Dr. Russel Blackman was born and raised in Queens, NY and has one older sister. He graduated from Stony Brook University in Long Island in 1969. After a brief time as a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, he moved back to New York, married his college sweetheart, and attended New York University College of Dentistry, graduating in 1977. Dr. Blackman ran his own successful practice for 40 years before relocating his office in 2018 to join with Dr. Isaac LaVant and Italian Smiles Family & Cosmetic Dentistry.
Dr. Blackman considers it a privilege that his patients have chosen him as their dentist, and he treats them as personal friends and honored guests. One of his favorite sayings is, “I do not treat strangers.” While he continues to see new patients, he cherishes the relationships he has built up over the years.
Dr. Blackman believes that learning is a lifelong experience. As such, he routinely completes significantly more continuing education credits than is required for his license. He currently holds memberships in the American Dental Association and its local components, the Arizona Dental Association, and the Central Arizona Dental Society. He has served on the Peer Review Committee of the Arizona Dental Board and on the staff at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix Campus, while participating in the Phoenix Prosthodontic Study Group.
His past memberships include such organizations as the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry, the Academy of Osseointegration, and various local study clubs. Dr. Blackman has extensive training in dental prosthetics and implants. He attended a mini-residency in 3M ESPE mini implants in 2003, was certified to place Camlog® implants in 2008, and completed a mini-residency for implant placement at the Zimmer Biomet Institute in California in 2010.
Dr. Blackman has four children from his first marriage. His oldest daughter is a veterinarian, his son deals in high-end automobile sales, another daughter is an attorney, and his youngest daughter currently attends college.
He married his current wife, Terri, in 2011, and they live happily in North Phoenix. He has one grandchild, Finley Dean Graves.