Bob

Dr. Bob Fry, founder of Fry Orthodontics, graduated from the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Dentistry in the top 1% of his class, receiving his MS (Master of Science) degree in Orthodontics from the University of North Carolina. Dr. Fry remains active in the research and development of advanced technologies and is an international lecturer on advanced orthodontic techniques. He is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California and the University of Pacific School of Dentistry. His expertise has benefited over 30,000 smiles since 1977. Dr. Fry is very active with the YMCA in Olathe and in 2008 was named Olathe Citizen of the Year. He and his wife, Mary, enjoy spending time with their grown children, Whitney and Jeremy, as well as being proud grandparents.

In 1977, Dr. Fry began private practice in the Kansas City area. Three years in a row, Fry Orthodontics was awarded the highest ranking by the Kansas Award for Excellence. Fry Orthodontics is the only orthodontic office to ever receive or be considered for this honor. Qualifying for this award allows Fry Orthodontics to compete for the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige Award.

Fry Orthodontics continually conducts extensive orthodontic studies, resulting in several publications. Fry Orthodontics has participated in numerous Alpha Test Projects including:

• The first ceramic orthodontic appliance
• The first Occlusal Slot Lingual orthodontic appliance
• The Damon Comfort System orthodontic appliance
• The Invisalign System (including both adolescent studies done by Invisalign)

Orthodontics is a fantastic career that allows you to positively touch the lives of so many people by helping them achieve the smile they’ve always wanted! I love that for over 30 years we have created a warm and inviting atmosphere where patients feel at home while receiving the highest quality orthodontic care.
--Dr. Robert Fry

Dr. Fry has invented many orthodontic appliances and techniques and lectures both nationally and internationally on orthodontic treatment procedures and practice management. All honoraria from these efforts are donated to charity.

He currently maintains a position of Adjunct Clinical Professor of Orthodontics at the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry. He served as the President of the Kansas Dental Association in 1987. In 2002 he received the Martin L. (Bud) Schulman Award for highest achievement in the Orthodontic Profession.

Dr. Fry is very involved in local, national and international charity efforts. He has served as a member of several international medical teams, taking him to countries such as Haiti, Russia, and India. He is a Fellow of the AAO Foundation, as one of the first of ten orthodontists to demonstrate commitment at this highest level. In 2008 Dr. Fry was awarded the Pinnacle Award by the Johnson County Library Foundation for Advocacy and Public Engagement.

He resides in Olathe with Mary, his wife of 38 years. Their son, Jeremy, joined Fry Orthodontics in the spring of 2006. Their daughter, Whitney, has a Masters degree in International Public Health lives in Amman, Jordan where she does relief work.

On January 30, 2009, Dr. Robert Fry was awarded the Olathe Chamber of Commerce's 2008 Citizen of the Year.

YMCA Volunteer

In April of 1991, Dr. Fry brought together 12 community members in his living room to explore building a youth center in the Olathe Community. This dream resulted in the Olathe Family YMCA. Dr. Fry was so passionate for this cause that he encouraged his patients to help out: His challenge to them was to raise at least $3,000 dollars for the Olathe Family YMCA, and in turn the patients could shave his head completely!

That day came on Thursday, April 4, when Dr. Fry was handcuffed, put into a police car and escorted by city police to the barber. His charge? The $5,207 piled high in a fishbowl was enough proof that it was Dr. Fry’s time to fulfill his end of the bargain. The inevitable electric razor sheered off locks of his rainbow dyed hair as giggling patients and children in the community who had raised the money.

Dr. Fry was selected as the Greater Kansas City YMCA Volunteer of the Year and currently serves as Chairman of the Greater Kansas City YMCA.

Game Show Contestant

"Bob Fry, come on down!" Little did Dr. Fry know when he made plans to attend a team-building seminar with his staff in Los Angeles that he would return home a Showcase Showdown winner on the "Price is Right." The staff urged him to go along with them to be audience members, even though he said that he’d rather just go back to the hotel and sleep. When he heard his name called near the end of the show, Dr. Fry thought it was all a bad dream, and that he was certain to make a fool of himself on stage. In fact, Dr. Fry walked away in shock with $22,000 in prizes!

After discussing the winnings with his family and staff, Dr. Fry decided to give back to the community by donating winnings to five local charities: the Olathe YMCA, Heart to Heart International Inc., Olathe Region United Way, Olathe Public Schools Foundation, and Living Hope Church of the Nazarene. Dr. Fry is pleased that his entire staff is devoted to community service and to improving the quality of life for others.