FOR NEARLY 40 years, Dr. Kim Glick has been brightening lives one smile at a time. From her childhood fascination with science to decades of service in Tullahoma, her story weaves together clinical excellence, holistic prevention, and customized care.
Growing up in a military family meant that home was wherever her father’s Air Force assignments led. Those cross-country moves — from California to Michigan to Tennessee — sparked a fascination with people, culture, and the uniquely beautiful landscapes of America. No matter where her family moved to, her heart always remembered San Francisco, where her grandmother, Emma Glick, lived — blocks from the ocean and Golden Gate Park. The city’s hills became a backdrop for cherished childhood summers filled with cousins, laughter, and the unforgettable aroma of the neighborhood delicatessen’s she still remembers today. Ultimately, it was her love for biology and the complexities of human anatomy that definitively shaped her career path.
“I absolutely loved the objectivity of science,” she recalled.
“Everything could be tested, proven, and understood.”
Initially on a premedical track at the University of Tennessee, Glick’s summer hospital work sparked the realization that she longed for a profession that balanced family life, problem-solving, and artistry. Dentistry checked every box.
“It was the perfect combination of medicine, creativity, and people,” Glick said. “I could help others, work with my hands, and build something beautiful.”
Glick opened her practice in 1985, establishing roots in Tullahoma and becoming a trusted name in family dentistry. What began as a one-doctor office grew into a thriving practice defined by integrity, compassion, and teamwork. She has two sons, Tate and Ty, and is married to Mike Melton.
Her guiding philosophy is simple: focus on the patient, and everything else falls into place. She teaches new dentists that when financial pressures arise, the answer isn’t in spreadsheets — it’s in service. “Take care of people first, and the rest takes care of itself,” Glick said.
Her office vision statement, written two decades ago, continues to shape her team culture:
“We aspire to elevate the importance of dental health through compassion, respect, professionalism, and fun — to brighten the day, elicit a change, build trust, make a friend, and improve a life.”
For 25 years, her team hosted “Check and Shine,” offering free exams and cleanings to uninsured children. Each February, in honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month, the clinic transformed into a world of laughter, fluoride, and hope.
She also founded Project Smile, an educational outreach initiative that brought dental literacy to local kindergarten and first grade classrooms. Through hands-on lessons and colorful activity books, Glick and her staff introduced hundreds of children to proper brushing habits and details about healthy food choices.
“Our goal was to prevent decay before it began,” Glick explained. “Tooth decay is the most common childhood disease — and totally preventable.”
Among thousands of patients, one story remains unforgettable. A young man came to her unable to chew because his back teeth never connected — an “open bite” that specialists deemed untreatable.
“He’d seen everyone. No one had a plan that could help,” Glick said.
With creative problem-solving and careful lab collaboration, Glick devised a bold solution: reconstructing his bite with custom crowns built high enough to meet.
“It was unconventional. We didn’t know if it would work,” Glick said.
It did. Years later, the patient continues to eat and smile comfortably.
“He told me he’d been ready to give up,” Glick recalled. “That case reminded me how powerful trust and persistence can be.”
Ask Glick her proudest accomplishment, and she won’t name awards or technology — she’ll talk about people. The anxious patients who now laugh in her chair. The families who’ve referred generations. The tearful moments when someone finally feels seen and hopeful.
“I never judge anyone who walks through my door,” Glick said. “You don’t know their story — money may be tight, fear may be deep — but if they made it here, that’s a victory. My job is to listen, educate, and cheer them on.”
For Dr. Glick, oral health is inseparable from overall wellness. She educates patients about how gum disease and chronic inflammation link to heart disease, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s and infertility.
“Good dental care isn’t just about a nice smile. “It’s about longevity and quality of life,” Glick emphasized.
She encourages regular visits, home care, and a proactive approach to managing medical conditions, such as diabetes, which can impact oral health. “Knowledge is power,” Glick said. “When people understand the connection, they take charge of their well-being.”
Now approaching retirement, Dr. Glick is mentoring a new associate to carry on her mission. Her hope is to be remembered as a dentist who treated everyone with honesty, respect, and genuine care.
“I’ve always believed that if you focus on helping people — really seeing them — the smiles will follow,” Glick said with a warm laugh. “And that’s what makes it all worthwhile.” GN
