About Dr. Betty Orr
A Life Built Around Peace
Daughter of Holocaust survivors. Dentist. Educator. Speaker. Every chapter of Dr. Orr's life has been shaped by a single conviction: that peace is always personal, and always possible.
Photo of Dr. Betty Orr
Dr. Betty Orr
Private practice in Charlotte, NC
Nearly 20 years
Holocaust speaker
Schools, universities, faith communities & organizations
Dental educator
Teaching the next generation to practice with compassion
Daughter of Holocaust survivors
The foundation of everything she does
Where it begins
A Daughter's Inheritance
Dr. Betty Orr grew up in a home that held history. Her parents were Holocaust survivors — people who had endured the unimaginable and chosen, with extraordinary courage, to rebuild. She grew up listening to their stories, sitting with their silences, and understanding from an early age that bearing witness was not optional. It was a responsibility that came with the family name.
The practice
Nearly 20 Years in Charlotte
Dr. Orr built her dental practice in Charlotte, North Carolina on a philosophy that set her apart: that every patient deserves to feel safe. For nearly two decades, she created a practice known for its calm — a place where anxious patients exhaled, where children weren't afraid, and where the relationship between dentist and patient was built on genuine trust. Her reputation was not just for clinical excellence, but for the quality of presence she brought to every appointment.
The calling
Speaking the Stories Forward
Alongside her dental career, Dr. Orr became a Holocaust speaker — carrying her parents' stories, and the stories of other survivors, into schools, universities, faith communities, and organizations. She speaks not as a historian but as a daughter: with intimacy, with grief, and with an unshakeable belief that remembrance is an act of resistance. Her presentations have moved audiences across the country to silence, to tears, and to action.
Now
Teaching the Next Generation
Today, Dr. Orr is a dental educator — bringing the philosophy she built in Charlotte into the classroom. She teaches clinical skills, but she teaches something more important alongside them: how to be present with a patient, how to acknowledge fear rather than dismiss it, and how to practice dentistry with the kind of kindness that stays with people long after they leave the chair. She believes that how you treat someone in a moment of vulnerability says everything about who you are.
Charlotte, North Carolina — where Dr. Orr practiced for nearly 20 years
"My parents survived the unsurvivable and chose to build a life of warmth and love. Everything I do — in the clinic, in the classroom, at the podium — is an attempt to honor that choice."
Bring Dr. Orr to Your Community
Dr. Orr speaks to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Reach out to begin the conversation about your event.