Patrick A. Murray
After 32 years of dental practice, Patrick Murray not only knows a thing or two about taking care of people’s teeth, but has developed a strong value for his community.
“I love dealing with all the different people who come in,” he says. “It’s a cross-cut of Americana, and that’s fun.” The Kensington native earned his DDS from the University of Maryland Dental School and is one of only a handful of Maryland dentists to have earned his accreditation from the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
He takes joy in his family-centered practice—his 3 year-old grandson and 3-monthold granddaughter are frequent guests in the office—and enjoys using the latest technology to give his patients healthy smiles in a virtually pain-free experience. But he also enjoys using his training and experience to help others, and provides pro bono care for victims of domestic violence through the Montgomery County Victim Assistance and Sexual Assault Program.
After 9/11, Dr. Murray joined the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, part of the National Disaster Medical System. Since then, he has worked to help identify victims of Hurricane Katrina and the Warwick, R.I., nightclub fire. Dr. Murray is also a team leader and training officer with the team.
“People kind of scratch their heads with that,” he says with a laugh. “They can’t get the correlation between cosmetics and forensics. But they’re related, believe it or not.”
Education
Dr. Murray grew up in nearby Kensington, MD, and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame. He completed his dental education at the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, University of Maryland School of Dentistry in 1976. Dr. Murray fulfilled his ROTC obligation and entered the US Army and completed a General Practice Residency at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX, and three additional years at Fort Hunter Liggett, CA.
Current Work
Dr. Murray has been in private practice since 1986 at the present location on Shady Grove Road in Rockville, MD. This office is a general dental practice offering most specialties of modern dentistry. Dr. Murray was selected as one of the “Best Dentists” in DC, Maryland and Virginia by Bethesda Magazine in January 2009. Dr. Patrick A. Murray was also selected as one of the “Best Dentists in DC, MD, and Northern VA” by Washingtonian Magazine in October 2006, August 2009, and May 2011. Please click on the links below to see the articles about Dr. Murray.
Appearance Related Dentistry
In our office there is also an emphasis on appearance related dentistry. Dr. Murray is one of a small number of dentists accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) and was the second dentist in Maryland to achieve this status. He also served as an AACD board member for four years.
Forensic Dentistry
Dr. Murray has always had a latent interest in forensic dentistry, which came to the forefront after September 11, 2001. Utilizing courses in Forensic Dentistry and Forensic Anthropology, Dr. Murray joined the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT). The Region 3 DMORT Team is part of the National Disaster Medical System. In past years, Dr. Murray served as the Training Officer for the DMORT 3 Team. Recent forensic dentistry experiences include victim identifications at the Warwick, RI, Nightclub Fire in 2003, and the aftermath in Gulfport, MS, following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Currently, Dr. Murray is a forensic odontologist consultant for the Medical Examiners office in Baltimore, Maryland. Since 2012, Dr. Murray has served on the planning committee for the Preparedness Emergency Response and Recovery Consortium and Exposition (PERRC).
Community Outreach
Dr. Murray has always been involved in helping others in the community that can not afford dental care. Dr. Murray provides dental services for many pro bono cases for the Montgomery County Department for Victims Assistance, a program that helps provide dental care for crime victims and their family members. For 15 years, Dr. Murray’s team has taken several cases per year for Donated Dental Services of Maryland, an outreach program for Maryland residents who are mentally or physically disabled and do not qualify for care under other programs.