Signature Smiles

Our Journey

In 1998, Dr. Cristin Dowd and Dr. Ken Wu were sitting at Caribou Coffee House in Chapel Hill, N.C. and dreamt of their life together. They were in search of adventure, natural living, free spirit, and really good coffee. Eureka! Starbucks was founded in Seattle, wasn’t it? So they packed up and Cristin took a one-way cross country drive to the Pacific Northwest. It was coming home for the first time.

In 2001 they started Signature Smiles, now a leading Snohomish County dentist office, to embody their passion for dentistry and Pacific Northwest living. They dreamt of a place where patients would feel more like club members, where the Signature Smiles team is a spirit, where professional growth is nurtured, and where exceptional care is the norm. After more than 9 spectacular years, they are proud to say that they are living the best dream imaginable.

Welcome to Signature Smiles.

Philosophy

Dr. Dowd and Dr. Wu believe in treating each patient as an individual, helping each person to reach their personal best. But there is one thing which remains constant with each patient we treat… we recommend treatment as though that person is a member of our family. And guess what, they are a member of our Signature Smiles family of patients.

The Signature Experience

Dr. Dowd and Dr. Wu both had moments of Clarity roughly around the same time in the year 2000. After having less than appealing positions as associates in other offices, they compared experiences with each other, and were appalled by the deterioration of the health care system. They discovered that there was a lost of human touch, not enough time allowed with patients, quality of care was strained, office support was hostile, and the patients were unhappy.

After vowing to make a difference and to practice Dentistry they felt was right, they opened Signature Smiles in 2001. It quickly became a dentist the residents of King and Snohomish County, WA could trust, rely on and actually enjoy going to. It was time to bring the Human Element back into the new millennium. In many ways the Signature Smiles Experience is a revisit to country style medicine, where the pace is slower, friendly and open. It’s like a fine stew mom used to make; there’s personality, flavor, caring attention and warmth. So, don’t expect fancy lip service and “McDonalds drive through” speed. The Signature Smiles Experience is about you; it’s about taking the time. That’s why we’ve become one of the leading Snohomish County area dentist offices in such a short time.