Words by Anna Lee Vaughn | Images by Justin Hunter
Dr. Adam Cox recently celebrated 15 years with his family practice, Cox Family Dentistry.
Through observing the many healthcare professionals in his family, Adam followed their example when deciding on his career. Adam says, “I was studying business, and I believe it was my second year of college when I realized that business wasn’t where my interests lie.”
He continues, “My dad’s a dentist. My uncle’s a dentist. My other uncle is an OB-GYN. I guess I finally matured to the point where I was like, ‘Okay, it’s time to start thinking about what you’re going to do with your life because you can’t play sports forever.’ That’s when I started going down the health care path.”
He attended the University of Alabama on a football scholarship, earning two bachelor’s degrees – a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Bachelor of Science.
He then attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) for dental school and completed a residency in Denver, Colorado, which he describes as one of the best decisions of his life.
“The best way I can describe it is like having one foot out into the real world and one foot still in education. Because it can be very overwhelming when you don’t have somebody to ask for advice or have somebody watching over you,” says Adam.
He took a particular interest in dental implants under the tutelage of an oral surgeon in Denver, further developing his interest in dentistry. Since joining the family practice, one of Adam’s biggest challenges has been the business and financial side of running a dental practice. He says, “That took some time to learn because you don’t get much training on it beforehand.”
Even though it is a challenging field, he encourages anyone seeking a fulfilling job and incredible work-life balance to pursue a career in dentistry and shadow professionals in the industry.
“As I’m getting older, it’s just evolving more into forming relationships with my patients and making them feel welcomed and appreciated. Because I’ve learned that you’re not going to be able to hit the hole-in-one every time, not every treatment will work out the way I want it to,” he says. “But even though that has been difficult to consolidate in my mind, getting to help others is incredibly fulfilling.” WL
