Democratic Dentistry

“We had several people interested in joining a group practice,” said co-founder Robert Adams, DDS, now one of seven dentist-owners on staff. “When it came time to put in the money, we drew up some bylaws and plans for a building. One of the first things we decided was to agree to agree - and that just sort of stuck with us.”

While it sounds simple, this philosophy has carried the practice through 32 years in the Springfield market - with few inside problems, Adams said.

“Running this practice has been an evolution, but we have really not had any major disagreements,” he said. “We have had people not fit in, but through a combination of random luck and careful selection, we haven't really had any major altercations.”

The dentist owners are Adams, Daniel Fannin, Stan Hall, Derek Kaelin, Chanin Ropka, Stuart Scott and Eldon Thompson.

Parkcrest Dental's system is designed to allow for a smooth decision-making process, and more importantly, to allow the business to continue long after its founders have retired. “One of the things that we have always been concerned with is whether the clinic perpetuated itself,” said Stan Hall, DDS, another co-founder. “We have been able to bring in a lot of new, young dentists that we have a lot of confidence in. We plan on sticking around here for a long time, but when we leave, we want someone to be able to keep it going.”

New dentists entering the Parkcrest group are required to fulfill a two-year “associate” period before they are allowed to buy into the practice.

Hall said this allows the group to rest assured that the new member has the best interests of the clinic in mind.

“A lot of people want to do their own thing, and there is nothing wrong with that, but we are not a group of individual practices operating under the same roof. We are a group practice,” he said.

Client comfort

The group recently expanded its waiting room, which led to more renovations.

“We were simply running out of space; we had patients sitting on folding chairs out there,” said Deanna Ford, the group's administrator. “One thing leads to another, though, so our first floor has been completely remodeled.”

In all, the project cost approximately $400,000 and included a new façade, new windows, new carpet and flooring, and new wallpaper for the building. “It just needed a facelift,” Adams added. “We wanted to create a comfortable environment for us and for our patients.”

Parkcrest further attends to client comfort by contracting with both an oral surgeon and an orthodontist in order to establish continuity in patient care.

“One of the philosophies we have is that we like to have as much as possible under one roof - so it is total family care. This way, patients don't have to figure out where another office is; fill out somebody else's paperwork,” said President Stuart Scott, DDS, who is the clinic's pediatric specialist.

Parkcrest Dental also has a dentist on call 24 hours a day to meet the needs of its 51,000 active patients.

Elective procedures

While Hall and Adams say that their business is the democracy they envisioned 32 years ago, the business of dentistry has changed dramatically.

“There is more of an emphasis on restorative dentistry,” Adams said. “People are more interested in saving their teeth for a lifetime, and they are much more interested in the looks of their teeth. The business as a whole is tremendously different. The basics are still there, but there are procedures and materials available now that weren't even on the horizon when I was in dental school.”

In the next few years, the Parkcrest Dental Group hopes to reach a new segment of the community.

“We want to appeal to patients looking for elective dentistry,” Hall said. “We are gearing toward that because it is a growing field, but of course we will not exclude other patients. We like to have a broad patient base.”

Parkcrest Dental Group

Founded: 1974

Owners: 7 dentists

Address: 540 W. LaSalle, Springfield, MO 65807

Phone: (417) 887-1220, (800) 798-0112

Fax: (417) 887-0357

Web site: www.parkcrestdental.com

Services: Dental

Employees: 58

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