1. Completed a General Practice Residency (GPR) at UAB Hospital
   • received training in oral sedation, implant placement and restoration
   • treated patients with complex medical histories and dental conditions
2. Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry
   • completed over 700 hours of post-dental school education
   • passed a rigorous exam covering all aspects of dentistry
3. Published author of dental research on cosmetic dental materials
4. Reviewer of research submissions for the Academy of General Dentistry
5. Member of the American Academy of Facial Esthetics

Dr. Vance was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended the University of Alabama, studied mechanical engineering, and graduated in 2002. For three years he worked in the foundry of a nearby automotive plant. It was a great first job, but not one that would become his career. He wanted a career that was more hands-on where he was actually ‘doing’ the work he trained for instead of mostly being behind a desk; a career in which he would be in control of his future, not a corporation; a career that would let him focus on his interests, allowing him to remain passionate about his profession.

He would find that career in dentistry.

After a chance conversation with a young local dentist, he began to realize that dentistry would satisfy his professional goals and desires. Dr. Vance left engineering and went back to school at UAB while working at his childhood dentist’s office as a dental assistant to make sure that he enjoyed it.

Dr. Vance graduated from UAB Dental School in June 2011. While in dental school, Dr. Vance conducted research involving the performance of cosmetic dental materials. This research was later published in the Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry. In July 2011 he began a General Practice Residency (GPR) at UAB Hospital. A GPR is an elective, extra year of training for general dentists to advance their skills before they enter private practice or another area of specialty. In this program he treated patients with complex medical and dental conditions, completed a wide range of general dentistry procedures under the guidance of veteran professors, trained in oral conscious sedation and implant placement, and completed rotations in oral surgery, ENT, emergency medicine, anesthesia, and community outreach clinics. It was also during this program that Dr. Vance made the decision to open his practice in West Homewood. In 2017 he took over the office of Dr. James Gillespie and moved his practice to St. Vincent’s downtown campus in Birmingham, Alabama.

Outside of dentistry, Dr. Vance loves cycling, lifting weights, and playing guitar. When time permits he and his younger brother, composer & content creator Jamie Vance, work on passion projects together like creating their own video game & writing comedy. They want to be the next Duplass Brothers when they grow up, apparently!

Thanks for taking the time to learn about Dr. Vance. He looks forward to learning about you.

and Dr. Vance’s philosophy is…

Make Your Smile Complete

Whether you have all of your teeth or none, your mouth (and smile) is an important part of who you are. It can, for better or worse, affect your overall health and self-confidence.

When you come to see me, my job is to help you with whatever dental issue you have. This might be a checkup and cleaning, emergency treatment, or referral to a specialist. We will do whatever we can to address your primary concerns at the first visit. But I will always invite you back for a full exam. This appointment is much more important than just getting your teeth cleaned – this is an opportunity for me to collect all the necessary information to let you know how your mouth is doing, and what we both can do to improve things. It will also allow us to talk about what your expectations are for your smile, what is required to get you there, and what is required of you outside of my office to maintain your smile at that condition. That last part is the most important – no matter what I do, you must understand how to maintain it or it can be undone.

Whether you want to replace some missing teeth, enhance your smile cosmetically, or just get your existing teeth free of disease, we can make a plan especially for you to get your mouth in great shape and keep it that way.

I will do my very best to make sure your experience in my practice is a pleasant and productive one. I take the craft of dentistry seriously, and my staff and I will take your smile seriously.

Hope to see you soon.