WESTON, Mo. — A husband-wife combo has opened a new dental practice in Weston.
Drs. Matt and Robin Hildebrand opened Hildebrand Dental of Weston earlier this year, making it the third location for the duo in northwest Missouri. The original location opened in Plattsburg and the two recently unveiled an expanded location in Smithville.
The two did a total remodel of the Weston location at 18225 Missouri 45 late last year in what was a former dentist’s office. They didn’t retain any of the clients of the old dentist, rather starting from scratch. A fresher look was brought to the office, which included repurposing items like the front desk from the Smithville office remodel. The locations also share staff.
CODY THORN/Citizen photo
The staff at the Hildebrand Dental office in Weston includes Jenni Tyrrell, left, Dr. Robin Hildebrand, and Jessica Heilma, clinical assistant. Not pictured is Dr. Matt Hildebrand.
The talks for the purchase started last May and by the summer, a deal was reached to purchase the Weston location. Over the next six months the couple remodeled the office and brought in three chairs and will have room for a fourth if the demand is there, like in Smithville.
Each room in the Weston location features two TVs, one on the wall and one on the ceiling, so patients can watch while they are laying down — an idea that Matt Hildenbrand had.
The three location set up means that the Hildebrands rotate time at each office. The schedule for one Dr. Hildebrand is every other Monday and Friday, while the other Dr. Hildebrand works the other Monday and Thursday. The goal, Robin Hildebrand said, is to be open three or four days in the Weston office, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“When you start from new it is hard because there is no one on the books and you don’t know what your month will look like,” Robin Hildebrand said. “We bought the practice last summer and it has been like a startup, with no one on the schedule. It was a scary start, but so far it has been good.
“Plattsburg is a similar size to Weston so we knew what they would need and the service we would provide, I feel like it was a perfect fit. It has been good. Every day people have been calling for an appointment. We have been really busy. We are so happy we are here.”
The Weston location will be adding Dr. Allyson Missura from El Paso, Texas this spring. The Leavenworth native was a college roommate of Robin Hildebrand.
Matt, who is from St. Louis, and Robin, a Wichita, Kan. native, met at dental school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The couple decided to stay in the Kansas City area after graduation.
Robin is also an orthodontist and all three locations proximity to schools, makes it an easy stop in case a wire or a bracket is bothering someone with braces.
“We opened wanting to provide the best for a small town,” Robin Hildebrand said. “Small towns … that is our niche. We want to make it a good experience and taking care of people and doing more of them. A lot don’t really want to drive really far and we can do a root canal here instead of them driving 45 minutes.”