Board Profile: 3 Questions With Dr. LeRoy Horton by Sam Mittelsteadt

The old saying goes, “When one door closes, another opens,” and lately Dr. LeRoy Horton, MS, DICOI, has been testing the hinges up and down the halllways of dentistry. After selling his two successful dental practices in the Pacific Northwest, Horton returned to academia—first as a student of periodontics, and now as an instructor at one of the newest dental schools in the United States. He’s also active in state and national dental societies, and leads hands-on implantology courses through a company he co-founded (teachmeimplants.com). To read Horton’s article about the trend toward subcrestal implant placement, click here.

Dr. Horton has also written three CE courses for Dentaltown: one about peri-implant disease, one about guided bone regeneration techniques and one about anterior implant strategies for general dentists.

1. A few years ago, you sold your practices and returned to academics to pursue a master’s degree and certificate in periodontics. What inspired that?

Our family endured a series of devastating losses and I was really struggling with my sense of meaning and purpose. It took a lot to come out of the darkness; in doing so, I turned even more to studying all things dentistry, poring over articles and research and creating presentations for continuing education lectures. I realized one day that my passion for teaching was increasingly occupying space in my mind and soul.

I still loved clinical dentistry, but I also felt that through teaching, I could leave a stronger legacy within a profession that had given me so much. Being an owner of a health care facility has to be a full-time commitment, and to be an educator at the caliber that I desired, it seemed only right that I devote a portion of my life to become a true expert in the field. As I sold my offices, I matched at Oregon Health Sciences University Graduate Periodontics, and here I am today!


2. You very recently became director of periodontics and implants at the Pacific Northwest University School of Dental Medicine. How are you fitting in so far?

Words can’t do justice to the amount of excitement I have about this new endeavor! When I first met with the founding dean, Dr. Fotinos Panagakos, and he articulated his unique and revolutionary vision for this institution, I had no choice but to jump at the opportunity. Anyone who knows me or read the Office Visit I was featured in knows I go hard on whatever I put my mind to. I believe that PNWU will set the new standard for dental education and serving patients. So, to answer the question directly: I’m fitting in perfectly!


3. You’re still keeping busy as an implants lecturer, too. How much time are you dedicating to this, and how did you determine your latest version of work/life balance?

I practice three days a week as an associate specialist, building a collection of cases that supports my lecturing. As a lecturer, I travel the country putting on hands-on workshops for organizations such as the International Congress of Oral Implantology and the Pacific Northwest Dental Conference. Over the past year, I’ve also been serving as the chair of the scientific committee for the National Dental Association. I’m looking forward to continuing in this position, as well as my upcoming term as president of the Seattle King County Dental Society, the largest dental society in Washington state.

This may sound like too much, but all three of my children are college-age or older, and having an empty nest allows for a lot of free time. My wife works in IT remotely, so we’ve been able to turn all my travel lecturing into what our community calls “baecations.” 2024–2025 has us traveling together within Washington state and to Oregon, Florida, Pennsylvania, Missouri, California and even Greece. Balance really does take everyone around you understanding how your mind and soul work, and being willing to grow as a part of it with you.