Doctors are people too. In Behind the White Coat, Jefferson City Magazine takes readers beyond the practice to reveal the personal stories of local physicians.

Tyler Slaughter, DDS | Founder/Dentist | Riverbend Dentistry

My name is Tyler Slaughter, and I grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri, near Brazito.

Most people may know that I have always wanted to come back to Jefferson City to practice dentistry. The most rewarding part of dentistry for me is knowing when kids leave our office, they’re not afraid of their dental experience. We hold a lot of responsibility in creating the next generation of people who aren’t afraid of the dentist, so they can take better care of themselves for their whole lives. Frequently, we see adults who come in with a lot of fear, but they leave with a little less fear each time. They say things like, “I didn’t know it could be this easy.” We are extra proud of those patients because we know how difficult it is to start your dental health journey.

We also have a new (furry) face at the office! Earlier this year, I became a pet dad to Rudy, a Brittany, and Dobby, a hairless cat. They both just celebrated their first birthdays and they bring our family so much joy.

Rudy comes to our office most days, and he is more than happy to escape the back room to greet patients in the reception area or while they’re in a dental chair. We brought Rudy home after we said good-bye to our other Brittany, Kona, of almost 14 years.

Outside of the office, I enjoy spending time with my beautiful wife of 14 years, Kim, my son, Wyatt, and my daughter, Quinn. We love being regulars at our favorite spots around Jefferson City. It’s a good feeling to see familiar faces around town — either other business owners or our patients. Whether it’s in our favorite coffee shop, pet supply store, lunch or dinner spots, I love the small-town feel of Jefferson City’s locally-owned business.

When I’m not spending time with family, you’ll likely find me in the woods. I love bow hunting, land management, anything with conservation, and taking Rudy along whenever I can.
Balancing personal life while being a private practice owner is a practice itself and I’m still working on it even after 11+ years of dentistry. However, I’m incredibly fortunate to have a great clinical and administrative team who work to make the magic happen. We happily celebrated 10 years in 2024 as Riverbend Dentistry, and we can’t wait to see what the next 10 years bring.

GET IN TOUCH:

(573) 635-6080
Riverbend Dentistry
600 Monroe St., Ste. 300, JCMO
riverbenddentistry.com