Setting a new standard of pediatric care in the Texas panhandle

Amarillo Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics prides itself on delivering family-friendly convenience and exceptional clinical outcomes

One of the country’s largest and most cutting-edge pediatric dental practices is situated in a surprising location: the Texas Panhandle. Amarillo Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics (APDO) has six offices: four in Amarillo, one in Lubbock, and one in a boarding school 36 miles northwest of Amarillo that provides residential programs and therapeutic services for at-risk boys and girls ages 11 to 17. The six offices are served by eight board-certified specialists — five pediatric dentists, two orthodontists, one oral surgeon, and 120 support staff members.

Amarillo’s welcoming community and strategic location make it a regional hub for advanced pediatric dental care. APDO draws patients from a population of nearly 2 million within a 3 to 4 hour drive, including families from across the Texas Panhandle as well as New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado. Founded in 1999, the practice has built a strong reputation for delivering exceptional pediatric outcomes in a compassionate, family-friendly environment. Caring for patients who travel up to 5 hours has inspired APDO to develop efficient systems that allow for comprehensive, same-day treatment and access to specialists without compromising quality of care.

Two of APDO’s current owners, Dr. David Harney and Dr. Devon Cooper, first connected during their pediatric residency interviews, bonding over their shared values and shared vision for providing truly exceptional care. Years later, Dr. Harney reached out to Dr. Cooper to join the growing APDO team, and in Cooper’s words, “That was all she wrote.”

Practicing in a smaller metropolitan area like Amarillo presents unique challenges, from staffing to access to advanced technology. But rather than limiting the practice, those challenges have shaped APDO’s forward-thinking systems designed to balance efficiency and excellence while supporting a patient population spanning parts of five states. The practice’s unique approach to delivering a new standard of pediatric care rests on two pillars: a special passion for family-friendly service, and a commitment to exceptional clinical outcomes.

A special passion for family-friendly service

There are three key elements supporting APDO’s passion for family-friendly service: a special focus on parents, unprecedented convenience, and a “pawsitive” workplace culture.

A special focus on parents

From day one, the doctors at APDO were determined to perfect a unique approach to running a pediatric practice that would foster strong, long-lasting relationships with patients and parents alike. One of their first moves to set their practice apart was to create a trusting, family-friendly environment by welcoming parents chairside during treatments. “We want parents to leave our office feeling confident that their child received top-tier care in a compassionate environment,” says Dr. Harney. “Equally important, we want children to look forward to their next visit. And they almost always do.”

Unprecedented convenience

To improve access and reduce the burden on families, APDO integrates pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, and oral surgery within each of its six well-staffed locations. This comprehensive model allows patients to receive multiple treatments and specialist consultations in a single visit, reducing the need for repeat appointments — an approach especially beneficial for families who travel long distances for care. Each site is staffed with cross-trained team members to ensure efficient, high-quality service for both rural and urban communities. Further enhancing its offerings, APDO is also home to the only AAHC-certified ambulatory surgical center in the region, Domain Surgical. This advanced facility provides dental surgical care under general anesthesia for patients with complex needs, serving families not only in Amarillo but throughout the surrounding states. Together, these efforts reflect APDO’s commitment to making expert care accessible, safe, and convenient for every family it serves.

A “pawsitive” workplace culture

“We believe that our ability to create positive relationships with patients and their parents is greatly enhanced by creating a positive work environment,” says Dr. Cooper, and that culture is evident in everything APDO does. Weekly leadership meetings bring together the owners, office leads, team leads, HR, and clinical leadership, with feedback encouraged at all levels. This open, collaborative structure empowers the team and creates an environment where staff can truly thrive.

The doctors emphasize mentorship, work-life balance, and celebrating wins. “You spend more waking hours with your coworkers than with your family most days,” Dr. Cooper points out, “so having the right work environment is essential.” That mindset has helped APDO cultivate a culture of kindness, mutual respect, and equality, reducing burnout and turnover in a rural region where recruiting providers can be a real challenge.

APDO also has a unique team member who brings extra comfort to patients. Myko, a miniature goldendoodle therapy dog is lovingly known as the office’s most “pawsitive” presence. His “dad” is none other than Dr. Cooper.

What truly sets APDO apart, though, is its team members’ shared mission: to treat every child like their own, and every parent like a partner. That spirit defines their every interaction.

A commitment to exceptional clinical outcomes

Long-lasting clinical success is always every practice’s goal, but APDO’s ability to deliver on that goal — while also reducing chair time — is particularly appreciated by patients who drive to APDO from as far as 300 miles away. To that end, APDO’s doctors take pride not only in using the latest proven technologies and products, but in achieving a mastery of the techniques necessary to ensure that all technologies and products are utilized to their fullest potential for optimal patient care.

To achieve this mastery, all five APDO pediatric dentists received practical, real-world training by attending a hands-on NuSmile^® RESTORE workshop in Las Vegas in the fall of 2024. This workshop introduced the doctors to Soan, a cordless electronic local anesthetic delivery system designed to provide a painless experience that enhances patient comfort and reduces dental anxiety. Incorporating this device into the practice epitomizes APDO’s mission of providing a better experience for patients and parents alike. Soon after introducing the Soan to its patients, APDO switched from its prior brand of zirconia crowns to NuSmile ZR crowns. “Our patients now experience not only a much more natural-looking result, but shorter appointment times due to easier placement,” says Dr. Harney. The switch to ZR was rooted in the practice’s mission to provide the highest quality clinical care. “Parents often compliment us on the reduced chair time and the natural-looking appearance of the ZR crowns. They’re just thrilled with the esthetic outcome.”

APDO also chose to adopt two state-of-the-art bioceramic products introduced to them at the workshop: NuSmile’s NeoPUTTY^® and NeoLINER^® LC. “Our staff appreciates how both of these bioceramics make complex cases feel more manageable,” says Dr. Cooper.

“Since participating in the NuSmile workshop, we’ve been able to enhance the quality and efficiency of our entire system,” says Dr. Harney. “We’ve seen real improvements in how we run things.” As a result, APDO’s owners have decided that all future new associates will gain the same hands-on real-world training through this workshop.

Redefining pediatric dental care

APDO has truly redefined what pediatric dental care can be in a rural area, as all six of its locations enjoy a Google rating of 4.9/5.0. What truly sets them apart, however, is the volume of positive feedback — with over 5,000 Google reviews across all locations, the practice has earned not just high marks but widespread trust and appreciation from the community. Dr. Harney, Dr. Cooper, and their associates hope families leave their visits to APDO feeling genuinely cared for and heard. They aim for every experience to be fun, stress-free, and professional, and for every child and parent to leave smiling. “I have never met a more genuine, caring provider” is the kind of comment they love to hear.

Whether through minimizing wait times, delivering same-day care, or creating a comforting environment for anxious patients and parents, APDO focuses on eliminating friction points and building trust. “We want to be the reason someone says, ‘Today was a good day,’” says Dr. Cooper. “That’s the heart of what we do.”

“It’s hard to put into words the thrill of watching a child walk out of our practice with a bright, beautiful, confident smile after having had to deal with a fractured, decayed tooth or a conspicuous stainless-steel crown,” says Dr. Harney. “And their parents are wearing smiles that are just as big. When they thank us, it’s an emotional moment for them as they say goodbye. And for us.”

And that’s why APDO is committed to investing in education for the next generation, maintaining their reputation for clinical excellence, and protecting the culture that’s gotten them this far. “We have one of the largest private pediatric dental offices in the country,” says Dr. Harney, “but at the end of the day, it’s still about doing right by each family that walks through our doors.”

The team at APDO takes great pride in their ability to make such exceptional care, comfort, and convenience available in a place like Amarillo. They are also very proud that Amarillo is a caring, affordable, close-knit community, that they consider George Strait’s “Amarillo by Morning” to be one of the greatest songs of all time, and that, according to Dr. Cooper, “We have the best steaks in the country, too!”

Demonstrating that location is no barrier to excellence, this Texas Panhandle practice has proven that with the right culture, tools, training, and passion for family-friendliness, the highest standard of pediatric dental care is achievable anywhere.