Dr.  Jariel Norton was born in the small town of Homer, La.  He graduated from Homer High School in 2005 as the class valedictorian.  He was also named the 2005 Claiborne Parish Student of the year.  Dr. Norton was an All Area and All State basketball player in high school, and chose to attend LSU-Shreveport after high school. 

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He lettered as a member of the LSU-Shreveport men’s basketball team for 3 years and graduated cum laude in Biological Sciences in the top 10% of the college of sciences in 2009.  Dr. Norton attained his Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree from Texas A&M/Baylor College of Dentistry in 2013.  Dr. Norton then completed a 1 year Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency at the Central Texas VA in 2014. 

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Here, he became one of the few general dentists certified in level 3 parental (IV sedation).  He also received dental implant placement/restoration training as well as fabrication of sleep apnea devices.  Dr. Norton would then go on to complete the Comprehensive Implant Residency Program in Birmingham, AL where he learned to perform advanced implant placement, bone grafting, and sinus lift surgery. 

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In the summer of 2017, Dr. Norton graduate as the youngest African American male Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry.  He reached this milestone in only 4 years, the fastest that this award could be attained.  Only 7% of dentists nationwide have attained Fellowship, and now Dr. Norton is apart of that elite group and looking towards Mastership next. 

 

Dr. Norton has two sons, Jariel Jr. and Braeden.  He says his ultimate goal is to become the program director for an AEGD program and eventually dean of a dental school.  “Dentistry is my heart, and as long as I am living I will devote my life to learning as much as possible about my craft,” are his words when asked how he feels about his profession.

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In his spare time Dr. Norton enjoys spending time with his sons, the rest of his family, and of course, playing basketball, dominoes and watching the Wayans Brothers.