Burke’s roots in the profession stretch back to his youth and the positive experiences he had as a patient of Dr. Gary Gersh.
“I was in eighth grade and I had braces put on and I looked around the office and saw that he had a few things cool to me, like a Ms. Pac-Man machine in the lobby, and he had TVs in there and a really lovely staff. Everybody was wonderful,” Burke said. “I thought, ‘Well, this is a kind of cool thing,’ so it was actually being a patient that got me interested in it, and then I kind of stuck with it.”
Born and raised in Riverside, Burke earned a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Dayton as a member of the Honors Program in 1988.
In 1992, he earned his DDS with summa cum laude honors from the Ohio State University College of Dentistry. In 1994, he earned his master’s degree and specialty certificate from the University of Louisville orthodontic program.
Burke said he opted to practice in the Dayton area because of his family ties and the city’s livability.
Burke said he joined then-business partner Daniel German in an orthodontics practice in Beavercreek in July 1994, expanding it to multiple locations by 2002. Along the way in 2000, they brought in Dr. Gersh.
“He had an office in Huber Heights, and one on North Main Street ... and we assimilated his practice into ours,” Burke said.
In 2009, Burke and his business partner divided the practice between them, with Burke taking the Centerville and Huber Heights locations and the partner taking the flagship Beavercreek location.
In 2020, Burke joined Smile Doctors, an orthodontic service organization that now includes more than 500 orthodontists nationwide.
“I joined Smile Doctors as a concept of an exit strategy for myself and (I was) still enjoying the work, definitely, but also wanting to see the world and still be healthy enough to do it.”
Being an orthodontist was “the perfect career” for him because “it’s always elective,” Burke said.
“This is a procedure where no one is really that sick,” he said. “If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to.
“I work on healthy people in an elective setting and for just a strictly positive outcome. There’s nothing, I think, more helpful to someone’s self esteem than a smile, in many ways.”
Burke said when asked about the secret of his success, he has told others: “Be nice, be kind, be humble and be competent,” also adding that it helps to “be present” by listening to what clientele are saying.
Around 2009, he started creating music videos to based on modern tunes, but with the lyrics modified to fit his profession, posting the offbeat and oft-hilarious results to YouTube.
“I’ve always had a penchant for that kind of silliness,” he said. “There’s nothing but creative outlet” in making those videos.
One of his creations, a spoof of the “Hamilton: The Musical” highlight “You’ll Be Back”, earned him an invite to a annual meeting of OrthoPreneurs in Denver, where he performed the song.
“I did it in front of, like, 1,200 orthodontists live, and that’s the last time I’m doing that,” he said and chuckled. “It’s just something to laugh about and nothing makes me happier then when someone calls and says, ‘Yeah, we’re just watching your video. That’s silly.’”
Two doctors now run Burke Orthodontics: Dayton-area native Dr. Christopher Burns, who joined the practice in July 2024, and Mississippi native Dr. Mary Linda Remley, who joined last September.
Both bring years of clinical experience to the practice, Burke said.
“The patients are getting an upgrade in their quality of care, as I think the world of both of them,” Burke said. “I’m grateful to my wonderful staff, patients and everyone at Smile Doctors for helping me find these two amazing doctors.”
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