Beth M. Tomlin, DDS, MS

Dr. Tomlin’s journey to periodontics was not a straight line. Born in San Diego to a Navy doctor father and ER nurse mother, she grew up with expectations that she would follow in her dad’s medical footsteps.

But even as she dutifully pursued biology in college, she was always taking an art class or creating something with her hands. By the time college came to an end, “I was thinking more about pursuing something in art and design,” she says. However, she also had an innate feeling she needed to help people somehow. She admits that she felt a bit conflicted and was not sure what path to pursue.

After earning her undergraduate degree, an opportunity arose to shadow a dentist who worked at a free clinic, and it opened her eyes to possibilities she had not considered. “Dentistry intrigued me because it combined my intrinsic need and desire to help people, but it allows you to be artistic, as well,” she explains. “Art and design, itself, can be incredibly healing, but I also had this science background that I felt needed to be utilized.”

When she started dental school, she still had doubts about whether she chose the right path. The dental office was never her favorite place to be, and her first rotation through surgery left her a little nauseous.

But then came her introduction to periodontics, and something clicked. She found periodontics offered more complexity and challenges that uniquely wove art and systemic health together. She liked the way the specialty combined her interest in helping patients improve their overall quality of life by providing health and function in the most aesthetic way possible. It was an intersection of science and aesthetics that finally felt right. She developed a profound appreciation for surgery, drawn to the precision and skill it demands and the transformative outcomes that can be achieved through meticulous technique with her hands.

Fresh out of her periodontics residency in 2010, Dr. Tomlin bought a small practice and began her private practice journey.

She used this opportunity to design a practice rooted in her vision for patient care with a distinctly personal touch. Her goal was to create a place that was serene and welcoming. She built Park Cities Periodontics around the principle of genuine human connection.

Many patients have been with Dr. Tomlin for a decade or more, and their glowing reviews consistently mention the warmth and comfort they experience—even when undergoing procedures that are typically dreaded.

“I do not like being a number in an office, and even I do not like being in the dental chair,” she says with characteristic candor. “I simply treat patients how I would want to be treated.”

With a foundation in functional oral biology and surgery, combined with her background in art, she brings a unique ability to sculpt and shape tissue, achieving outcomes that are both functionally sound and aesthetically beautiful. Millimeter-precise incisions and sutures can make the difference between good results and exceptional ones.

Her favorite procedures are those that transform both aesthetics and function through artful technique. “I love doing aesthetic crown lengthening,” she says, referring to a procedure that lessens a gummy smile. “This procedure can totally change someone’s look, and they can almost immediately see the dramatic change.”

Even in less immediately visible procedures, such as implant placement, Dr. Tomlin’s aptitude for design comes into play. Positioning implants requires spatial awareness and three-dimensional thinking to achieve results that look natural, function properly and stand the test of time.

This blend of form and function perfectly encapsulates her ultimate treatment goal: beautiful results that serve a deeper purpose for patients’ long-term health. “Health is beautiful, and that is truly the ultimate goal for all procedures.”

When most people think about seeing a periodontist, they imagine a physician focused solely on gums and bone. They think of procedures like extractions, deep cleaning or dental implant placement. But Dr. Tomlin sees a bigger picture.

“We are finding out more and more that oral health has a huge impact on our systemic health,” she explains. “I think we are just on the tip of the iceberg with our understanding and the implications that oral health or disease has on our overall health.”

She has observed this connection firsthand throughout her years of practice. She describes oral health as “a little window into what is going on deeper in the body,” and emerging research supports her perspective. Periodontal disease has been linked to a surprising range of health conditions, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, pneumonia, pregnancy and birth complications, obesity and several cancers.

When you sit in Dr. Tomlin’s chair, she is thinking about more than a quick fix. She looks at underlying causes and the long-term outlook of each treatment plan. “Our goal is overall health,” she states firmly. Sometimes this means discussing topics patients do not expect from their periodontist, like diet and lifestyle choices, and working in partnership with a patient’s other healthcare providers.

While current medical protocols do not always facilitate the kind of cross-specialty communication she would like to see, Dr. Tomlin is passionate about moving periodontics in that direction. She is working to build stronger relationships between dental and medical providers because she knows this collaboration leads to better outcomes for patients.