Houston’s Dr. Bruce Smith Remembered for Care, Courage, and Advocacy

By Ross Smith, Tony Shelton, and Rich Arenschieldt

With the passing of Bruce William Smith, D.D.S., at the age of 74 on March 19, 2025, the world lost an outstanding dentist, a gifted sculptor, a philanthropist, a political activist, and a hero to people living with AIDS in the early years of that epidemic.

Bruce was born on March 3, 1951, in Troy, New York. He graduated from Richardson High School in Richardson, Texas, and then graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in microbiology and a minor in chemistry.

From the time he was a child, his mother had instilled in Bruce a deep love for all people and a desire to serve others. During college, a summer job in a dentist’s office revealed to Bruce a way to combine that desire to serve others with his scientific aptitude, his artistic ability, and his talent for working with his hands. Bruce said, “To be able to make somebody a beautiful smile, it’s like a little work of art—a mini sculpture.”

Bruce earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. After graduation in 1979, he joined the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. As a young lieutenant, he was stationed at Prairie View A&M University, where he focused on sterilization and infection control practices and provided dental services to needy people in the Hempstead, Texas, area. After two years, he left the Commissioned Corps and established his dental practice in a small bungalow in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood. It was at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and his scientific background, his compassion, and his courage made him a community hero. There was no precedent and no protocol in the mid-1980s for treating AIDS patients. Very little was known about the disease at the time, and other dentists in Houston were declining to treat people with AIDS. When a young AIDS patient in a local hospital with a horrible toothache could not find a dentist who would treat him, Bruce stepped forward and said, “Let’s get this guy taken care of.”

Bruce didn’t stop there. He developed the protocol for safely treating such patients and taught this protocol to many dentists around the country and abroad. Along with a small group of other dentists and supporters at Bering Church, he founded the Bering Dental Clinic to provide free treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS. That clinic grew and continues to treat thousands of patients with similar needs, as a part of another
organization.

Bruce loved his family. When a tornado hit a town where one of his brothers lived, Bruce didn’t wait for an invitation; he just called and said, “I’m on the way.” When family or friends needed advice, Bruce was always there. Whether it was about the best type of dental crown to use or a tricky technical problem around the house, Bruce took great pleasure in helping.

Bruce met his husband, the late Tony Carroll, in the mid-1990s, and they soon became known as the ultimate power couple. Tony was a couples therapist, and the two were often affectionately referred to as Dental & Mental. They were known for their elegant parties, many of them organized in support of political candidates such as former Mayor Annise Parker, former U.S. Congressman Chris Bell, and former City Council Members Sue Lovell and Ellen Cohen.

When marriage equality became law in the province of Ontario, Canada, Bruce and Tony flew to Toronto and were married in a dual ceremony with longtime friends Ross Smith and Tony Shelton on November 28, 2003. Determined to solidify their bond, both symbolically and legally, Bruce and Tony would go on to have marriage ceremonies in New York and Texas as marriage equality became the law in the U.S.

Planning for their dream home in Montrose took Bruce and Tony to England numerous times to gather design ideas and buy art and antiques. Their lavish home, completed in 2012, included large rooms for events and even a built-in Rodgers organ for Tony, an accomplished musician. Their life together was interrupted by Tony’s death on December 29, 2015, while the two were visiting New York City. 

Tony and Bruce were the driving force behind the founding of Homeless Gay Kids–Houston, later renamed Tony’s Place after Tony’s passing. Over the years, Bruce supported the Bering Dental Clinic, the Bering Omega Foundation and Bering Community Service Foundation, the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, the Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, the Texas Freedom Network, Planned Parenthood, the Lesbian and Gay Rights Lobby, the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP, Houston Grand Opera, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and PFLAG.

Colleagues Share Their Memories

Randy Mitchmore, D.D.S, credits Bruce with having a meaningful impact on his life and work. “In 1996 I was living in a small East Texas town. I had divorced, had a 4-year-old daughter, was coming out, and was being run out of town by the KKK. I was scared to death. I saw Bruce’s ad in a magazine and reached out, explaining my situation. Without hesitation, he and Tony invited me to their home, fed me, and reassured me that I could move to Houston and open a practice. I was overwhelmed by their warmth and hospitality. It was my first experience of seeing a committed gay couple in a long-term relationship. It opened my eyes to a whole new world of gay life. They introduced me to people and to many different groups. They supported every LGBTQ organization imaginable.

Colleague Mark Nichols, D.D.S., remembers meeting Bruce in the mid-1980s as the dental community was confronting the AIDS epidemic. In 1985, dentists were starting to become fearful of treating patients with HIV, especially after the death of actor Rock Hudson. At that time, Nichols was practicing in Houston and had agreed to treat an HIV-positive patient. His staff, however, refused, telling Nichols, “If you see this patient, we will leave.” Nichols then located Bruce, who immediately agreed to treat her.

In 1987, Nichols heard about the Bering Dental Clinic, at that time open only on Fridays and run entirely by volunteers. Bruce and Ed Cordray had dental practices in Montrose, and many patients began losing their jobs, insurance, and access to dental care. Ed (who was a member at Bering Church) and Bruce contacted church leaders and asked for help. Bering allotted some classrooms, none of which were suitable at that time for a dental practice. Consequently, a lot of time, effort, and resources were spent making the space operational. Bruce raised a lot of money, making important society contacts with many individuals, including Carolyn Farb, who championed their work.

Bruce was always up to date on the latest treatments. There was no internet at that time, and much of the available information wasn’t accurate. As Bruce began to develop treatment protocols, many people came to the Bering Clinic to observe him, as Bering was one of only two dental  clinics in the country dedicated to treating AIDS patients.

Bruce mentored Nichols and many other dentists. Nichols remembers: “I was able to watch him sit down with patients and work on them. Bruce was very comfortable and at ease, not at all afraid. I thought, ‘If he can do that, so can I.’ His legacy goes far beyond Houston. He was the principal advocate for HIV patients in the dental arena, especially with regard to reducing the stigma and fear surrounding treatment. It took years for that to happen, but he was the first.”

Bruce is survived by his brothers Alan Smith and wife Lynda of Indialantic, Florida; Barry Smith and wife Debbie of Richardson, Texas; and Scott Smith and wife Cindy of Prescott, Arizona, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, longtime close friends Tony Shelton and Ross Smith, and a host of other friends. Bruce is preceded in death by his husband, Tony Carroll, and his parents Gordon H. Smith and Arian Bohlayer Smith. Bruce’s brothers are comforted by their belief that Bruce had a spiritual awakening about three years ago and that the four brothers will be united someday.

Friends are cordially invited to attend a visitation to be held at the Bradshaw-Carter Funeral Home, 1734 West Alabama St. in Houston, beginning at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 13, with a celebration of Bruce’s life starting at 3:30. Following the service, there will be a reception from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. at a location to be announced at the service.

At Bruce’s request, in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Tony’s Place, Houston Grand Opera, or the ACLU.