Dr.Duane Smith and his wife, Ann, will close their dental practice today. They are pictured with Stephanie Nokes, left, and Maggie Kennedy, right, who work with them.

Today, Dr. Duane Smith and his wife, Ann, will lock the door on 43 years of dental service to the Webster City community.

“Our practice will be closing,” Ann Smith said. “We tried for some time to get a replacement, which didn’t happen. So we are transferring patient records and will be selling equipment.”

At a time when dental service for the underemployed is sorely needed, Dr. Smith’s practice stepped up and served everyone in need.

“We have always tried to see patients from all walks of life, including Iowa Medicaid (now called Iowa Dental Wellness Plan), which reimburses at a significantly reduced rate,” Ann Smith said. “We felt we needed to care for everyone who chose our office for their dental care the same regardless of their method of payment.”

She added: “We are still a business and because we were the only office in Hamilton County that would accept DWP, needing to watch our cash flow, we had to stop seeing adult DWP for three years.” She said that on July 1, 2021, kids were also switched to DWP Kids and they had to sign a new agreement or not see Medicaid kids any longer.

They came to Webster City from Council Bluffs, via the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. When Dr. Smith graduated, they planted their dental roots on July 9, 1979 here.

Ann Smith worked while her husband was in dental school

“I was the first clinical assistant and front office person for the first year of Duane’s practice,” she said. “I had been an assistant for five years by then and worked at the dental college while Duane was going to school. We were married in 1974.”

Because they had come from bigger cities, she was only partially joking when she confided that in a town the size of Webster City they always knew what their children were up to — because everyone knew.

“I always felt there were lots of people watching out for my kids,” she said.

She added, “We have a lot of favorite patients and most are considered friends. In a town this size there are so many more connections to the people around you, it’s very special.

“We’ve had so many great people coming to us for so many years, we are really grateful they have trusted us with their dental needs and at least given us the appearance they enjoyed the experience.

“The bad aspects of a town this size were the closing of the manufacturing businesses which changed a lot of the town dynamics and affected our practice.”

They are not only saying goodbye to their office; they are saying farewell to their treasured staff.

They are Stephanie Nokes, QDA – clinical dental assistant/front office assistant; and Maggie Kennedy, RDH – registered dental hygienist.

“Stephanie worked as an assistant for us in the early 90s and decided to pursue a job opportunity to work at First State Bank, Second Street Emporium and Webster City schools,” Ann Smith said. “We were very fortunate she came back to us in 2020 as a multifunctional assistant who can cover chairside clinical and front office assistant duties.”

She added, “We’ve had our great hygienist Maggie since early 2015 and she is often the first member of our staff to begin a patient’s dental care. She is the one who does a majority of the cleanings and guides our patients in their home care.”

Their futures are uncertain.

“Both girls haven’t decided on where they will go after we are done with patient treatment, but will be a great asset to any office they choose,” she said.

They leave behind them no only a dental practice, but memories of accomplishments.

“I’m very proud of Duane,” Ann Smith said. “He worked very hard in dental school, got very good grades and has continued to work very hard to provide a quality of care he would want for himself and a member of his family. He loved school (including organic and inorganic chemistry) and still loves the whole learning process.”

Today, when those 43 years are at last behind them, the forecast for Dr. Smith and his wife calls for an abundance of family time.

“We don’t get to see our siblings and their families very often and want to do that,” Ann Smith said. “Spending time and helping our kids and grandkids — oldest son Matt, his wife, Angel, daughters Nola, 7, and Delanie, 3, in Urbandale; daughter Amy, her husband Noah (Windschitl) in Des Moines; and son Brad and his son Evan, 2, here in Webster City.”