Dr. Charles Capra

Dr. “Chaz” Capra completed his undergraduate studies at Auburn University, graduating with a B.S. in Biological Science in 2005 and a M.S. in Biology in 2007. He graduated from the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) School of Dentistry in 2012 and was awarded the Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) degree.

Following dental school, Dr. Capra practiced general and cosmetic dentistry as an associate dentist in Montgomery, AL and Greenville, SC. In 2016, he moved back to the area and formed Complete Family Dental with Dr. Malinda Nix (now retired).

Dr. Capra enjoys spending time with his wife and their two fur babies (dogs!), his family and close friends. In his free time, Dr. Capra and his wife share a passion for travel and culture exploration. They enjoy making memories through new experiences instead of accumulating "stuff", and you can always find them cooking up their next world adventure! Dr. Capra is also an avid college sports fan, and if his team is playing a game, you'll find him glued to the television (or watching it live!). He enjoys an active lifestyle, and he loves the great outdoors.

Dr. Capra is experienced in all phases of general dentistry, including advanced procedures such as root canals, placement of dental implants, orthodontics, cosmetic smile makeovers, surgical extractions, CEREC® 3D dentistry, Botox and Juvederm. He maintains a regular schedule of ongoing clinical education through his memberships in the American Dental Association, Alabama Dental Association, American Academy of Facial Aesthetics, Spear Education and other professional organizations around the U.S.

When I was in college, I knew I enjoyed human health sciences and artistic endeavors like painting, drawing, and playing music. I really liked working with my hands as well as learning about the human body. I felt drawn to that because my entire family was/is involved with medicine. My father was an orthopedic surgeon, psychiatrist and a pharmacist (yes- he went to school for a LONG TIME!), my grandfather was a family medical doctor, my mother is a physical therapist and my brother is an oncologist. However, I also noticed that certain areas of medicine demanded so much time that balanced family life was nearly impossible, so I wanted to make sure I eventually went into a field that would afford me the opportunity to practice medicine while also maintaining a great life/work balance with my own future family. 

After a suggestion from a girl I was seeing at the time, I called my hometown dentist and said, "Hey, can I come and visit you for a day? I just want to see what you do.” As soon as I got there, I quickly realized that being a dentist had a lot of the qualities I was looking for in a career. I saw that it required taking people who were in pain and making them feel better. It was all about treating disease and preventing future diseases from occurring. It was very meticulous. I could see that there was an artistic challenge to it that was appealing to me. I saw the dentist working with his hands and doing things on such a minuscule scale, treating it as an art form. His interaction with people, working with his hands, and having that scientific background just checked all the boxes for me and it honestly came out of nowhere. I was blown away.

I left that day feeling resolved, whereas before, I didn't have a clue which direction I wanted to go in with my career. So I jumped right in and started working hard to accomplish this new goal.

I spend a lot of time trying to understand what the patient truly wants and then trying to fit that into the individual anatomy of their mouth. I talk to them about why things are the way they are and how we can achieve what it is that they want to achieve.

I like the planning process of it because it’s where all of the science comes in. How's this going to work? How do I create something that not only has a lovely form but also has the best function? With function, we also think about longevity. The science of it is trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together to figure out how to create something that is beautiful, functional, and long-lasting. The artistry part of it is when I get to create and mold, and then sculpt, and finally see the plans come to light. 

Do you know how people say they don't want you to see the painting until it's done? I like that moment where I feel, "All right, I'm ready to show this." To watch people experience that feeling of transformation when they see their new smile for the first time is very gratifying. It often hits people on an emotional level, and it’s moving to get to experience that special moment with them.

I have spent a lot of time furthering my understanding of oral health, including some of the more complicated problems that arise when someone has a significant amount of breakdown or erosion within their mouth or severe malocclusions. Much of my education has been focused on learning how to re-engineer people's mouths so that they can not only feel comfortable smiling again but also have restored function as well. This gives them the ability to chew what they want to eat again to nourish themselves and keep their teeth for the rest of their lives. That's a huge focus of my practice.

Other aspects of my practice have been focused on surgery because dentistry is moving more towards restoring edentulous spaces with implants. I focus a lot of my extracurricular learning on furthering my skill and understanding of dental implantology. I enjoy dental surgery, so this is an area that truly excites me every time I get to do it. 

I look to continuously improve my knowledge, ability, and skill level. Each and every year, I put a plan in place on how to accomplish this so that I can continue providing the most up-to-date information for my patients. I am always looking to sharpen my dental skills and remain on the cutting edge of the dental field, as it is important for my patients to have confidence in me and my services. I also make sure to complete continuing education in different areas of the U.S., as I enjoy forging relationships with dentists from all over the country. This gives me the ability to have peer-to-peer discussions and see the dental world through many different perspectives.