Dallas Dentist
Get to Know Dr. Richard Shuman
As the owner and leader of our practice, Dr. Shuman believes that at the end of the day, he’s the one ultimately responsible for the success of how our team has performed. He admits it's both a blessing and a curse sometimes! But it does give him the power to select and build an incredible team, and he loves and respects each member and would enjoy spending the next 10+ years with them. They, along with his passion for serving patients and helping them uplift their smiles and health, keep him motivated every single day.
Why Did You Decide to Become a Dentist?
Dr. Shuman’s interest in dentistry was sparked during his senior year of high school. For the first time, he took what he considered to be a blow-off class to fill an elective. His end-of-the-semester project was to research and write a paper on what he wanted to do when he grew up. He had to come up with three future careers and research what each entailed.
He had always thought he wanted to be an ER physician or surgeon of some kind. However, the reality of having to be in school until his mid-to-upper 30s was eye-opening and changed his mind. This spurred an alternative career path of becoming a dentist, although he truly didn't understand what exactly that meant at first. But it caught his interest almost immediately. The idea of using his hands, possibly performing some form of surgery, and blending all of this with an artistic element spoke to him.
This one unassuming elective class no doubt changed his career path, and he’s so grateful. Dr. Shuman fell in love with dentistry through his post-graduate career, and still to this day, he’s always pushing himself to learn more!
Where Did You Study Dentistry?
Dr. Shuman completed his undergraduate education at Baylor University and went on to earn his DDS from the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.
While he’s officially out of school, he has never stopped learning. A proud CE (continuing education) nerd, one of his early career goals was to work hard to achieve a Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry (FAGD), a distinction held by just 7% of dentists. It stands for a commitment to continuing education in clinical practice. To be eligible, Dr. Shuman had to acquire over 500 hours of CE spread across all aspects of dentistry, including hands-on courses, and then successfully pass a rigorous written exam. To finally receive the FAGD, he had to be present for the annual Academy of General Dentistry meeting and walk across a stage just like a school graduation event.
He’s proud to say that he earned the right to make that walk, but he wasn’t done. He went on to serve on the board of the Dallas AGD from 2019 to 2022. Dr. Shuman has been in a Spear study club for about 10 years and has traveled to their institute in Scottsdale many times for various courses. He has also been in the local Seattle study club since 2021.
Outside of the Dental Office, What Do You Like to Do?
Dr. Shuman is married to a born-and-raised Canadian who likes to say, “Once you marry a Texan, you will stay in Texas.” He, his wife, and their two young boys are a lake family and love spending time in East Texas where Dr. Shuman’s parents now live. At home, they try to be outside as much as possible, either playing in the yard or biking around the neighborhood.
Dr. Shuman began playing ice hockey when he was 30 years old with some friends from high school, and they still play to this day. Playing hockey has been the greatest thing since competing in intramural sports in college, giving him motivation to stay active and in shape. His oldest is currently learning to play hockey, and Dr. Shuman looks forward to the day they can both be on the ice together.