85255 Magazine
2005
Dr. John Badolato Owner, Studio B
When you’re sitting in the dentist’s chair and he tells you that familiar credo, “you won’t feel a thing,” a lifetime of evil-doers wielding power tools flashes through your mind. In the case of Dr. John Badolato, however, you can believe him. “I try to break all the stereotypes,” says the 34-year-old dentist and co-owner of Scottsdale’s swanky nightclub Six. Again, more words that ring true as you wander through the peaceful – yes, peaceful – setting packed with more high-tech gadgetry and amenities than 007’s day spa. Each of the four exam rooms, for example, feature ceiling-mounted flat screen TVs and wireless headphones so you can bliss out to one of 300 DVDs. You’ll also find digital x-rays, decay-detecting lasers and cameras for before-and-after shots. Badolato, who is building a new home in DC Ranch, says, “The thing that drives me is the doctor/patient relationship, which is the coolest thing.” At the tender age of 9, before he adopted the “feel no pain” mantra, Badolato had his first dental patient. The scenario involved his sister, her loose tooth, a string and a doorknob. “The extraction wasn’t a success, but at least the attempt was there,” he says. Born and raised in St. Louis, MO., Badolato received his bachelor’s degree in biology and attended dental school at the University of Missouri where he envisioned which path he wanted to take in his field, cosmetic dentistry, a service he also provides for free to several nonprofit groups including those that help domestic violence victims. “You could change someone’s life by changing his or her smile,” he says. -Landon J. Napoleon
