Dr. Shayne Conine 

Dr. Shayne Conine, has been practicing gentle, compassionate, community dentistry in Arkansas for nearly 25 years.

Dr. Conine is originally from Amity, Arkansas. There, her family kept a country store where neighbors could buy groceries, dry goods, and feed. The store also served as a gathering place that provided a sense of community and connectedness for the folks in town. It’s this sense that Dr. Conine tries every day to recreate, in the friendly, no-pressure atmosphere of her dental office.

Dr. Conine received her undergraduate degree from Henderson State University and her dental degree from Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, Texas, one of only two Arkansans accepted into the program that year.

After dental school, Dr. Conine completed a General Dentistry residency at John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital, and then worked with other dentists throughout Central Arkansas before deciding to practice in Lonoke. At the time, there was only one other dentist practicing in the area.

“The whole time I was in dental school, I said I wanted to go somewhere where there was a need for a dentist,” she says. “And I feel like Lonoke was that place.”

The most rewarding part of her practice, says Dr. Conine, is getting to see the positive transformations that she and her team can bring to their patients, not only in their appearance but also in terms of their overall health.

“I believe in treating the whole patient, not just the mouth,” she says, pointing to research that shows associations between oral health and heart disease, diabetes, systemic inflammation, and other health-threatening conditions. “People forget that our mouths are intimately connected with the rest of our body.”

When she’s not helping her patients with their smiles, Dr. Conine enjoys traveling, attending Razorback games, watching football, yoga, and spending time outdoors. 

“I love being able to give somebody a new smile!” she concludes.