By Katie Simpson
For so many people, figuring out who and what they hope to be when they grow up can be a lifelong journey. For Dr. Laura Arnold, however, the answer came remarkably early. At just 7 years old, Laura already knew exactly what her calling was…she was going to be a dentist.
In 2012, that childhood dream became reality when Laura graduated from The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and officially became Dr. Laura Arnold…a title earned through years of hard work, perseverance and an unwavering belief in where she was meant to go. Her journey, however, didn’t unfold quite as planned. Laura had always imagined marriage and children would come later in life, but at just 19, she met her future husband, Scott, while working at The Cappuccino Depot in Hamilton’s Robinson-Schwenn Building. That chance meeting would change everything in the best possible way. The two would end up marrying and then…came another unexpected surprise. During a notoriously difficult year in dental school, Laura and Scott would find out they were expecting their first child. By what Laura describes as nothing short of “the grace of God,” she gave birth to their son during the two weeks students were given to prepare for one of dental school’s most daunting exams. While her classmates were studying, Laura was learning to be a mother, preparing for an exam and facing the difficult reality of leaving her newborn to finish school.
For the next two years, Laura and Scott learned to juggle it all. Laura attended school while Scott cared for their son and worked weekends. It was incredibly difficult, but it taught them something invaluable: they could do hard things and they could do them together. Through it all, they grew closer, stronger and more certain that whatever life brought their way, they could face it side by side. Today, Scott and Laura have been married for 18 years and are the proud parents of two amazing children, Branson and Maelyn.
After graduation, Laura returned to Hamilton and spent the next 14 years honing her skills, expanding her knowledge and, perhaps most importantly, deepening her passion for dentistry. She loved the people she worked with and was grateful for the opportunities she had been given, but eventually she began to feel the Lord pulling her to something new, something different. In truth, she was being called to something. Something that was built around her values, her vision and her desire to make a difference. That calling ultimately became Arnold Dental & Wellness. When the practice opened its doors at the beginning of the summer, it represented far more than the opening of a new dental office. It was the culmination of a dream years in the making…a dream shaped by experience, fueled by passion and guided by purpose. And the story of her very first patient couldn’t have been more meaningful.
The office was still being prepared for its official opening when a longtime patient called and needed work done. Laura had everything she needed to help him, so she told him to come on in. He said he would…and that this time, he would be bringing his son. This may not seem like all that exciting of an announcement to most, but to Laura and her patient, it was everything! In all the years Laura had been seeing him, his son had never been able to come along to his visits. His son has cerebral palsy and couldn’t get his wheelchair through the older building’s doorways. But the new Arnold Dental & Wellness space was different. It was designed with accessibility and people with unique needs in mind. Watching father and son come through the doors together was a joyful moment. For Laura, it was also confirmation that she was growing her calling in the right direction.
At the heart of that calling is a simple idea: put the “care” back into dental care. When Laura talks about her “why,” there’s no hesitation. It’s her patients. For her, dentistry isn’t simply about treating teeth. It’s about helping people become healthier, restoring confidence, creating smiles they’re proud of and making quality care accessible. That philosophy even extends to the way her practice approaches payment. Patients can absolutely use their traditional insurance, but Arnold Dental & Wellness knows that’s not always an option for many. So they’ve decided to also offer a membership option designed to make costs more predictable and affordable. For $25 a month, patients receive straightforward pricing and the peace of mind that comes with knowing their dental health is being honestly cared for.
But perhaps what makes her approach most unique is that she isn’t interested in simply treating symptoms. She wants to understand the “why” behind them. Modern dentistry is revealing more and more about the connection between oral health and overall wellness. The mouth can provide important clues about what’s happening throughout the body, which is why Laura and her dedicated staff are incorporating innovative approaches such as saliva testing into the practice. Her hope is to understand what may actually be happening beneath the surface. Could bacteria be contributing to recurring problems? Could oral health be connected to other issues within the body? Could identifying the root cause lead to a healthier, more lasting solution? For Laura, those questions matter and healing is always the goal.
If there’s a less invasive, more affordable way to address a dental problem, she wants her patients to know about it. Dentistry, in her eyes, should never be about creating lifelong customers through unnecessary treatment. It should be about creating healthier people. That intentionality can be felt throughout Arnold Dental & Wellness. From the team Laura’s assembled to the welcoming atmosphere, everything’s been designed to feel warm, personal and authentic.
Perhaps nothing captures the heart of the practice better than two boards displayed in the office: Ask/Aspire and Answered/Achieved. The boards give patients, staff, building employees and anyone who walks through the doors a place to share their dreams, struggles, worries and hopes. Then, Laura and her team pray over them. And when those prayers are answered, when a dream becomes reality, a challenge is overcome or an accomplishment is achieved…it moves to the Answered/Achieved board. The hope is that one day that board will be overflowing with praises.
That may be the best reflection of who Dr. Laura Arnold is and what she hopes to create. Because Arnold Dental & Wellness isn’t simply a place to get your teeth cleaned or a cavity filled. It’s a place built around compassion, wellness, faith and the belief that caring for people means seeing the whole person. After dreaming of becoming a dentist since she was 7 years old, Laura’s finally created the practice she always hoped for.
Sometimes, changing a life starts with something as simple as a smile.
Arnold Dental & Wellness is located at 7570 Bales St., Suite 370, West Chester Township, OH 45069. Call (513) 464-9010 to schedule an appointment.
