A Martinsville dental practice connects generations of local care

Fred B. Caffey founded the practice now known as Martinsville Smiles in 1960. Mark Crabtree acquired it in 1985, the year he graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University’s dental school. The practice remains locally owned on Starling Avenue.

Crabtree’s work in the city has extended beyond his private practice. A former mayor of Martinsville, he is also a founder of the Piedmont Virginia Dental Health Foundation, which provides care through its Dental Education and Safetynet Center. His education began with a biology degree from Wake Forest before dental school in Richmond.

The practice’s team grew in later decades. Charles Jenkins joined in 2010, bringing his own local roots as a Laurel Park High School graduate. David Stafford joined in 2016 after practicing in Chatham. Both trained at VCU’s School of Dentistry.

Another dentist, Blake Brockbank, comes from a family with four generations in the profession. He graduated from Brigham Young University and VCU’s dental school. He also offers visits in Spanish when patients request them.

Martinsville Smiles organizes its patient relationships around a choice of dentist and continuing visits with that dentist. Preventive appointments are part of a wider general practice that includes restorative and cosmetic services. That continuity connects an institution founded more than six decades ago with the individual clinicians working there today.

The practice is at 407 Starling Avenue. Appointment inquiries can be made at 276-632-9266.