History

About Our Dental Practice

Humble Beginnings

Stillwater Dental Associates had its humble beginnings in October 1975 when Dr. Ronald W. Bailey first opened his small practice at the corner of Pine and Penobscot Streets in Bangor, Maine. His office consisted of two small treatment rooms (called “operatories”), a small dental lab (and we’re talking TINY here… you probably have closets that are bigger!), a small consultation room, and a combination waiting room/reception office. His staff included himself and one hygienist (who only recently retired after working here for 40 years), one assistant, and one secretary, who just happened to also be his mother, Marion Bailey.

We Enjoy Each Other and Our Patients

Though modest in design, it was rich in fun and laughter, as Dr. Bailey loves humor and did all he could to make sure his patients had a memorable and enjoyable dental experience. On one occasion, he and his staff dressed up for Halloween, with Dr. Bailey in a full Big Bird costume, though he had to eventually take off his Big Bird head in order to see and breathe.


Throughout the years, our staff members have maintained an appreciation for fun and laughter that has gotten them through some of the more challenging and stressful days, and provided many lighthearted memories for both patients and staff.  Whether it's the front desk team showing up in elf costumes at our Christmas party, staff wearing their favorite team's colors during playoffs, or Dr. Valley & the dental assistants showing up for work as Cruella and her crew for Halloween, it's all part of our mission to make time at our dental office more enjoyable for both patients and staff.  

Expanding & Upgrading

By 1988, Dr. Bailey enlarged his practice with the purchase of the property at 778 Stillwater Avenue, and with the help of friends and family, built his own building, which is our current facility. Stillwater Dental later welcomed Dr. Kirston Valley and Dr. Chris Ford to the practice, with their shared passion for excellence in patient care, along with skills for root canal therapy, coordination of implant services, and other restorative treatments. We can provide same-day crowns using our Cerec CAD-CAM design and milling machines, and patients can watch as their new tooth is being designed. We also have the latest in digital x-ray equipment, enabling us to take radiographs with ease and accuracy, including 3-D Cone Beam technology providing exceptional capabilities for diagnosing, treatment planning, support of certain dental procedures  and education of our patients, including imaging videos.

Community Outreach

Along with our commitment to our patients is our commitment to our community so we look for opportunities to participate in community outreach. Activities have included a walk to raise money for The American Diabetes Association, and our walk together in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure when one of our own dental hygienists was diagnosed with melanoma. On other occasions our employees have donated gifts to needy families during the holiday season. And we recently partnered with the Henry Schein Foundation and a local church missions group to provide oral healthcare products and services to some of the under-served children & adults in Belize.

Patients, Friends, and Family in One

We see patients of all ages & we take pride in being interested in our patients as people and families, as well as being our dental clients. Thus we often send a card, flowers, or personally attend funerals of patients or their family members, and our providers often send cards to acknowledge graduations, retirements, or special occasions. And we take great joy in having balloons waiting for patients when they arrive for dental appointments if we find out they are coming in on their birthday. Our patients also love getting a warm herbal-scented facial towelette after services. And for those children and adults who may struggle with dental anxiety, our team is highly skilled with great patience & compassion to help make your experience as comfortable & relaxing as possible. Our desire is to dazzle, delight, and wow our patients with outstanding service and personalized attention every chance we can. It gives us great joy to try to make coming to the dental office feel like you are coming to visit with friends.


With over 4000 active patients, ten treatment rooms, and over twenty employees, we are one of the largest dental practices North of Boston. And with multiple operatories and dental care providers, we can provide you with the convenience of being able to schedule multiple family members at the same time. We also offer text and/or email appointment confirmation options for your added convenience. Thank you for your confidence in us.


We firmly believe it is our genuine affection for our staff and our commitment to compassionate care and excellence in professional services that keeps our staff and clients loyal to our practice. Many of our staff have been working at Stillwater Dental for over 15 or 20 years. When people work together that long, they become familiar faces to our patients and we’ve received much enjoyment out of serving several generations of families during our 40+ years serving the Bangor community.


This patient loyalty became more apparent when we were contacted by Market Surveys of America in 2010 and informed that local residents had voted for their favorite businesses in their annual Best of the Best survey and that we had been voted Best Dental Practice for the greater Bangor area. It was the first year they added a dental practice category, and we feel humbled and honored to have received that award many times since. We are also blessed to have over 2000 patient reviews so you can read for yourself what some of our patients have to say. 


So if you’re looking for a dental office for personal or family dental needs, please call us today at (207) 947-0717. Our experienced staff will be happy to assist in answering your questions and scheduling you an appointment. We’d love to have the pleasure of welcoming you into our dental family!

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