Home / Credentials & Honors
The record
Everything here
has a source,
and we name it.
Dental marketing is full of awards that turn out to be paid directory badges. This page lists what Dr. Robinette has actually been given, where it came from, and where you can check it yourself.
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
Honors and decorations
Awards on the record.
Each entry below is published by the practice or by its public profiles. Sources are listed at the foot of this page.
Fellowship Award, Tennessee Dental Association
Awarded in recognition of distinguished service and outstanding contributions to dentistry.
Junior Dental Officer of the Year
Air Force Logistics Command — the top honor for a junior dental officer across the command, awarded during Dr. Robinette’s active-duty service.
Air Force Commendation Medal
Awarded for meritorious achievement and service during his decade in the Air Force Dental Corps.
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal
Two separate Meritorious Service Medals across four duty stations in three countries.
Voted #1 dentist in Maury County
Dentistry by Design was voted the county’s number-one dental practice by the public in the Best of the Best awards.
Air Force Bowling Championship
A member of the 1984 Air Force Bowling Championship team and of the 1987 runner-up team, while stationed at Tinker AFB.
The second dental practice in Spring Hill
Dentistry by Design opened as the second dental practice in Spring Hill and still serves the community today, now alongside more than forty-five others.
Training and credentials
Where the surgical judgment comes from.
University of Louisville School of Dentistry
Doctor of Dental Medicine, class of 1982. He entered the Air Force Dental Corps directly afterwards.
United States Air Force Dental Corps
Dental school on an Air Force Health Professions Scholarship, then ten years of active duty at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma; Florennes AB, Belgium; Spangdahlem AB, Germany; and Nellis AFB, Nevada — including mini-residencies in prosthodontics and in periodontics.
Resnik Implant Institute
Graduate of the surgical program, faculty since 2010, and Clinical Director since 2022 — an ADA CERP-recognized curriculum built around implant placement, full-arch treatment of the edentulous patient and bone augmentation.
Four mini-residencies in Cairo, Egypt
Four separate programs abroad, each focused on dental implant surgery and bone grafting technique. He went on to serve as Clinical Director of one of them.
More than 7,000 hours of continuing education
Earned since dental school in May 1982 — roughly 160 hours a year, many times Tennessee’s licensure requirement — concentrated in implants, occlusion, sleep dentistry and head-and-neck pain.
Professional associations
American Dental Association · American Dental Society of Anesthesiology · Tennessee Dental Association.
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, three countries, and a front-row seat to the end of the Cold War.
Tinker AFB, Oklahoma
His first duty station, where he flew aboard AWACS surveillance aircraft and competed on the 1984 Air Force Bowling Championship 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 hangs in his office to this day.
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.
Teaching and lecturing
National and international presentations.
Dr. Robinette has taught implant surgery to other dentists for most of his career, and directs the program he came through.
Clinical Director, Resnik Implant Institute
He has been faculty at the Institute since 2010 and its Clinical Director since 2022.
Faculty, Resnik Implant Institute
Teaching implant placement, full-arch treatment and bone augmentation to practicing dentists.
Moderator, ICOI Winter Symposium
International Congress of Oral Implantology Winter Symposium, Houston, Texas, February 2020.
Clinical Director, Dental Implant Mini-Residency
Nucleo Education, Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico.
Clinical Director, Dental Implant Mini-Residency
Hospital Esthetica, Cairo, Egypt.
Clinical Instructor, VELscope
Clinical instruction in oral-cancer screening technology.
Clinical Instructor and Lecturer, American Dental Technology
Clinical instruction and lecturing for American Dental Technology.
In his own words
Dr. Robinette on experience, failure and comfort.
Six short videos published by the practice. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.
What is deliberately not here
No press, because there isn’t any.
A search of news archives, trade press and publication databases turned up no independent articles, interviews or published papers by or about Dr. Robinette. Rather than pad this page with paid directory badges and “top dentist” listings that anyone can buy, it has been left as a credentials page.
The same rule applies to ratings. Different review platforms report materially different scores for this practice, so no single aggregate number is printed here as though it were definitive. The review profiles are linked instead, and you can weigh them yourself.
Verify independently
Every claim on this page, at its source.
Rather than ask you to take our word for it, here is where each fact came from.
Common questions
About Dr. Robinette.
Who is Dr. Rick Robinette?
Dr. Richard “Rick” Robinette, DMD, is a general dentist who has practiced in Spring Hill, Tennessee since June 1997 and is the owner of Dentistry by Design. He graduated from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry in 1982 and spent his first ten years as a dentist in the United States Air Force.
What awards has Dr. Robinette received?
During his Air Force career he was named Junior Dental Officer of the Year in 1986 for the Air Force Logistics Command, and was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal and two Air Force Meritorious Service Medals. Dentistry by Design has also been voted the number-one dentist in Maury County in the Best of the Best awards.
Where did Dr. Robinette train in dental implants?
He is a graduate of the Resnik Implant Institute, an ADA CERP-recognized implant surgical program, and has completed four mini-residencies in Cairo, Egypt focused on dental implants and bone grafting. He has earned more than 7,000 hours of continuing education since January 2008.
What services does Dr. Robinette provide?
Comprehensive dental care with extensive surgical experience in dental implants, full-arch reconstruction and periodontal therapy, along with a strong emphasis on head and neck pain and sleep dentistry. The practice also offers CEREC same-day crowns, 3D imaging, cosmetic dentistry and same-day emergency care.
Where is Dr. Robinette’s office?
Dentistry by Design is at 220 Town Center Parkway, Suite 130, Spring Hill, TN 37174. The office can be reached at 931-486-0700, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Is Dr. Robinette accepting new patients?
Yes. Dr. Robinette is listed as accepting new patients and the practice accepts a wide range of dental insurance plans. Call 931-486-0700 to arrange a consultation.
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.