Dentist ‘motivated to pay it forward’ to the underserved 

TIKY SWAIN DDS

Dr. Tiky Swain owner of Dasling Dentistry in Charlotte and Doby's Bridge Dentistry in Indian Land, South Carolina, examines a patient.

 
Growing up in rural Windsor, North Carolina, Dr. Tiky Swain became certain of two things early.

“I knew I had to get out,” she said. “But I [promised] I wouldn’t forget.” 

Over the last two decades Swain has kept her word as a dentist and entrepreneur. In between working at her Charlotte office, Dasling Dentistry, and her Indian Land location, Doby’s Bridge Dentistry, Swain prioritizes gratitude and giving back. 

“They really go hand and hand,” she said. “When I reflect on all I have to be grateful for, I’m motivated to pay it forward.” 

Much of Swain’s gratitude is born from her humble origins. The oldest of three children she recalled a childhood rooted in close family connections and bucolic normalcy. 

“It was very simplistic living,” Swain said. “We were surrounded by cotton fields and tobacco fields. It was authentic country living. We were poor. But most [in the community] didn’t have much either.” 

While Swain recognizes that material possessions were in short supply, she doesn’t view her upbringing as destitute. 

“I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” she muses. “[But] I remember having an innate desire to learn more. I knew there was something bigger. And I knew I wanted to be out of eastern North Carolina.” 

As the eldest, Swain carried a sense of obligation that further propelled her ambition. 

“I was leading by example. I had to create my own pathways,” she said. 

Blazing the trail, however, would be no easy task in a family where none of her predecessors attended college. Swain also had to contend with anemic educational resources all too common in small, rural, isolated communities, particularly with large Black populations. 

Still, Swain deciphered that fierce academic achievement was essential to her success. 

“I didn’t want to fail,” she said. “I knew this was my only way of going to college.” 

As a high school senior armed with an impressive transcript and unflinching ambition, Swain earned a scholarship to UNC-Chapel Hill, 140 miles west. 

“It was scary,” she said. “I felt pressured to win. I needed to win for myself. I was setting the bar. … It was just over a two-hour drive, but it seemed like another planet in comparison. I felt like I was starting behind the eight ball, so, I always had to stay 10 steps ahead so I wouldn’t get lost.” 

Despite her scholarship, Swain admits she still lacked confidence. 

“I decided to be a physical therapist with hopes of working in sports medicine,” she said, “because in my mind I didn’t think I didn’t have what it took to be a doctor. Physical therapy was big enough to me.” 

However, a chance encounter proved a turning point. 

“I bumped into my friend Rob who was already in dental school,” Swain recalled. “And he said, ‘Why don’t you check this out? I know you could do this.’ And after brief consideration I decided to go for it.” 

After graduating UNC School of Dentistry with honors in 2006, Swain set about paying it forward. Her first job was working in Anson County public health. 

“My desire was to give back,” Swain said. “I wanted to share it with the people who need it the most. Watching people get what they really need is always satisfying and rewarding.” 

After moving to Charlotte in 2008 to work at Dasling Dentistry, Swain bought the practice five years later. In 2020, she added Doby’s Bridge Dentistry. 

“It’s definitely been a labor of love,” she said. “I never thought I could have built multiple locations.” 

DR. TIKY SWAIN

Dr. Tiky Swain is dedicated to inspiring young people, especially women of color, to become dentists. "I didn't have the resources growing up that allowed me to even visit somewhere that I might see a Black female dentist," she said. That would have meant so much."

But saving smiles is just the start. Swain was, and still is, intent on opening doors for other aspiring dentists, particularly women of color. 

“I didn’t have the resources growing up that allowed me to even visit somewhere that I might see a Black female dentist,” she said. “That would have meant so much. My aim has been to bring these resources back to rural areas. These small community kids deserve just as many resources as Mecklenburg County.” 

Said Kimberly Anderson DDS, a colleague and longtime friend of Swain’s: “Dr. Tiky understands the importance of not just looking back but taking action to help others achieve their dreams. She’s a shining example of how hard work and dedication can truly change one’s life.” 

Despite her success and expansion, Swain says being a Black woman dentist is still somewhat of an anomaly. 

“It’s interesting in 2026 I still have people say, ‘You’re my first Black dentist or my first female dentist, isn’t it?’” she asked. “It is still a male dominated industry. “I suppose there are a few more hurdles as women, some different challenges. People may be quick to question your ability more readily than they would a male dentist.” 

But Swain is unfazed. 

“I’m not one to listen to naysayers,” she said “I know now that I’m enough. I know I’m worthy.” 

And that’s a message Swain constantly looks to promote. 

“We have to be able to tell little Black girls ‘Just because you look like you, doesn't mean you can’t do whatever you aspire to do,” Swain asserts. “Black women professionals have to demand to be seen, so little girls can see us.” 

In this regard, Swain puts her money where her mouth is. All 13 of her Dasling Dentistry employees are women. 

“As women we have to create opportunities for other women,” she said. “Mentorship helps to elevate women, and that’s beautiful.” 

Swain says mentoring is “oh so rewarding” and some of her greatest professional joys have been watching women she’s coached progress. 

“When they have very specific goals and dreams that they are able to realize it’s even more fulfilling,” Swain declares. 

“She has been one of my biggest supporters,” Anderson said. “Her encouragement has helped me to achieve some of my own career goals. She exemplifies everything that is possible for women.” 
With an 18-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter at home, Swain’s passion and purpose don’t stay behind when she leaves work. 

“The challenge for me is to be the mother I want to be and still be a successful business owner,” she said. “I love being a dentist, don’t get me wrong. But as a mother my greatest ministry is my family. I want my kids to be able to look at me and say, ‘My mom did this thing.” 

Even the bumps Swain acquired from the backwater to the business world are tools she uses to help others. 

“There were a lot of things I had to learn via trial and error,” she said. “Hard knocks, you know? But I just use it as part of my testimony.” 

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