Tailwater Dental Partners acquires Stones River Dental
Dr. Russell Boyter announces plan to retire in 2023 and hand over practice leadership to Dr. Abby Slyman.
In 2022, readers of the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal named Stones River the best dental practice in Rutherford County, TN.
A few years ago, Dr. Russ Boyter started thinking about life post-dentistry.
He’d spent 33 years building Stones River Dental, a beautiful dental practice in Murfreesboro, TN, the third fastest-growing community in America.
Over three decades, Stones River earned a reputation for putting patients first.
After years of chairside dental practice, Dr. Boyter knew he wanted to spend more time with his grandchildren, but he wanted to make sure he managed that transition the right way.
The right way
For Dr. Boyter and his wife, Shannon, the right way meant finding an exceptional dentist qualified to be Dr. Boyter’s successor, someone with elite clinical skills who could also help preserve the integrity of what made Stones River so successful for so long. The people. The culture.
“We love our team and our patients, and in Tailwater we found a partner who shares our values.”
- Dr. Russell Boyter
In 2022, Dr. Boyter and Shannon met the team at Tailwater.
After decades of independence, they were wary of selling Stones River to a larger group, but Tailwater’s growing reputation piqued their curiosity.
“We first heard about Tailwater from a former colleague, a hygienist who practiced at Stones River for 11 years. Amanda Thompson is now at another Tailwater practice, Brentwood Dental Center.
Amanda told us she loves being a part of Tailwater. That they’re doing this the right way.
We trust Amanda, and that was a powerful testimonial.”
- Dr. Boyter
In January of 2023, Dr. Boyter and his wife Shannon officially partnered with Tailwater.
The new partnership gives Stones River business support in areas like HR, IT, compliance, and accounting, and it also gives Dr. Boyter a path to retirement.
For Stones River and Tailwater, the stars aligned.
It just so happened our team at Tailwater reached out to Dr. Abby Slyman, and she expressed interest in partnering with Tailwater to acquire and lead a general dental practice.
But her criteria was strict. She was only interested in leaving her current thriving practice if we could find something exceptional.
The right team, the right location, the right clinical fit, and a clear path to growth.
Stones River checked all the right boxes.
Dr. Abby Slyman lives in Franklin, TN and joins Stones River Dental from Tiny Town Dental in Clarksville, TN.
Dr. Slyman and her husband live just down the road from Stones River in Franklin, TN and she’s earned her own reputation for clinical excellence and practice leadership.
In the coming months, Dr. Boyter will begin his transition to retirement and Dr. Slyman will join Stones River as the practice’s next leader.
“I love my team and my patients at Tiny Town, and I wasn’t trying to leave! But I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to join Tailwater and lead Stones River… such a special practice.
I can’t wait to join this team, meet our patients, and serve the community I live in. We’ll make Dr. Boyter proud.
- Dr. Abby Slyman
Win, win, win.
Win for Dr. Boyter.
Win for Dr. Slyman.
And a win for Stones River.
Our team at Tailwater is proud to be partnering with Stones River, and we’re all excited for the next 30 years.
