Dr. James H Eaker

Dr. James (Jim) Hamilton Eaker (pronounced like acre) is a 1985 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry in Chapel Hill, and also completed his undergraduate degree at UNC. He was President of his dental class and received the faculty award for excellence in General Dentistry and the Class award for sensitivity to the needs of classmates. After a year as an associate in Chapel Hill, he opened his Durham private practice in 1986.
Dr. Eaker completed the three-year mastership program at the Center for Professional Development in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1993. He has held every office in the 140-plus member Durham-Orange County Dental Society and served as President in 2003. He is a member of the American Dental Association, the North Carolina Dental Society and various study clubs. He made multiple dental presentations to groups and would like to develop this activity.
Dr. Eaker is experienced in all levels of general dentistry but has chosen to limit his practice …to primarily conservative adult restorative treatment, with special emphasis on patient comfort, good diagnosis, good communication, and esthetic dentistry. The office provides good homecare instruction (the key to long term dental success), crowns, bridges, implant restorations, fillings and inlays, partial dentures, preventive treatment, whitening, nightguards and many other services. He was one of the first dentists in the area to routinely place tooth-colored fillings, beginning in 1985. His passion is conservative treatment with integrity. He would rather minimize treatment and preserve enamel than do aggressive dentistry.  He is, however, the first in the area to have the 3M Lava COS Digital Impression machine for precision-fit crowns and bridges.
Dr. Eaker and his wife, Susan have 3 children, Will, Emma, and Evelyn. They live a mile from the office in South Durham. Will and Emma are in sixth grade at their home school, Heath Academy. Jim is a native of Forest City, N.C., in the foothills, the son of a dentist. He has a variety of personal and community interests. Gardening is a major hobby. He raises many kinds of fruits, flowers and berries, with blueberries being of particular interest. He has experienced N.C. Outward Bound, is proficient at calligraphy, tennis, follows UNC sports, and enjoys fishing activities from local fly fishing to a couple of trips with his Dad to Alaska for salmon and halibut fishing. He is now active in Boy Scouts as his son Will is a member of Troop 11. He is a past member of the Durham Jaycees Board of Directors and served as chair of the Board of Deacons at the Chapel Hill Bible Church in 2002. He is a life member of the Christian Dental Society, has participated in mission trips to Africa and St. Maarten and is now a member at First Baptist Durham. He has also helped with ADA program Give Kids a Smile and treated patients on the Baptist Bus. In 2007, he set up a free volunteer dental clinic at the Good Samaritan Inn of the Durham Rescue Mission which wonderful medical volunteers have now transformed into the Samaritan Health Center  www.samaritanhealthcenter.org .
Jim’s curriculum vitae …