Dr. Daniel Nelson says small-town life is in his blood.
By Rich Wicks | Guthrie Center Times
As you walk into Springbrook Family Dentistry at 214 State St. in Guthrie Center, don’t be surprised if you get very little conversation from the first staff member to greet you. That’s because Ollie, the office dog, likes to greet everyone who comes in, but he’s not much of a talker.
Luckily, Dr. Daniel Nelson, who owns and operates Springbrook Family Dentistry, was willing to talk about the business.
“I graduated dental school in 2018 and worked at a few offices at the same time that I opened this office up in August of 2018,” Nelson said. “I was able to buy this building and do a full remodel with all new equipment, and we started from scratch. It was a lot of time, money and effort, but I think it’s been worth it.”
Nelson explained that small-town life is in his blood.
“I graduated from Panorama High School, and I always wanted to come back to a small town. I like the community, the atmosphere and the type of people who are here,” Nelson said. “I definitely like the peace and quiet.”
Currently, the office is open Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. But despite not being fulltime, Nelson aims for complete patient service.
“One of the things I pride myself on here is that I do almost everything in-house. Implants, dentures, partial dentures, orthodontics, braces. I do root canals and some pediatric dentistry,” Nelson said. “Of course, if a case is too difficult, I have to refer it out.”
Nelson believes in staying up to date with technology in dental care.
“I also have a 3-D printer here, so I’m able to print certain appliances for patients such as dentures, surgical guides and things like that,” Nelson said. “I scan almost everything, which means no goopy molds. It’s just a wand that basically takes a video, and then I use that to 3-D print things.”
The business has a small but dedicated team.
“I have four employees — plus Ollie,” Nelson said. “There’s Anna, who mainly works up front, scheduling and checking insurances. And I have two assistants right now. Daffnie is from Panora originally, and my other assistant, Kylee, is also from the area. She’s actually going to dental hygiene school this fall to become a dental hygienist. And the hygienist that I have now is Nam. It’s like a family.”
Nelson mentioned two factors that make his practice special.
“One is our comfort dog, Ollie. He’s a Golden Doodle, so he’s hypoallergenic, and he’s a big lover. He doesn’t really bark, and just wants to be pet. He’s a huge hit and helps people who have anxiety. We’ve had him here since 2020,” Nelson said. “The other thing is keeping things in-house as much as possible so that people don’t have to make trips to Des Moines or Omaha.”
Asked about a favorite success story, Nelson quickly recalled a patient who needed relief from a very distressing situation.
“One of my favorites would be a patient that needed some pretty extensive work. I took out some bad teeth that were causing her pain,” he said. “I was able to implant dentures, and when we were done, she was crying because she was so happy. She gave us all hugs.”
In the foreseeable future, Nelson has no plans make big changes to his business. Instead, he intends to keep doing what has worked so far.
“I definitely plan to stay up to date, not only with the technology stuff, but with the routine stuff, too. To renew my license, they require 30 hours of continuing education every two years,” Nelson said. “I usually do 80 to 100 so we can keep providing the best care possible.”
