Heidi Reuter, DDS, of Reuter Family Dentistry is a busy professional. Reuter runs a solo practice in her hometown of Wadena, Minn., is raising three children with her husband, and is highly involved in both her professional and personal communities. She’s also dedicated to advancing her dentistry by staying at the forefront of new advances in dental procedures and technology.

Reuter’s first practice was about 1,200 square feet and had four operatories. She and her team made it work for five years, but were sometimes bumping into each other – literally. Certainly this was not the most efficient way to practice dentistry.

When she had time to stop and think about growing her practice, Reuter kept going back to her patients, thinking about the type of experience they would want when going to the dentist. She began to formulate an idea for complete patient comfort, beginning in the parking lot, continuing throughout check-in and reception, then carrying through to the patient’s time in the dental chair – all in a new, efficient and modern building.

Today, Reuter is in a new office nearly triple the size she and her team previously occupied. Only about three miles down the road, but located on a busier street, the new practice was designed in conjunction with her Patterson team to streamline flow, increase the day-to-day efficiency and follow ergonomic best practices for patients and team.

With so many decisions to make – from floor plan to number of operatories to how to equip each of them – how did Reuter begin? “I’ve known about Patterson and A-dec since dental school. I knew I could start there. Both companies have a reputation I trust, so it was a matter of assembling a team.” So Reuter assembled her team.

Reuter graduated with honors from the College of St. Benedict, then earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, graduating in the top of her class. After practicing in larger cities in Minnesota, Reuter made the decision to return to the small town of Wadena to practice dentistry and raise her family.

Being the only doctor at her practice meant little time for meetings. Equipment Specialist Kevin Muhonen, A-dec representative Scott Beltz and Patterson Territory Representative Tony Hansen met with Reuter and her husband, Ryan Reuter (also Reuter Family Dentistry’s CFO and practice manager) on Dr. Reuter’s day off at the couple’s home. Conversations always began with, and centered on, patient comfort and team efficiency.

First, the team drafted floor plan drawings for the Reuters to review and revise, until a plan was finalized. Then, the Patterson team kicked it up a notch, moving the drawings into DesignEdge, Patterson Dental’s exclusive 3D office design service. DesignEdge takes 3D renderings to the next level by allowing doctors to virtually walk through their new office. In doing so, the Reuters’ plans went from drawing to experience in an entirely new way.