Waukee Dentists Take Family Togetherness to a Whole New Level

Sisters Lisa and Tina Kurtz operate under the concept that dentistry should take into account the whole person.

“We offer complete dentistry for every member of the family. We work with children and adults, on implants, dental restoration and much more,” explained Tina. “We feel we are kind of leaving a legacy in a person’s mouth. That’s why Tina and I do a lot of continuing education. We study the whole system of the head and the neck.”

Tina added, “You have to treat the patient as a whole person — there’s a lot more going on there than just the teeth.”

Jodi Puls and her family from West Des Moines have been clients at the practice for about 10 years.

“We’ve had good experiences there. Occasionally we have unusual scheduling needs, such as a 7 a.m. appointment, and they accomodate that. My husband goes there, as well, and our daughter, 3, will go there, too.

“They have a nice facility and it is convenient for me to get there from the west side of West Des Moines,” she said.

The practice at 85 N.E. Warrior Lane was started by Lisa. Her sister, Tina, joined the practice about 10 years ago. Lisa originally opened the business at another location in Waukee, and then later built the current office. Both sisters attended dental school at the University of Iowa.

Lisa jokes about becoming a dentist: “She tied my hands behind my back and made me do it. Seriously, when I was in college as an undergraduate, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I had worked in Lisa’s office and had a good time, so I figured, why not (be a dentist)?”

Tina loves what she does as a dentist and likes Waukee. “That’s one reason I came back. The community raised us and we want to give back a little bit,” she said.

One way the sisters give back is volunteering a few days a year for a mobile dental office that travels to schools where children need free dental care. The office on wheels, sponsored by the Des Moines Health Center, visits 30 schools in the Des Moines area, and dentists take turns offering their services.

Lisa noted that the economy has made it difficult for many people to get the dental care they need. Now, many clients are more concerned about the cost than the loyalty to one dentist, and issues like whether the office accepts the insurance they have, Lisa said.

But, she tries to put the cost into perspective for patients without insurance, and encourages them to be pro-active about dental care.

“Doing some basic things, like getting a regular cleaning and dental checkup can prevent a lot of cost and pain down the road,” she said. “I tell people to save the money they might use going out to dinner at a nice restaurant one evening, put that money aside and use it to have a dental checkup, cleaning and basic x-rays,” she said. “When I put it like that, it makes sense to them.”

Waukee Family Dentistry

Location: 85 N.E. Warrior Lane, Waukee

Dentists/owners: Lisa Kurtz and Tina Kurtz

Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays; 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays; 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursdays; and 7 a.m. to noon on alternating Fridays.