Turning Passion into Purpose: O'Gorman Grad and Mount Marty College Alumnus Makes Hospital Dentistry a Mission

A first visit to the dentist can be scary for any child, but for a young one who’s already in severe pain from excruciating tooth decay, the idea of seeing a dentist is even more terrifying. Imagine a young child who has had little or no access to dental care since birth resulting in improper hygiene – and a mouth full of abscessed teeth, a swollen face from infection and a high fever. A situation like this would bring any parent to a crisis point, not knowing where to turn for help, professionally as well as financially.

Imagine the pain and fear a child has. Imagine parents who aren’t able to pay without assistance.

Meet a doctor whose focus is relieving the pain of patients such as these—the underserved, specifically in the Yankton area – Dr. Chris Dickes, DDS.

Dickes ('00), a Mount Marty College (MMC) alumnus, opened his hospital-based dental practice in January 2015 at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital’s Benedictine Center.

"Since I left Mount Marty, I felt called to do what I do," says Dickes, "to be a healthcare provider in the sense that I'm in a profession where I can free people of suffering. Which for me is the most gratifying aspect of my profession."

After graduating from MMC, Dickes continued on to Creighton University in Omaha where he received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. From there, he went on to serve as a dentist in the United States Navy, then for an inner-city dental office in Dayton, Ohio and, later, as a dentist for patients at Mike Durfee State Prison and the Human Services Center (HSC), South Dakota's state mental hospital. It was in these later roles, working with patients who had unique needs, where Dickes discovered his calling within his field, at the same time filling a specific need in the Yankton area—hospital dentistry.

Today, with a dental practice based in Yankton and having the ability to work out of multiple clinic sites—including Yankton's Avera Sacred Heart Hospital and Avera McKennan Hospital and Sanford Health, both in Sioux Falls, and most recently at Osceola Community Hospital in Sibley, IA—Dickes is able to coordinate with hospital staff to provide dental care to patients who require general anesthesia to complete their complex treatment.

Dickes recalls many memories from his time at the Mount. He was propelled to success, both as a member of a men's basketball team which made the Final Four in the 1998 NAIA National Tournament, and also as a pre-professional student. Dickes gives credit for such successes to the college, students and professors he encountered.

"I didn't really have a plan coming in, but I was able to do so much in a short amount of time, surrounded by good people," says Dickes. "What Mount Marty has is access to any opportunity at Yankton's Sacred Heart Hospital and Yankton Medical Clinic. Yankton is really unique in that there are a lot of good doctors here that do amazing things that students have access to. I see the college as a pre-professional school, an elite pre-professional school at that ... It's really a gem."

And who from Mount Marty was particularly impactful?

"Without a doubt Matt was the guy who helped get me here," Dickes explains about his MMC roommate and fellow O'Gorman grad, Matt Hayes—who went on to become a MD in Radiology. “Matt’s work ethic was a huge influence on me, helping me stay focused on my studies to get my pre-professional degree at Mount Marty.”

Now wearing the white coat and having been influenced by family members, such as his great-aunt, Sister Rosaleen Dickes O.S.B. of Sacred Heart Monastery, Dickes has come to understand his dental practice as part of our savior’s mission.  

“I feel that I have been able to achieve my mission as a Catholic layman, serving and promoting the healing practice of Jesus through hospital dentistry,” says Dickes.

Hospital dentistry is often the only way that some patients, such as the very ill, those with special needs, and those with a fear of dental care, can tolerate much needed care. Young children with dental disease particularly benefit from hospital dentistry, as they often need time-consuming and complex treatment to repair or remove decaying teeth.

Dr. William Reardon, owner and dentist at Yankton Dental Clinic and also a MMC alumnus (’88), refers complex dentistry cases to Dickes. For example, Reardon says he often refers young children with severe dental disease to Dickes for hospital dentistry, where they may find help and relief more efficiently, compared to the multiple traditional dentist visits that it might take to complete the process.

“We provide moderate sedation, and that works for some adults, but often times children with special needs, or those who are very anxious, it’s hard to make them comfortable,” says Reardon. “Those children really benefit from general anesthesia, as they need a deeper level of sedation.”

According to Reardon, hospital dentistry is sometimes the only route for children with severe dental disease.

The National Children's Oral Health Foundation states that childhood tooth decay is the leading chronic childhood illness in America, with more than 40 percent of children having cavities by the time they reach kindergarten. Dickes believes hospital dentistry can be a great way for youngsters in high need situations to get treatment while reducing the trauma of intense dental work.

And, despite the fact that the majority of the severe cases don’t have the means to pay for basic dental care, Dickes doesn't let income become a defining factor for who he serves. Dickes' office works closely with patients to find funding through Medicaid, public assistance, and other organizations.

“The team, in listening to our patient’s financial needs, helps to figure out the best route for financial assistance,” says Dickes.

Dickes’ mission, providing dental care for those who need it most, is an ideal he is passing on to Mount Marty students interested in dentistry. Through the MMC Dental Club, which Dickes helped form a couple of years ago, students spend time shadowing at Dickes' Yankton office, experiencing not only the technical side of dentistry, but also the business side of operating a private practice.

There's no doubt that Dickes believes these students, under the formation of Mount Marty College, will continue to provide service to others through faith and their passions.

“I hope that others will take advantage of MMC’s pre-professional program,” says Dickes. “You could be a student that feels like all the cards are stacked against you, and come to a place like Mount Marty and do well."