Longtime dental clinic changes name

A longtime Springfield dental clinic has a new name as of today.

Founded in 1998, Wilkinson Dental is now Keen Smiles Family Dental. Owner Dr. Trent Wilkinson made the announcement earlier this month in a video posted on the clinic’s Facebook page. The clinic operates at 1705 E. Primrose St.

“Although we’re making a change, we’re the same team, same care, just a new name that better represents what we do and how we do it,” Wilkinson said in the video. “Over time, we’ve grown by adding more doctors than just me and have evolved into what you experience in our office today. So, making a name change to Keen Smiles better represents who we are now.”

Paige Lorenzo, the clinic’s marketing director, said via email new sign installation was completed on April 24, adding Keen Smiles employs a staff of 23 including three dentists. She declined to disclose the investment associated with the name change.

“We went through quite a few name options, but the name Keen Smiles really resonated with us because we pride ourselves on having a keen eye for detail, while building warm connections with our patients,” Lorenzo said. “Dentistry is really comprised of two main elements: the personal connections we make with the people we care for, and the clinical skills and techniques to provide high-quality dentistry. We felt like the name Keen captured this merging of precision and presence.”

Lorenzo said Wilkinson remains owner of the practice, noting one of the driving factors in the name change is to allow for doctor partnerships in the future.

“We were adamant about completing this whole project locally,” she said, noting the clinic teamed with Hook Creative LLC on the new branding and 417 Marketing LLC for its new website and digital presence.

The dental practice, which operates under Trent A. Wilkinson DMD PC, had its current $1.5 million, 7,700-square-foot office on Primrose Street constructed in 2018, according to Springfield Business Journal archives. It moved to the building near the end of that year, according to its website.