When Dr. Mike Huggins partnered with Oxford-based investment and management firm EquiPro Holdings to launch Life Dental Group, he had a clear mission in mind: Empower world-class dental care in communities across the southeast by building partnerships with dentists.

In 2017, Huggins and the team from EquiPro opened their first practice in Batesville. In the five years since Life Dental Group has become a fast- growing dentist-owned dentist services organization with practices across Mississippi and Alabama and more than 85 employees.

“We’ve accomplished a lot during our first five years,” said Huggins. “Not only have we significantly grown our number of practices and continued to expand our footprint, but we have also established a support model and service offerings that our dentists trust. Because we have these strong support systems in place to manage the operations, marketing, and accounting aspects of the clinic, our dentists and their teams can focus on providing exceptional and consistent care to patients.”

Life Dental Group currently has clinics in Oxford, Batesville, Byram, Columbus, and Tupelo, Mississippi, as well as Huntsville, and Vestavia, Alabama.

“Working with Life Dental has been a game-changer for our practice,” said Melissa Cobb, a hygienist in the Tupelo clinic. “Not only have we grown our practice significantly, but their systems have allowed our team to put more into our patient experience. We take the time to get to know our patients, not just as a dentist, but as their neighbor.”

Over the next few years, Life Dental plans to open dozens of additional practices throughout the Southeast.

“As we continue to grow the reputation and impact that our practices have in communities across the region, we hope to see more and more new partners looking to join our mission,” said Jeff Hand, who leads all recruiting and acquisitions efforts for the company. “Life Dental is always seeking out talented dentists, hygienists, and office staff that are passionate about helping improve the health and wellness of their patients.”

In addition to establishing strong support and operational processes, Life Dental Group has also committed to ongoing education for its dentist and hygienists. In 2020, the company opened a new flagship clinic in Oxford that includes a training space where dentists and hygienists can come together to learn about new technologies and techniques and work together to continuously improve the patient experience.

“We want to ensure that our dentists and hygienists can offer all services to all patients in their clinic,” said Huggins. “The experience we offer is such a difference-maker with our patients, creating a large impact in our referrals and new patient numbers.”

Life Dental also continues to foster relationships with dental students at area universities, including the University of Mississippi, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Tennessee, to name a few.

“We always want to connect with dentists and dental students who want to build a partnership with us,” Huggins said. “We have a great team at Life Dental Group. I’m so excited about what we’ve accomplished in our first five years, and I know the next five years will be even bigger.”