As a youngster, Robert Selden occasionally spent time in his father's dentist office, which sparked his curiosity about the field of dentistry. And of course, delighted his father. Selden's dad had hoped that one of his children would follow in his footsteps, but he learned early on not to push them into the field. "He exposed us to it, but didn't push us into it," recalls Selden.

It wasn't until he was a freshman in high school, however, that Selden ultimately made the decision to pursue a career in dentistry. "When I was in the ninth grade, I had an impacted tooth and needed braces. When I went to the oral surgeon to have the impacted tooth exposed, the dentist asked if I wanted to watch the procedure. Of course, I did! So they propped up a mirror and I watched them expose that tooth. I was fascinated with the entire process," says Selden. That experience, a lengthy bout with braces and a strong relationship with this orthodontist sealed his fate. He was bound for the dental profession. 

Selden graduated from high school in 1990 and enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Once on campus he began to carefully plot an academic plan of action. He declared a major in chemistry and loaded his academic plate with health science courses. He looked for mentors and advisors who could assist and point him in the right direction; he sought out networking opportunities with dental school officials and enrichment programs to further prepare him. "I prepared so much as an undergraduate that getting into dental school was a cinch," states Selden. "I did everything everyone told me to do. They said 'do research.' So I did research. They said 'do SEP and do well.' I did that. 'Do MED and do well.' I did that too. How could they turn down someone who did everything they were supposed to do? I was able to take away some of the anxiety of applying to dental school by preparing, and that's where the SEP program came in."

The summer following his sophomore year, Selden participated in NC-HCAP's Science Enrichment Preparation (SEP) Program. He credits the program with his preparedness as a dental school applicant and with his successful entry into dental school. "It was there that I learned how to prepare for and take the DAT (dental admission exam), how to improve my reading skills and how to manage my time. Because of my SEP experience and the skills I learned during the eight weeks of the program, I was confident about getting into dental school," claims Selden. So confident in fact, that he applied to only one school, the UNC School of Dentistry. His preparation paid off. After receiving his bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1994, he began his professional education that same fall. He graduated from dental school in 1998 and completed his orthodontics residency, also at UNC, in 2001.

After completing his formal education (11 years worth), the first thing Selden did was wonder what to do next. "Everything was always building toward 'what's next?'" recalls Selden. " I was finally at the end of my training and I found myself with a choice to make: 'Do I go into academics or into private practice?'" He decided to start his own practice. "I took a part time job with a group practice in general dentistry in Charlotte. That was to pay the bills. Then, I went about a mile out of their [the group practice] restrictive covenant and set up my private practice," shares Selden. No longer under contract with the group, Selden is now fully committed to his own practice, Selden Orthodontics, which he proudly says is "thriving."

It is difficult for Selden to hide his excitement and passion for dentistry. "It's a health industry and a service industry. You really do impact the quality of people's lives," he says. "One of my new patients was missing a front tooth and her other teeth had moved, leaving them crooked. She was in her 40s and wanted to do something to increase her self-esteem. After months of trying, we got her teeth straightened and I was able to put a 'flipper' [an artificial tooth] in that space, giving her a nice, straight smile," says Selden. "She broke down crying when she looked in the mirror; a nice smile is all it took to increase her confidence. That is what excited me about being an orthodontist: when people who were once ashamed of their appearance now can't stop smiling at other! I'm changing them on the outside, but ultimately changing them on the inside, too. That's what drives me!"

Today, Selden is an adjunct professor at the UNC School of Dentistry, fulfilling his goal to return to academia. He was also recently named the president of the Old North State Dental Society. These days Selden is committed to his practice and to increasing the number of minorities in both health care professions and academia.