Home / Dr. Rick Robinette
Meet your dentist
Four bases,
three countries,
four Tennessee towns.
Dr. Rick Robinette spent his first decade as a dentist in the United States Air Force, and the thirty-four years since in private practice in Columbia, Linden, Hohenwald and Spring Hill. The first taught him the importance of the quality of care and its value to the patient. The second taught him the value of trust in the relationship between a patient and a doctor.
Why people come here
- Surgery and the finished teeth done by one dentist, under one roof
- Clinical Director of the Resnik Implant Institute — 7,000+ CE hours since 1982
- Relaxation and sedation options for anxious patients
- A written, itemized plan before anything is scheduled
Richard “Rick” Robinette, D.M.D.
Spring Hill, Tennessee
Curriculum vitae
Richard “Rick”
Robinette, D.M.D.
Implants · reconstruction · jaw & sleep
Dr. Rick Robinette attended dental school on an Air Force Health Professions Scholarship, graduated from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry in May 1982, and went straight onto active duty in the United States Air Force Dental Corps. Ten years and four duty stations followed — Tinker AFB in Oklahoma, Florennes Air Base in Belgium, Spangdahlem AB in Germany and Nellis AFB in Nevada — along with mini-residencies in prosthodontics and periodontics.
He purchased an established practice in Linden, Tennessee in 1992 and opened a new office in Hohenwald in January 1993. He became the second dentist in Spring Hill when he opened here in June 1997. Since graduating he has earned more than 7,000 hours of continuing education, including graduation from the Resnik Implant Institute — where he is now Clinical Director — and four mini-residencies in Cairo, Egypt devoted to implants and bone grafting.
The clinical work has narrowed and deepened over that time. Dr. Robinette practices comprehensive dentistry — treating the mouth in relation to the rest of a patient’s health — with a particular emphasis on head and neck pain and sleep dentistry, and extensive surgical experience in dental implants and periodontal therapy.
- Dental school
- University of Louisville School of Dentistry, D.M.D., 1982
- Residency
- United States Air Force — ten years, Air Force Dental Corps, including mini-residencies in prosthodontics and in periodontics
- Implant training
- Graduate, Resnik Implant Institute surgical program · four mini-residencies in Cairo, Egypt in implants and bone grafting
- Continuing education
- More than 7,000 hours since dental school in May 1982 — implants, occlusion, sleep dentistry and head-and-neck pain
- Associations
- American Dental Association · American Dental Society of Anesthesiology · Tennessee Dental Association
- Honors
- Fellowship Award, Tennessee Dental Association, 2026 · Junior Dental Officer of the Year, 1986 (Air Force Logistics Command) · Air Force Commendation Medal · two Air Force Meritorious Service Medals
- Teaching
- Clinical Director, Resnik Implant Institute (faculty since 2010)
- In practice
- Linden 1992 · Hohenwald 1993 · Spring Hill since June 1997 · NPI 1609865278
In his own words
The Air Force years.
1982–1992
Ten years in the Air Force Dental Corps.
He attended dental school on an Air Force Health Professions Scholarship and went straight onto active duty on graduation. Four duty stations across three countries followed, through the end of the Cold War.
Tinker AFB, Oklahoma
His first duty station. He flew aboard AWACS surveillance aircraft, and competed on the 1984 Air Force Bowling Championship team and the 1987 runner-up team.
Florennes Air Base, Belgium
Assigned during the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty to disarm mobile nuclear missiles, and given the opportunity to cross into East Germany through Checkpoint Charlie. He was the last person stationed at the Florennes dental clinic when the base closed under the treaty — the clinic sign still hangs in his Spring Hill office.
Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany
Stationed with what was then the only mixed fighter squadron in the world, he routinely flew back seat in F-4 and F-16 fighters. He was in Germany when the Berlin Wall came down, and the base was heavily engaged through Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Nellis AFB and Tonopah Test Range, Nevada
Transferred during Desert Storm to join the dental clinic team supporting the Stealth Fighters at Tonopah — at that time still a black operations unit.
1992–today
Thirty-four years in private practice.
Four Tennessee towns, and the same approach in each of them.
Linden, Tennessee
He left active duty and purchased an established private practice in Linden.
Hohenwald, Tennessee
In January he opened a second, brand-new office in Hohenwald.
Spring Hill, Tennessee
He became the second dentist in Spring Hill when he opened the practice on Town Center Parkway in June 1997. The town has grown enormously around it; there are now more than forty-five dental practices in the area.
Columbia, Tennessee
Columbia has been part of the practice’s catchment throughout, and remains so today.
How he works
What that background actually changes.
Quality first
Dr. Robinette attended dental school on an Air Force Health Professions Scholarship and went straight onto active duty on graduation. Ten years of military dentistry taught him the importance of the quality of care and its value to the patient.
One person, start to finish
Dr. Robinette plans the finished teeth, performs the surgery and delivers the final restoration himself. Nobody gets to point at anybody else.
Comprehensive, not piecemeal
He treats the oral cavity in relation to the patient’s overall health, with particular emphasis on head and neck pain and sleep dentistry.
Still in school
More than 7,000 hours of continuing education since dental school in May 1982 — roughly 160 hours a year, far beyond what licensure requires.
Trained abroad for this
Four mini-residencies in Cairo, Egypt, each devoted to dental implants and bone grafting, on top of the Resnik Implant Institute surgical program — where he is now Clinical Director.
Anxious patients welcome
Relaxation options are built into the plan rather than offered as an afterthought, because fear is the most common reason people wait years.
Off the clock
Bowling, skiing and three black labs.
Dr. Robinette bowls — well enough to have made an Air Force championship team in 1984 and a runner-up team in 1987. He skis on snow and on water, rides a jet ski and dives.
One purebred black lab and two rescued black lab mixes keep him moving the rest of the time. He is a Predators fan, and he will admit to a soft spot for Braveheart.
Start with an exam and a straight answer.
A consultation includes an examination, imaging and a written, itemized plan. If implants are not the right treatment for you, Dr. Robinette will say so and tell you what is.