A Smile Worth Coming Home To

At Pickering & Allen Orthodontics, a familiar face returns to carry forward a tradition of personal care.

Story by Nathan Sparks

When my youngest son, Morgan, needed braces, I did what many Cityview readers do: I opened our Best of the Best issue to see whom our readers recommended. That decision introduced our family to Dr. Jim Pickering and Dr. Tyler Allen, and it led to an experience I can personally recommend without hesitation.

At Morgan’s assessment, they showed us the deficiencies in his bite and explained how traditional braces could correct them in a fairly short period of time. The office was impressive, and the people were welcoming, but what stayed with me was Dr. Pickering’s knowledge and his ability to explain the treatment. I understood what needed to happen and felt comfortable putting my son’s care in his hands.

Anyone who has been through braces knows that the first appointment is only the beginning. There are adjustments, follow-up visits, and schedules to juggle. Appointments were easy to make, we were quickly in and out, and Morgan seemed pleased throughout the process. The results were stunning. As a father, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

That history makes the practice’s newest addition especially interesting to me. Dr. Will Harris understands the patient experience here because he lived it himself. Long before returning as an orthodontist, the Knoxville native sat in the patient’s chair at Pickering & Allen.

His interest grew into a summer job as an instrument technician, helping in the lab and learning the work behind the scenes. Eventually, he became a full-time treatment coordinator, welcoming new patients and helping families understand the treatment ahead. Working alongside Pickering and Allen gave him both mentors and a clear picture of the kind of orthodontist he wanted to become.

In 2019, Harris left to pursue that goal. A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Tennessee, he earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree at UT’s College of Dentistry before completing a one-year orthodontic fellowship and a two-year residency at Jacksonville University. Now he and his wife, Brooke, have returned to Knoxville, bringing him back to the practice that helped inspire his career.

He joins doctors whose own experiences shaped their calling. A baseball injury severely damaged Pickering’s smile as a teenager; the care that restored it ultimately inspired him to help others. Since opening his practice in 1995, he has treated generations of East Tennessee families. Allen, a diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, also remembers how braces changed his confidence as a child.

Faith and service run through their stories. Pickering strives to see the face of God in every patient. Allen’s service has included overseas mission trips, while Harris and Brooke have served together in Honduras. Closer to home, the practice’s history includes supporting cleft lip and palate care, local schools, and orthodontic treatment for children whose families need assistance.

For Harris, returning means putting years of training to work among people who helped shape him. For families like mine, it offers another reason to appreciate a practice where relationships endure. I first walked through those doors because our readers recommended them. After watching Morgan’s treatment unfold, I understood why. Now, with a former patient returning as a doctor, that tradition of care has a particularly fitting next chapter.