Dr. Tom Forrest gives patients something to smile about. It’s not just his profession — it’s his passion.

People are smiling more than ever for their cell phone cameras and Forrest wants to help those smiles be the brightest.

“Since the introduction of the smartphone, everyone now has a camera with them all the time and we’re taking more photographs than we ever have in history, “ said Forrest as he sat inside his office at Forrest Orthodontics in Sewickley. “People will take selfies and they’ll say, ‘I noticed this or that with my smile.’”

That’s where Forrest comes in. No photo editing or filters needed. As an orthodontist, he specializes in tooth and jaw alignment using advanced techniques such as clear braces and Invisalign, clear aligner braces.

Forrest reviews every case, gets to know the patient, and, with children, their parents as well.

He said he knows that going to the orthodontist can be scary, which is why he and his staff do everything to put a patient at ease.

Colorful posters with superheroes decorate the walls that can be seen from a row of blue dental chairs. A James Bond film poster from the former Sewickley Theater, which he said many Sewickley residents will fondly remember, is in his office.

Also displayed in his office among his medical diplomas and credentials are memorabilia from the man who inspired him – his father, Dr. Edward Forrest, who served as dean of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Dental Medicine for more than two decades.

He helped start an exchange program with 28 countries and helped launch its dental assistant-oral hygiene program.

There is a framed photo of the first graduation class from the 1964 Dental Hygiene Program at Pitt, with his father in the image, taken on the steps of Scaife Hall.

His father started his practice in the late 1950s on Centennial Avenue and was one of the first orthodontic practices in Sewickley. He was also an associate dean at the University of Illinois’ College of Dentistry for about five years, commuting between Sewickley and Chicago.

The office moved to its current location on Beaver Street in 2016.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be a history major,” his son said. “I was always more interested in the sciences and math, and so this was kind of a natural kind of thing. I kind of stepped into his shoes in the mid-1990s.”

Forrest lives in Ben Avon, but attended Quaker Valley, Sewickley Academy and then Pitt.

“Growing up here and now practicing here, it’s nice to see how much things change but at the same time stay very much the same,” Forrest said. “And I think that’s the appeal of this town.”

After graduating from dental school, Forrest worked at the VA Hospital in Oakland for five years. He said that through the experience, he learned how to deal with medically compromised patients and to become a team player, which is one of the most important things for every patient.

He went on to earn a certificate and a master’s degree in orthodontics from Pitt. He contributed to the Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Center team and collaborated with oral surgeons, prosthodontists, plastic surgeons, audiologists and speech and language pathologists.

“I often think about working with my dad on a Saturday morning and he was having fun and clowning around with the patients,” Forrest said. “And I think that’s kind of the attitude that I’ve brought into the practice.”

Forrest is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Orthodontics at Pitt and board-certified by the American Board of Orthodontics, a member of the American Association of Orthodontists, American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association and a member of the American Dental Association and Pennsylvania Dental Association.

He said 25-30% of his patients are over the traditional core age of 8-18 — adults whose parents might not have been able to afford braces or their teeth may have moved.

Technology has changed his profession. He said digital workflows, 3-D imaging, hybrid treatments with clear aligners and braces, artificial intelligence and remote monitoring have all been introduced across the spectrum of dental medicine in recent years.

“That’s been a major revolution in the last 15 years, everything from scanning to digital treatment planning,” he said. ”You even have digital predictions of tooth movement. It’s been a real revolution.”

But it’s still a people-based business, he said.

“You’ve got to treat everybody individually,” he said. “We still have a lot of nervous patients. I think we all have a little apprehension about going to the dentist. You know, you’re sitting in a chair and you’re kind of at their mercy. I try to take it one step at a time or even one-half step at a time.”

“They are patient,” said Susan Geist of Ben Avon, whose son and daughter were patients. “My son would never have gotten through this without them. If something comes up, they are flexible. You can tell Dr. Forrest loves what he does.”

An avid jogger who runs with the family dog, a Labrador retriever and German shepherd mix named Boo, Forrest said his greatest joy is spending time with his family — his wife, Diane, and their sons, Thomas Jr., wife Christine and their daughter Juliet; and John, wife Katelyn and their son Rowan.

“He is always striving to give them the best,” John Forrest said. “With all he does for his patients, he does even more for his family. How he has been able to balance everything is an inspiration to me. Getting to spend time with him and watching him and my Rowan means the world to me.”

Thomas Forrest Jr. said the greatest thing is that for his whole life, he has watched his dad do what he loves, working in the town with many of the same families.

“In a way, it inspired me to do a similar thing, albeit in a different profession right here in the same town,” said Thomas Forrest Jr., who teaches in the Quaker Valley School District. “In a way, I can say I followed in his footsteps.”

Forrest has no plans to retire.

“It’s nice to be able to provide, perhaps, a life-changing experience,” Forrest said. “For some people, it’s remarkable to see the changes and with those changes to see people’s self-esteem improved. That is the best part. The idea is to have everybody walk out smiling, for sure.”

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