In the late 1990s, Jarrod and Stacey Jones married and moved to Houston, Texas, where they attended separate professional schools for dentistry and optometry. Twelve hours away from family and friends in Kansas, they began writing an annual ‘newsletter’ detailing their lives as newlyweds. This newsletter was, and is still, known as the ‘EyeTooth Annual Newsletter,’ and their shared email was always ‘itooth.’
When they considered a name for their new shared business years later, countless people suggested or asked if it would be called EyeTooth. They had branded themselves without even knowing it! After trying numerous alternatives, they ultimately landed on eyeSMILE. As Dr. Jarrod notes, ‘I work on smiles, not a tooth!’ The new name maintained their old ‘brand’ while clearly telling the world who they are and what they do together.
This joint venture was a dream they shared since those early days in school. After much contemplation and prayer, they decided to make a change in 2017. Within days of making the decision to leave the practices where they were working, they discovered an old gas station in downtown Hays that could accommodate both the dental and optometry practices. Bringing a piece of local history back to life was inspiring to both doctors, and rethinking the beautiful, historic building from 1932 was a true labor of love.
As Jarrod and Stacey joke, while many people take a nice vacation to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary, they decided to open a new business together instead!
Dr. Christine Thomas first worked as a dental assistant with Dr. Jarrod in 2009 during the summer between her first and second years at Kansas State University. After years of discussing a professional reunion, Dr. Thomas officially joined the eyeSMILE team in 2023.