Dental Residency Program
Train Where Your Work Changes Lives.
A Residency That Goes Beyond the Clinic
Appalachian Highlands Community Dental Center is a proud clinical training partner of Johnston Memorial Hospital’s Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program in Abingdon, Virginia.
For dental residents, our facility offers something that is genuinely difficult to find: a high-volume, high-complexity patient population that will challenge and sharpen your clinical skills across the full scope of general dentistry — all within a mission-driven environment where the work you do each day has a direct and visible impact on people’s lives.
What Makes Training Here Different
Our patients arrive with real, often significant dental needs. Many have gone years without care. Many present with advanced decay, periodontal disease, or extensive tooth loss that requires comprehensive treatment planning and a full range of restorative skills. You will not spend your residency doing routine cleanings on otherwise healthy patients.
You will place implants. You will perform root canals and complex extractions. You will fabricate crowns, bridges, and dentures. You will treat patients whose circumstances require you to think creatively, communicate compassionately, and perform at a consistently high level — because the person in your chair is counting on you.
That is the kind of training that makes exceptional dentists.
Ready to Schedule?
If you are interested in completing a portion of your AEGD clinical training at Appalachian Highlands Community Dental Center, or if you would like more information about our partnership with Johnston Memorial Hospital’s AEGD program, we encourage you to reach out.
Appalachian Highlands Community Dental Center Abingdon, Virginia | 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Community Dental Clinic
Supervision and Support
Every resident at our facility works under the direct supervision of experienced, credentialed volunteer dental faculty. You will have guidance when you need it and the clinical autonomy to grow. Our environment is collaborative, not hierarchical — faculty are here to develop you, not evaluate you from a distance.
Why Southwest Virginia
Our region has a genuine and ongoing need for skilled dental providers. Many residents who train here develop a deep connection to the community and the patients they serve. Some go on to practice in Southwest Virginia, becoming part of the long-term solution to the region’s dental provider shortage.
Training here isn’t just an investment in your career. It’s an investment in a place that needs what you have to offer.