ADAPT Blog

Dr. Katie Satula’s busy practice has a well-earned reputation for family-friendly dentistry. The practice has been a fixture in Hales Corners, Wisconsin for over 30 years, treating several generations. [Pictured from left: Drs. Raimann, Satula, Ebert, and Mueller. Drs. Raimann and Mueller were the original owners of the practice and are now enjoying their retirements.]

“I love being your local family dentist who sees a little one for their first appointment, all the way to their great-great grandma and everyone in between,” says Dr. Katie.

When the practice’s senior dentist began planning to retire, Dr. Katie knew she needed to find an associate.

Dr. Charles Schmidt’s practice was booked out for weeks. Just as several local dentists were retiring, the Lancaster, New Hampshire area was growing. Both Dr. Schmidt and his associate were busy and getting busier!

Dr. Schmidt needed to hire another associate to keep up with this growth. But he wanted someone who would fit into the practice and the town. After all, this small-town practice is built on relationships, with a close-knit, down-to-earth team. His ideal hire would understand small-town life and be eager to build patient relationships while becoming part of the local community.

With the help of ADA Practice Transitions (ADAPT), he found just the right person.

Dr. Sara Makary has worked in several different settings during her career. With each change, she’s gained new skills and experiences that have helped her become a well-rounded practitioner.

But change is never easy. That’s why Dr. Sara advises other dentists to stop and really think about their next move.

Note: this is part one of a two-part interview with Dr. Sara Makary. Be sure to check out the second part, How to Decide If It's Time to Make a Change. 

When Dr. Sara Makary started her career, she followed a path taken by many of her peers: a job in corporate dentistry. “I thought this is probably a good way to get introduced to dentistry, to patients, and have a safety net of providers around me,” she said. “As a fresh graduate, we walk into uncertain territory. When you get out of school, your security blanket gets stripped off very fast.”

Drs. Bob and Heather Heil owned two successful Wisconsin practices. After a tragic fire destroyed one of their practices, they began looking for another to help meet their personal financial goals. Despite years of searching and working with brokers, they didn’t find just the right place until Dr. Bob joined ADAPT.

Dr. Gagnon needed another dentist in her practice after her father retired. Dr. Sikora wanted her first associateship out of dental school to include plenty of hands-on mentorship – in a state where she had no connections.

Dr. Jessica Sikora had never been to Maine until 2016 when she visited and interviewed at the University of New England College of Dental Medicine.

“I immediately fell in love with the area,” said the Honesdale, Pennsylvania, native.

She’d also fallen in love, after four years of dental school, with the idea of practicing in her new state. 

42 years ago, Dr. Dean Hussong graduated from dental school and set out to build his own practice from scratch. After visiting 28 different towns, he and his wife, Ann, settled in Tomahawk (population 3,160) in northern Wisconsin. While Ann was initially skeptical of following her high school sweetheart to such a small town, it turned out to be the best possible move for both of them and an ideal place to raise three children.

Kristen started her practice search on job boards.

Joe was exploring a sale with a practice management company.

In both cases, they could not get what they needed – until they turned to ADA Practice Transitions.

Emily Ishkanian, former chair of the ADA New Dentist Committee, joined a practice that turned out to be the wrong fit for her long-term goals. She shared her experience with ADA Practice Transitions. Read on for her story and 5 lessons for other dentists.