Ryan T. Moore, 33

By Brian Leaf

It’s an athlete’s fantasy to turn pro. Ryan T. Moore lived that dream for two seasons in Florida as a defender with the Tampa Bay Mutiny Major League Soccer team.

“I realized I had to wake up sooner or later and enter the real world,” Moore said. “Most of the testing I had done for dental school while I was at the University of Maryland was about to expire. The scores are only good for so long.”

With a degree in dentistry from Southern Illinois University, he became Dr. Moore and boomeranged home, knowing that soccer was a fun job but dentistry was a great career.

“Returning to Rockford was very positive for me,” said Moore, a Boylan Catholic High School grad. “When you’re in high school, you’re ready to get out of here but I always had a positive experience being raised here.”

Moore Dentistry truly is a family affair. Ryan practices with his wife, Lindsay, whom he met in dental school (They have a child, Sophia, 16 months, and another on the way), and his father Tom. His cousin, Kelly, practices in the same building.

After work, Moore coaches soccer and tutors sixth graders though his church. He’s helped with the Rockford Marathon. He’s a founding member of Next Rockford, a group for young professionals, and served on the Rockford Aldermanic Forum committee. He’s active in Rockford’s Charter School initiative.

He said one of his most meaningful volunteer jobs is his pro bono dental work for Carpenter’s Place and the Rockford Rescue Mission. “When you first start doing it, it’s kind of nice to just help people out. But boy, when you start seeing the effect — these people are in tears afterward. They’ve never smiled before. You realize it changes people’s lives.