A dentist for Druid Hills and Emory.
Ten minutes south of the Emory campus, with morning slots that work around a teaching schedule or a lab shift.
Better Health Dental serves Druid Hills, the Emory University and CDC campuses, and North Decatur from 127 E. Trinity Pl in downtown Decatur — roughly a ten-minute drive south. Dr. Sharifa Walker, DDS provides general, family, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry, and the practice accepts new patients from the 30307, 30322, and 30329 ZIP codes. Call (404) 446-2776 or request a visit.
The Emory and CDC population is a particular kind of dental patient: analytical, inclined to read the research, and unimpressed by being told something is necessary without being shown why. That suits this practice. You will be shown the radiograph and the intraoral photograph and told what the finding is, and if you want to know the evidence behind a recommendation, ask.
How do I get to the office from Druid Hills or Emory?
Druid Hills wraps around the northwest side of Decatur, so most routes are short. From the Emory campus and Clifton Road, the usual run is south on Clifton to North Decatur Road, then east and south into downtown Decatur. From the Ponce de Leon side of Druid Hills, East Ponce de Leon Avenue runs directly into Decatur. From the Clairmont Road corridor and North Druid Hills, Clairmont south to downtown is the straightest line. Allow about ten minutes outside peak, a little more at 8:00 am.
There is no MARTA rail station at Emory, but the Decatur station is a short walk from the office if you are coming from further out on the Blue or Green line.
Can you work around an academic or hospital schedule?
Within the hours we keep, yes — and the hours are the constraint worth knowing about up front. The practice is open Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm, and Friday mornings until noon. There are no evening or weekend appointments.
What we can do is use the edges well. The 8:30 am slot gets you out before most morning teaching starts, the last morning slot and the first afternoon slot sit either side of the lunch break, and a cleaning and exam for an established patient is usually a 45-to-60 minute visit. If you tell the front desk you have a hard stop, it goes on the appointment.
What dental services does the practice offer?
- Preventive care — comprehensive exams, periodontal charting, digital radiographs, cleanings, scaling and root planing
- Family dentistry — children through seniors, with household appointments grouped
- Restorative care — composite fillings, porcelain crowns, bridges, implant restorations, dentures
- Root canal therapy — endodontic treatment to keep a tooth that would otherwise be extracted
- Cosmetic dentistry and whitening
- Emergency visits — same-day slots held daily
- EMFACE — non-invasive facial toning offered at the practice
Where do I park?
The office is at 127 E. Trinity Pl. Two small paid decks sit on the same block — 114 E. Trinity Pl and 120 E. Trinity Pl — and the DeKalb County courthouse deck is entered from W. Trinity Pl. On-street metered spaces on and around Trinity Place carry a two-hour limit, are enforced Monday through Saturday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, and are free after 6:00 pm; you can pay at a solar pay station or by texting zone 7801 to 30202. A routine cleaning and exam fits comfortably inside the two-hour limit.
Rates and availability are set by the City of Decatur and by private deck operators and change without notice — the city publishes a current downtown parking guide. If you are coming for a longer appointment, say so when you book and the front desk will tell you which deck makes the most sense that day.
Do you accept Emory or CDC dental plans?
Better Health Dental files with most major dental benefit plans, and the practice verifies your specific coverage before treatment rather than afterward. Because employer plan networks change from year to year, the reliable answer is the one the front desk gives you after checking your plan — call (404) 446-2776 with your card to hand, or send your details through the form and we will check and come back to you. Sunbit and CareCredit financing covers balances beyond plan limits.
I am new to the area. How do I transfer records?
Tell us the name of your previous dental office and we will request your chart and recent radiographs. If you have had a full radiographic series within the last year, we can usually use those rather than repeat them, which saves you both exposure and cost. A first visit still includes a full examination and periodontal charting, because that is how a baseline gets established — see patient information for the forms.
Questions from Druid Hills patients.
Answers reviewed by Dr. Sharifa Walker, DDS. For anything not covered here, call (404) 446-2776.
How far is the practice from the Emory campus?
Do you have early morning appointments?
Are you in network with my employer dental plan?
Can you transfer my records from another dental office?
Do you treat graduate students and postdocs on student plans?
What if I need to be seen urgently between classes or shifts?
