has made giving back a big part of her life. She co-founded Smiles for America, a charity that brings together 50 dentists representing each of the 50 states to provide new smiles for American heroes. Her last Smiles for America patient was a firefighter. She also founded a family charitable organization to support various local charities, including Zac Brown’s Camp Southern Ground, Big Boi’s Big Kidz Foundation, and Usher’s New Look.

 

Dr. King moved to Historic Brookhaven six years ago as an empty nester. She has three adult children. Her oldest son Gray and his wife Kimberly live in Augusta with their son Henry. Gray is finishing his last year of dental school. Griffin, her middle child, recently moved to Nashville and is pursuing a career in medical device sales. Her youngest, Savannah, is also in dental school in Augusta. She is about to finish her first year.

 

All three of her children attended Auburn University. Both sons played football there and Dr. King was an avid supporter and loyal fan. Despite having graduated from the University of Tennessee for both undergrad and dental school, she roots for the Tigers.  Dr. King was born in Chicago and at age five moved to East Tennessee. She came to Atlanta after graduating from dental school.

 

Traveling is a favorite hobby of Dr. King’s. Last year, she was able to share two big trips with her children. She and son Griffin visited the Holy Land. “It was an incredibly spiritual experience to be able to walk where Jesus walked and performed miracles,” she says.

 

She also visited Egypt with her daughter Savannah. “Seeing the pyramids had been on my bucket list for more than a decade and I was so excited to be able to share that experience with my daughter,” Dr. King notes.

 

During the holidays the family enjoys playing cards, especially a form of Canasta called Hand and Foot. “My parents , who are in their eighties, team up with my kids and it gets pretty competitive,” she says.

 

"Dr. King also enjoys walking around the golf course, sitting in her backyard by the fire pit and watching college football on her outdoor television, and cuddling with Cali inside by the fireplace reading a book. She has loved living in Historic Brookhaven and is part of the Brookhaven Bible Study as well as Club Drive BGs (Block Girls), a group of residents from that street who have social gatherings and watch out for one another."

“Even before I moved into the neighborhood, I used to drive here and take my dog for long walks,” she notes. “We have such a beautiful neighborhood with lots of trees and beautiful homes to look at -- not to mention the beautiful golf course of Capital City,” which abuts her backyard.

 

 

SIDEBAR TO FAMILY SPOTLIGHT

HEAD = Dr. Debra Gray King’s Favorite Things

 

Restaurants: Valenza, Haven Restaurant and Bar, Kaleidoscope Bistro & Pub, Souper Jenny, Arnette’s Chop Shop

 

Sports Teams: Auburn Tigers (both of her sons played football there), Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons, Marist War Eagles

 

TV Shows: College football – Dr. King likes watching games on her outside TV in front of the fire pit

 

Music: All genres, although when painting on her front porch Dr. King will likely be jamming to Journey, Al Jarreau, or contemporary Christian music