Dr. John Howe is a board-certified pediatric dentist who is compassionate, enthusiastic, and caring. He strives for excellence in clinical dentistry and provides an enjoyable, informative experience for each child in a gentle, nurturing environment. His philosophy is that dentistry should focus on preventing dental disease through education about oral hygiene, nutrition, and a coordinated approach between the child, their parents, and his dental team. Dr. Howe and his team strive to make dental visits a positive experience for children of all ages through a combination of patience, fun, and teaching.
Dr. Howe was raised in a rural farming community in northwest Ohio. He developed an interest in dentistry from his experiences going to the dentist as a child, both good and bad. Following high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and proudly served for eight years as a hospital corpsman. He remained in the active reserves for seven years and was recalled to active duty during Desert Storm.
He attended college at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, graduating Cum Laude in 1997 with a major in Biology and minor in Chemistry. Dr. Howe was awarded an undergraduate research grant on rapid detection of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). He represented Old Dominion University in 1995 at the Annual Undergraduate Research Conference in Detroit, Michigan. While attending college, he also worked full time as a blood bank technician at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, where he met his beautiful wife.
Dr. Howe attended dental school at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio TX, which was ranked the number-one dental school in the country by US News and World Report in 1994 and 1997. He participated in a summer externship at the UTHSC Pediatric Dental Clinic and found treating children very fulfilling. After graduating in 2001, he worked as a general dentist in San Antonio for three years, specializing in cosmetic and implant dentistry.
However, Dr. Howe found himself missing the children, so he accepted a two-year pediatric dental residency at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. There, he received extensive training in all areas of pediatric dentistry including sedation dentistry, intraoral procedures, behavior management, and treating special needs children at Temple University Hospital, Temple Children’s Hospital, and Temple Episcopal Hospital, graduating in 2006. He became board certified in 2012 and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. In fact, Dr. Howe was the only member of his residency class to pass both his written and oral boards on the first attempt.
Missing Texas hospitality, Dr. Howe moved to Houston to open his own pediatric dental practice. He opened Little Smiles of Sienna in 2009 with a partner and in 2014, he renamed the practice to Sienna Pediatric Dentistry. He is a member of multiple professional organizations including the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, American Dental Association, Texas Dental Association, Houston Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and Greater Houston Dental Society.
Dr. Howe believes in giving back to the community by supporting numerous community school, sport, and church activities. He also loves participating in programs such as Give Kids a Smile Day at University of Texas Dental School and he has gone on numerous mission trips to Latin America, including Mexico and Honduras.
Dr. Howe currently resides in Sienna Plantation with his wife who is a pediatric emergency medicine doctor at a local children’s hospital, and their cat Lucky. He is an avid fan of baseball and college football. In his spare time, he enjoys music, photography, movies, cooking, exercise, and travel.
Dr. Howe has followed an unconventional career path bringing a wealth of life experience to his practice and he believes that he has the BEST job in the world! He looks forward to meeting both you and your children.