Sometimes, it can be difficult to smile. Some people prefer to cover their mouth than let their teeth show because they fear their smile will be laughed at or judged silently. As the founder and sole owner of Mint Dental & Mintorship, Dr. Antoinette Liles is determined to change that and is proud of being the reason so many people can smile with newfound confidence.
Raised in Saginaw, Michigan, Antoinette’s childhood was replete with reasons to cry over. She lived with an abusive mother, and soon after her father rescued her from there, he lost everything to gambling. Antoinette then moved in with her paternal grandparents to stay with them until completing high school.
Seeing education as her way out, Antoinette started college while still in high school via a dual enrollment program at a local Community College. She applied (and qualified) for multiple scholarships available in 2010. Antoinette moved out of Michigan at the age of 17 after receiving a Full Ride Presidential Scholarship at Jackson State University with over $25,000 in additional scholarships and grants to graduate magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in Chemistry. In 2010, she was awarded the Gilman Scholarship to study Spanish abroad in Costa Rica.
At the age of 25, Antoinette completed her doctorate in Dental Medicine from the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry as a Hinman Scholar in Dental School. Despite her impressive educational accolades, Antoinette found herself stuck in a marriage where her ex-husband overlooked her undeniable potential.
In 2019, she went through a divorce and spent the following year alone and unemployed during the pandemic. Amidst seemingly never-ending hardships, Antoinette remained committed to her ambition. By the end of the year, she initiated her independent venture— a new state-of-the-art dental office in Pearl, Mississippi, and named it Mint Dental, “Where Art Meets Science.” It was Mint to be.
Her resilience and determination have led her to remarkable success. Today, Antoinette is a TV star who has appeared in Oprah Winfrey Network’s reality TV series Belle Collective. Mint Dental is the official dentist of the Jackson State University football team, offering services to a squad of 107 players, coaches, and support staff.
A celebrated entrepreneur, Antoinette was included in the Top 50 Leading Business Women by Mississippi Business Journal in 2021. As a community leader, she aspires to give back to her community. She is the founder of the mentorship/scholarship program aptly named Mintorship. The non-profit organization provides shadowing and scholarships to pre-dental HBCU students in Mississippi as Antoinette hopes to pave the way for more black dentists to join the industry. Donate to the program here.
Ironically, @lilesofsmiles is known as the girl who wanted to be the reason people smiled with confidence but constantly faced challenges that often kept her from smiling. But her dedication to her goal of spreading smiles eventually allowed her to turn her life around.
Facebook: @mintdentalms
YouTube: @Mint Dental: Antoinette Liles DMD
