Dr. Rick Erwin Martin

Meet Dr. Martin
Building Relationships
Dentistry is more than treating teeth; I believe that it is creating healthful relationships with people. It is very important to me to develop a genuine trust between my patients and myself. I endeavor to treat everyone with respect, kindness, and understanding and, I never make treatment recommendations I would not make for members of my own family. By learning each person’s unique concerns, wants and needs, a successful result can be achieved for all involved. I want more than a passing interaction with patients. I want to know people and expect friendships to develop with my patients. My underlying philosophy is that the more educated people become about the special conditions within their own bodies, the more able they are to maintain their health.
Moving from Alaska to Arizona
I was born in 1969, in Wichita Falls, Texas to Blaine and Mildred Martin. My family moved several times due to my father’s career in the Air Force but after my …father’s retirement in 1980, our family settled in Homer, Alaska. We carved a home out of the Alaska wilderness, and from this adventure I learned the value of family, friends, and what it truly means to “help your neighbors”. I have one son, Francis, who is attending college and one older brother, David, who is a Bering Sea crab fisherman and has worked in commercial fishing since he graduated from high school. My family still lives in Alaska, although they now enjoy having Arizona as a warm place to visit when arctic nights get too long to stand.
Discovering My Passions
Because I have always felt most fulfilled when helping others, I began considering a career in medicine from an early age. After graduating from high school in Alaska, I initially started the path to a career in teaching. I obtained my B.S. in Secondary Education and later my M.S. in Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology from the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, before returning to my first desire for a career in healthcare. Dentistry offers the opportunity to provide a service to many people in a private practice setting, work reasonable hours and combine my two greatest professional interests, teaching and healthcare. I graduated from Creighton University School of Dentistry in Omaha, Nebraska in 2001.
Enjoying Nature
While attending dental school, I met my wife, Dr. Amanda Wruble. We moved to Chandler, Arizona in 2005. Our primary mutual joys are hiking, camping and traveling. I also have interests in motorcycles, automobile restoration and tuning along with computers and photography. When out of our respective offices we can often be found “puttering” around our backyard with our golden retrievers, landscaping and enjoying the sunshine.