Austin McMurphy, DMD, MSD
After receiving his diploma in 2006, Dr. Austin McMurphy completed his undergraduate studies at LCU in 2010 before attending the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry from 2010 to 2014. He completed his residency at the LSU Medical Center of Pediatric in 2016 and achieved board certification in 2017. Dr. McMurphy started working at McMurphy Pediatric Dentistry in 2016, officially taking over as the owner in 2023.
Since 2020 Dr. McMurphy has spent every hour of continuing education courses learning from every specialist he can the absolute best way to evaluate each child’s entire oral positioning and how it connects to the oral cavity. He wants to be able to recommend not only the best dental treatment but also the best growth and developmental treatment for every child we see. He appreciates the joy we get to bring to every child that comes to see us. He believes that by doing right by everyone that comes to see him, the rest will take care of itself.
Austin’s wife, Amanda, is the owner of McMurphy Family Dentistry. They have two daughters and one son. In his free time, Dr. McMurphy enjoys golf, skiing and going to church with his family.
Courtney Atkinson, RDH, BAS, FAADH
IOAM Trained Orafacial Myologist- Certification Candidate
Courtney Atkinson graduated from Dental Hygiene school in 2015 with honors. Never anticipating herself as a pediatric dental hygienist prior to McMurphy Pediatric Dentistry, she can no longer imagine working in any other specialty. The rewards from her daily impact on total health beginning at an early age is beyond anything she could have comprehended.
Courtney recently completed an intense training in myofunctional therapy. Myofunctional therapy focuses on correcting improper oral habits, such as mouth breathing, tongue thrust and incorrect swallowing patterns that can lead to various oral health issues and impact overall well-being. Courtney developed a no pacifier/no thumb protocol with positive reinforcement that is becoming very popular and successful within our practice.
Courtney has been in the dental field since 2015 and became a part of our team in 2024. She works not only as a dental hygienist, but as our orofacial myologist who helps treat many oral developmental disorders in children and how they affect speech and oral functions. She is a current certification candidate for the International Association of Orofacial Myology. She enjoys being a part of this practice because we look at the total health of the patient instead of just the mouth and teeth.
Courtney is married to her husband, JJ, and they have two sons named Trey and Ben. They like to go on family cruises when they have the vacation time. Courtney also enjoys playing piano and gardening.
