Cindy Miller, D.M.D.
Dental Council of NZ ID: 13451
Areas of interest:
— General Dentistry
— Cosmetic Dentistry
Qualifications:
— Bachelor’s Degree in Biology
— Doctorate of Dental Medicine
Linkedin →
Cindy’s story
EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Perhaps not the place you’d expect a future dentist to be born, Cindy was raised on a pig, cattle and grain farm in Illinois, USA, the sixth of seven children. She started her first job at just 12 years old, detasseling corn and showing pigs at county fairs throughout the state.
Her interest in dentistry would come later. During her high school years, Cindy was interested in the biological sciences more broadly, and excelled in these advanced courses at school. So, in 1990 she began studying to become a biology teacher at Illinois State University, but ended up switching her major; teaching classes as a student and taking two semesters of gross human anatomy sparked Cindy’s imagination, and she knew she wanted to do more with her degree than teaching could offer.
During this time, Cindy’s family dentist had become a great mentor to her. She spoke with him about the idea of going to medical school, and he suggested dentistry instead. He was pretty convincing! In 1995, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology, Cindy went on to immediately study further at the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine, and says that opening her acceptance letter to dental school was one of the proudest moments of her life.
Graduating again in 2000, Cindy’s life as a dentist had begun. First she practised in small-town Illinois for four years, then returned to her hometown to continue to grow her career over the next decade. During this time, Cindy continued to study and expand her skillset, attending courses on cosmetic dentistry and advanced restorative cases, which are the fields she finds most satisfying.
She married in 2006, having been introduced to her husband Dr. Kevin Miller by an uncle while playing golf, and soon they had their children, Caroline and Julia.
MOVING TO NEW ZEALAND
In 2012, Cindy and Kevin visited New Zealand and fell in love with its natural beauty and friendly culture. For two parents from a country experiencing increasing gun violence and complex politics, New Zealand seemed a whole world away – Cindy and Kevin knew it would be a safer environment for their children. So, in 2013, they made the decision: they were going.
They arrived in Whangārei in 2014, and after hearing great things about fellow US expat Dr Jeff Joy, Cindy began working with him at Kowhai Dental.
Their visions for what a dentist should be in the community aligned very closely, making it both a professionally and spiritually very satisfying relationship. For Jeff, Kowhai was about providing high-quality, affordable care in a comfortable practice, perfect for Kiwis who found dentistry too expensive or who were nervous due to traumatic past experiences. Meanwhile, “access to care” was a huge focus of Cindy’s back in Illinois, where her dentistry partner Dr Timm Schwartz had headed the “Give Kids a Smile” project through the local schools. It was a perfect match.
These days, Cindy continues to focus on cosmetic and complex restorative dental procedures, utilising state-of-the-art dental equipment brought into Kowhai as it has expanded over the years. She spends her free time playing golf with her husband, running and training for various marathons, and spending time with her daughters. Cindy says that one of the things which makes her the proudest these days is seeing the wife, mother and dentist she’s become, banacing all three without going insane!