Meet Your Norman Dentist

Bobby J. Carmen, DDS, MAGD, FICOI, FDOCS

Dr. Carmen knew from a young age he wanted to become a dentist.  He decided on his future career while in elementary school in Moore, Oklahoma a short distance from where he now practices in Norman, Oklahoma.  After graduating from Moore High School in 1988, he earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1993.  As an undergraduate student, he routinely volunteered as an assistant  at Health for Friends, a Norman non-profit providing dental care to Norman’s neediest citizens.  As a first year dental student, Dr. Carmen was selected for the United States Navy’s Health Profession Scholarship Program.  He was commissioned in the spring of 1997 as an Ensign in the US Navy.  He spent his summers in dental school training as a dental officer in Newport, Rhode Island and Pensacola, Florida.  Upon graduation, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and selected for the Navy’s General Practice Residency at the Naval Dental Center in Great Lakes, Illinois.  During his residency, he had the privilege of studying under some of his greatest mentors and the nation’s finest dental officers. Dr. Carmen was responsible for providing dental care services and dental promotion activities to a population of 67,000 and a yearly average throughput of 90,000 trainees on the Navy’s largest training base. He completed rotations in Anesthesia, Oral Surgery, Exodontia, Endodontics, Periodontics, Prosthodontics and Comprehensive Dentistry.  At the completion of his residency, Dr. Carmen was recommended for residency training in Oral Surgery with the Navy by the Staff Oral Surgeon.  Having long dreamed of being a general dentist where he could serve patients of all ages and establish long term relationships with patients, Dr. Carmen declined to pursue this path.  Instead, he requested and was granted an assignment to Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Arizona.  He knew there were no specialists stationed in Yuma and therefore serving there would allow him to provide care in every aspect of dentistry and further refine his skills.  While in Yuma, he served as the Assistant Dental Officer for the MCAS Dental Center, 13th Dental Company. This included providing dental services to shore establishments and operational forces of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and all other authorized personnel. He served a six-week independent duty assignment providing comprehensive dental services to 250 Marines and Sailors during assignment to Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, California and deployed as Dental Detachment Officer in Charge of Combat Service Support Company 133, and was responsible for establishing and supervising a remote Dental Treatment Facility at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait providing emergency and general dentistry services to 5,500 forward deployed active duty and Reserve personnel. While serving at MCAS, Yuma, Dr. Carmen moonlighted at a Pediatric Practice and further solidified his passion for caring for young patients.  Upon completing his commitment for service, he decided to return to the state that he had called home since he was a young boy.  He began private practice in Norman as an associate and after a short time, set out to establish his own practice which had been a goal since childhood.  In 2006, he opened the doors to Bobby J. Carmen, DDS, PLLC.  It didn’t take long for him to outgrow his first space and as his practice grew, he relocated to his current location which could allow him to serve a larger population. 

Dr. Carmen believes that to be successful in dentistry, one must be not only a skilled clinician but just as importantly an honest and ethical professional who is guided by what is best for the patient.  He has committed himself to practicing clinical dentistry at the highest level and stays current on new technologies and attends extensive hours of continuing education each year to ensure he remains on the cutting edge of dentistry.  His post-doctoral studies include training at the LSU Cosmetic Dentistry Continuum, the world renowned Dawson Academy, Scottsdale Center for Dentistry, and the Misch International Implant Institute. He has earned Mastership with the Academy of General Dentistry,  is a fellow in the International Congress of Oral Implantology as well as a fellow in the Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation.  Dr. Carmen utilizes CEREC, Cone Beam Computerized Tomography and Solea Laser in his office and is committed to remaining on the cutting edge of dentistry.  Dr. Carmen is equally committed to maintaining integrity in the profession of dentistry and promoting consistency and excellence in dentistry.  It is for these reasons, he began serving on the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry .  He is currently the First Vice-President of the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry .  Additionally, he serves as the Dental Practice Advisory Committee Chair for the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry and is a member of the American Association of Dental Boards .  He also serves as an examiner for the Commission on Dental Competency Assessments , the leading dental competency assessment organization in the United States.

Additionally, Dr. Carmen is a member of the American Dental Association; Oklahoma Dental Association; Cleveland County Dental Society; Spear Study Club, Red Earth Chapter; Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation; International Congress of Oral Implantologists; Academy of General Dentistry and American Academy of Cosmetic Dentists. 

Although many patients seek out Dr. Carmen due to his impressive resume, they often find his pleasant and calming chairside manner to be his best trait.  Patients, both young and old, benefit from his pleasant and easy-going nature and his ability to thoroughly explain treatment plans that deliver optimal dental health and confident, attractive smiles.

Dr. Carmen and his wife Samantha live in Norman where they raised their three children.  Their oldest daughter, Taylor is following in her father’s footsteps and after graduating from the University of Oklahoma is studying at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry.  Their oldest son, Brooks, chose to follow his family’s tradition of military service and is serving in the United States Marine Corps.  Their youngest son Reece attends the University of Central Oklahoma and plans to pursue a career in law after obtaining his undergraduate degree.