Top 25 Women in Dentistry: Amanda Seay, DDS

Amanda Seay is proud to be a strong and successful young woman in the dental profession with a supportive loving family to share her achievements with.

She attributes much of her success to strong willpower and setting goals that don’t compromise or sacrifice the things she considers important, whether personal or professional.

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“I wanted to be able to have a family and have time for them, but also be a career woman, and I had to mold my goals toward having both,” she said.

To be successful, Seay mapped out her goals with some intention. Her advice to anyone trying to break into the dental profession and maintain balance is to find someone who’s done it and follow that person, learn from that person because he or she is going to be able to give really great advice and insight.

“I think education is huge, you have to continually educate yourself because that’s going to help you in whatever path you choose to take,” she said.

Though she’s found that balance in her life, she did have to give up some things along the way.

“I definitely sacrificed a lot of time going without things some of my friends had time to do, but that’s because I saw the big picture. It wasn’t just about that day, it was about having my goals realized and I wanted to make it happen,” Seay said.

“I try to be really excellent at everything I do, and I think no matter where you are or what level of dentistry you’re practicing at, you can always be better, and that’s what I strive to do,” she said. “It also exemplifies work ethic to my children.”

The best piece of advice she ever received came from a mentor she had before she began her practice, she said.

“He told me, you can practice at whatever level of dentistry you want, but you have to meet the mind of a patient before you meet the mouth of a patient, and … at the end of the day, it’s not a tooth that walks through your door, it’s a person.”

And that is advice Seay really took to heart. The most gratifying part of her job is the relationships she has developed with her patients and with her co-workers. Striving for excellence keeps her motivated to continue seeking better ways to deliver dentistry.

For the future, Seay hopes to always keep learning, growing her practice and to one day take on a partner at her practice. She would prefer that person be a female because she would love to be a woman empowering another woman, and provide flexibility for both women to have balance and success together.

Seay is currently a member at the Kois Center, a Key Opinion Leader for two dental companies, and serves on the editorial review boards of several peer-reviewed journals. She lectures on esthetic dentistry and volunteers her dental services through AACD’s Give Back a Smile and local outreach organizations