Who We Are

Five years ago, Dr. Otto Slater had a dream. A dream of starting a practice that served the people of East Tennessee, all the people of East Tennessee – regardless of status, income or background. He wanted every person to have access to state-of-the-art care that was delivered with convenience, kindness, and respect. Even though his knew his dream went against the status quo of modern-day medicine where profits typically hold more weight than what’s best for the patients, he turned his dream into a reality in March of 2020 when the first Tennessee Valley Oral Surgery office opened.

Dr. Slater built a team of people who understand that patients are people first and patients second. Treating the physical issue but not caring for the person wasn’t enough for his dream and he made sure that came through in every experience we offered.

Going above and beyond in every aspect, from having top of the line technology available right in the office and offering the best treatment possible for every patient down to the smallest detail of offering a cozy blanket to every patient during their care to ensure their comfort, Dr. Slater built a practice that was different to the core – and it worked!

Within a year, the practice was busy enough to bring on another provider, Dr. Kelsey LaPorte, who is now a partner of the practice. Since then, we’ve successfully opened two more offices and now have a team of six highly-skilled surgeons, a staff of almost 40 team members who all believe in Dr. Slater’s dream. Tennessee Valley Oral Surgery has earned over 800 5-star reviews on Google and served thousands of patients, a testament to the success of its patient-first philosophy. By embracing a different approach to care, the practice has flourished and continues to grow, with more growth on the horizon.

Today, as one of the only locally owned and operated practices in the area, our team of surgeons, dental assistants and admin team operate as a family and we treat each and every patient that calls our office or walks into our doors as part of this big, happy family. If you’re in need of oral surgery care, we invite you to join the TVOS family and experience the difference that we offer.

Our team of surgeons is made up of six highly-trained, experienced surgeons who are passionate about serving our patients and improving lives. Learn more about each of the surgeons that make up our surgical team.