It was expected that Stephen Ray would follow the footsteps of his father, Len Ray, DDS, who graduated from the UT Health Science Center College of Dentistry in 1979. His fascination with seeing his father provide dental care and his experience assisting at a dental clinic confirmed his love for dentistry.
“He was in the first class that went into the Dunn Building when it was opened. My first memory of him in dentistry was when I was losing my baby teeth, and I remember he would come home with a little packet of instruments and topical anesthetic, and he would pull our baby teeth, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” Ray said. “Once I got old enough to explore my options for a career, I had to decide if this was for me, and the way I discovered it was through a Remote Area Medical Clinic.”
Ray, from Nashville, earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Biology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He assisted a fourth-year dental student at a Remote Area Medical clinic in Gray, Tennessee, and felt exhilarated by the dental care he witnessed. “I’ll never forget, I called my parents right when I got out from that clinic and I said, ‘I actually really want to be a dentist. I want to start tomorrow.’”
In addition to his father, several members of his family share a passion for health care. His younger brother is in his second year pursuing veterinary medicine at UT Knoxville, and his brother-in-law, Drew Schneider, DDS, graduated from the College of Dentistry in 2019. Ray chose the UT Health Science Center not only for the legacy, but also to stay close to his home.
When he visited UT Health Science Center as an undergraduate to learn more about the admissions process, he remembered feeling at home and welcomed by Dayna Myers, RDH, MDH, director of Admissions Administration and Advising.
“She could not have been more welcoming to me. She gave me a tour and met one-on-one with me for about 45 minutes and talked to me about the college and the admissions process,” he said. “I was stunned by how much attention she gave me, and it’s funny because in the four years I’ve been here, I have seen her do that with countless other students. She’s a great liaison, I think, for the school and really bridges the gap for pre-dental students getting into dental school.”
Ray produces videos on his YouTube channel, “Stephen P. Ray,” to provide informative and engaging content for future and current pre-dental students. His channel has reached 1 million views with more than 14,000 subscribers and 176 videos covering topics including study and time management tips, dental school supplies, the dental admission test, day-in-the-life in dental school, and others.
“I started making videos at a young age and it’s always been something I’ve enjoyed. When I was a pre-dental student, I had my brother-in-law, of course, but I didn’t have a lot of connection to dental school. I didn’t really know what to expect. So, one of the goals with the channel was to make sure that if there’s someone out there who doesn’t have a personal friend who can give them that experience, you can be that person for them and help them through the process,” he said.
It is not only his hobby, but also a way to mentor others in preparing for dental school.
“It’s been so rewarding to see countless students come out and show their appreciation for what I’ve done, and it’s been humbling. I never expected to impact lives with the videos, and I think I have in a variety of ways, and I am thankful for that and blessed to see how its grown.”
Stephen Ray
“YouTube isn’t my career. I’m not in a position where I have to rely on it for an income. It gives me the opportunity to just use it as a passion and the two goals, inform and entertain,” he said.
He also helped create a video for the college’s Moving Forward committee during his first year. The committee focuses on building an inclusive culture in the college.
Looking back on his experience in the college, he said he will miss the friends he has made and the faculty he has learned from. He also credits one of his mentors, Thomas Patterson, DDS, assistant professor in the Department of General Dentistry, for impacting his development in dentistry and in life. In addition, he recalls his experiences of treating patients in the clinic as rewarding.
“As a third-year dental student, I was able to do a cosmetic case where we cemented multiple crowns in the maxillary anterior region, and it completely changed the way the patient’s smile looked,” he said. “When I saw the final photos of the post-op, I was shocked at the work, and it made me realize that this is something I will be doing for the rest of my life. I love it. Everything we have learned can combine to treating a patient holistically; you’re not just looking at the color of the crown, you’re looking at the health of the mouth overall.”
His goals after graduating include working at his family’s dental practice in Ashland City, Tennessee, and potentially expanding their practice. “My objective is to put my heart and soul into one practice, I want to serve one community in one building, and build it into the best practice it can be. That’s going to be a lifelong process,” he said. “So, the objective is to get out of school, learn, make sure I’m doing dentistry well, treating people the right way, start building towards the future, and hopefully, I will document the process.”
This story was initially published in the Winter 2024 College of Dentistry Magazine.