Shining Bright

Titus Orthodontics Combines Commitment to Community and Caring Service

Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing
Photographer / Whitney Moore

Ever since Dr. Sam Titus was young, he loved both art and science. A self-described nerd, he was drawn to the field of orthodontics because he felt it was the perfect blend for his two passions.

“There’s so much art in the field of orthodontics where I can harness that artistic drive,” says Titus, a lifelong Hamilton County resident who opened Titus Orthodontics in May of 2021.

“I always knew that I wanted to practice where my family lives and is active, and this community has been so good to me for so many years,” says Titus, who comes from a big family with 10 siblings. He and his wife, Alexandria, have five children of their own: Anthony, 9, Sebastian, 7, Zoe, 6, Dominic, 3, and Josie, 1. “We’ll never leave this city. It’s an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to serve this amazing Westfield community.”

Not only does he love to serve the people of his local Hamilton County community, but he also has a heart and vision for serving in a bigger way. This is why his practice has partnered with Filter of Hope, a nonprofit ministry that brings both a message of hope and access to clean drinking water to the homes of people in need all around the world.

“We realize that orthodontic treatment is a first-world benefit,” Titus says. “We are very fortunate to live in an area like Hamilton County, and when bringing the vision of this practice to life we knew we wanted to make an impact outside of our own small circle.”

For every new patient who starts treatment at Titus Orthodontics, Titus donates a water filter in the patient’s name to a family in need. Each filter is geotagged, so patients can click on the link and see exactly where in the world their filter went. They receive a photo of the family who benefited from their gift to connect the real-life faces of those whose lives were touched by their treatment.

“This is a way for us to try to help make people smile, not just in our own community, but in a much broader sense,” Titus says.

He and his team are dedicated to being a service-based, results-driven practice devoted to creating beautiful smiles. “There’s so much more to orthodontics than just straight teeth,” Titus says. “Aligned teeth aren’t enough. We’re meticulous about each detail of the smile, like making sure the teeth and gums are both proportional and harmonious, and positioned ideally within the smile.” Both esthetics and function are top priorities. Titus is board-certified, and incorporates the newest state-of-the-art technology into his practice, which he feels are vital for driving results.

Gone are the days of things like messy, goopy impressions; instead, his intraoral scanner can take a video of the teeth to generate a 3D model, which can be used both to create a detailed plan and for the fabrication of things like aligners, retainers, or appliances. Uniquely, he uses 3-dimensional X-rays so that he can see things that traditional 2-dimensional X-rays can’t, and leverages digital planning whenever possible.

“All of this helps us minimize the number of trips to the office for our patients. We understand that everyone’s lives are busy,” Titus says. “We really aim to make the entire experience as streamlined and easy as possible for everyone.”

Most of all, he enjoys being able to build relationships with patients and families, seeing kids grow up and hearing about their lives, and getting to play a small role in each of them. “We want to get to know the kinds of things in their lives that spark their smiles. We’re not just fixing teeth, we’re about serving the people behind them.”

It is the desire for these relationships in the practice that led Titus to pursue starting a one-doctor practice. While some orthodontic practices have several doctors and multiple locations, he knew that wasn’t the style for him. “I wanted to be the hometown orthodontist with a single location, where I’d get to be the one to see the patient every time they came in.”

The patient journey from beginning to end is one of the most rewarding for Titus. “When people initially come into the office, they often don’t feel comfortable smiling with their teeth, but to see them transform throughout treatment and embrace their smile by the end, that’s what it’s all about,” Titus says. “Some of them don’t even realize that they could smile that big! It’s humbling to have the honor of participating in creating something as personal and significant as the smile people wear for the rest of their lives.”

Titus says he particularly appreciates the small business community here in Westfield. He’s met and collaborated with several small business owners and is grateful for those relationships. Although owning a small business is not for the faint of heart, he says, “Everyone here just builds each other up and is rooting for each other’s success. I can’t imagine a better place to start a business or a better community to be a part of.”

Titus’s time outside the office is most often spent with his wife, Alexandria, and his five kids. In his free time he enjoys reading, board games, anything sports-related, and any opportunity he can take to create something. “Although, more often you’ll find me in the midst of a toddler tea party or battling a few child-sized ninja turtles.” 

Titus Orthodontics is located at 719 East Main Street in Westfield. For more information, call 317-399-9293 or visit titusortho.com.