Our History

Atlanta Dental was founded by Dr. Samuel Hape, a young dentist who began his practice shortly before the American Civil War. After the war began, Dr. Hape enlisted as an officer. He was specially commissioned to “run a blockade” in order to bring desperately needed dental and medical supplies from Europe. On one occasion his ship was blown up in Charleston Harbor, but Dr. Hape escaped and even managed to salvage some of the badly needed supplies. In 1868, soon after the war ended, even though Dr. Hape had lost everything he had, he established a new dental practice in Atlanta. The population grew and more dentists began to set up practices to meet the dental needs of the rebounding communities. It was at that time that Dr. Hape opened what is known today as The Atlanta Dental Supply Company. He wanted to ensure availability of supplies for his own practice and the practices of his colleagues. Three years later, “Doc” Holliday, introduced Dr. Robert A. Holliday, his cousin, to Dr. Hape. Dr. Holliday joined Dr. Hape’s efforts to maintain the local source of products and services. Dr. Holliday, active in civic affairs, served as Secretary of the Georgia Dental Association from 1878 to 1881. It was partially through Dr. Holliday’s efforts that the Emory University School of Dentistry was chartered in1887. Atlanta Dental committed itself to meeting the needs of the ever-expanding dental profession. It also realized that in order to maintain the philosophy of business that fosters career-long relationships, the company must commit to never allowing ownership of the company by anyone other than those who fulfill an active role in meeting the needs of its customers. The current generation of ownership of Atlanta Dental understands and abides by this commitment.