Three Generations of Kutina Dental Span 82 Years of Service in Great Bend

Father-and-Son Dentists - Drs. Larry and Loren Kutina stand in front of a sign that marks Kutina Dental Office, 3820 6th Street. The younger Kutina practices on the east side of the building, while Dr. Ross Hildebrand practices on the west side.

Dr. Kutina has been taking care of teeth since before the discovery of penicillin. That is, there's been three generations of Kutina dentists in Great Bend dating back to 1925, ever since Dr. George Kutina opened his practice soon after completing dentistry school. History credits Scottish biologist Alexander Flemming with the discovery of the miracle drug, penicillin, three years later. There's no distinct relationship between the two events. The penicillin reference merely drives home the point that the first Kutina set up his dentist practice in Great Bend a long, long time ago.

George's son, Dr. Loren Kutina, joined him in Great Bend in 1961, after completing dentistry school and then Loren's son, Dr. Larry Kutina, joined his father after completing dentistry school and residency in 1989.

Dr. George Kutina, who began the family dentist lineage in 1925. George grew up on a family farm near Ellis, but decided to practice dentistry in Great Bend upon completing school.

The youngest Kutina dentist, who is the only one practicing now, remembers his grandfather serving in that role decades earlier. The eldest Kutina was a mild-mannered, well-respected dentist who could be seen daily in his office wearing a white shirt, dark ties and long sleeved shirt and rolled up sleeves.

"And now I work in scrubs," said Larry. "I wear pajamas to work every day."

"Times have changed," added Loren, who retired from the profession in 2002. "When I got out of dental school, you didn't go anywhere without a jacket and tie."

Much like the dress code, laser dentistry, computer-generated crowns and other innovative techniques have changed how procedures are done within the profession. Appointments, billing and payroll that once filled volumes of ledgers only two decades earlier are now processed via computer.

"It's easier now to track the business and track the trends of the business," said Larry. "I can't imagine figuring payroll without a computer, but that's the way we operated for many years."

Window View - Shown is one of four operatories at Kutina Dental, this one with a window view of flowers, trees and green fields. "We wanted to create more of a home atmosphere instead of a sterile, sometimes fearful atmosphere," explained Kutina about office's decor. "We want people to feel this is a comfortable and warm environment. We feel our patients deserve more than just in-and-out with no connection to us."

Larry works in a five-year-old, 2,500-square-foot office at 3820 6th Street. The office includes four operatories with window views of flowers, bird houses and spacious fields; an inviting and comfortable waiting area; and a consultation room equipped with computer. Patients can even access information about Kutina's practice via the Web, www.kutinadental.com.

Larry's practice seems worlds apart from the small, upstairs office his grandfather started with on Main Street, above a Rexall drugstore, where Jennifer's Hallmark now stands.

"On one block, there were four or five dentists overlooking Main Street," remembered Loren. "It was popular in those days to have the upstairs dentist offices downtown, not just in Great Bend."

Teeth Technology - CEREC by Sirona Dental Systems is the world's only system for the fabrication of all ceramic dental restorations in one office visit. With CEREC, patients can be in and out in a single visit with a permanent, all ceramic crown, onlay, or veneer. CEREC is an acronym for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics.

When Loren joined his father, the two built a new office near 21st and Washington. They practiced together in that building until George retired in 1977. He died in 1978.

Eleven years later, after adding space, Loren had the privilege of practicing with Larry at the same location. The two worked together there until Larry moved his practice to its current location in 2002. The elder Kutina phased out his practice from the new location.

"I remember my mother was concerned about me coming back to partner with my dad," said Loren. "Many times, those types of family partnerships don't work out over a long period of time. When Larry came back, I thought about the same thing because we've always had an exceptionally good relationship and I didn't want to chance compromising that relationship. We kept the practices separate, but operated in the same facility."

No matter the differences and generation gaps that exist between the family of dentists, the fundamentals of dentistry remain constant through the years, said Larry.

Consultation Room - Kutina's elegant consultation room is airy with French doors and lots of windows. On the table is a computer where the dental staff can access patients' files with information to aid in consultations.

"You are still offering quality, family-oriented services," he said. "Those values are always brought forward and your relationship with the patients is still of the highest importance, no matter the level of technology."

To help build patient relationships, both Kutina's stressed the importance of keeping good, longtime employees. Loren incorporated his practice after George retired, in part to offer a pension program to his employees. "I was fortunate because I always had people that were basically 20-year employees," said Loren.

Larry's staff comprises an office manager who's been with him a dozen years, a dental assistant who has worked there eight years and a dental hygienist who's served two years in the office.

Kutina Web - The Web site provides information about Kutina Dentist Office, including information about services, technology, staff, affordability and policies. Kutina launched the Web site last month, too new to know the impact of the site on his business. Access the Web site at www.kutinadental.com.

There was never pressure for Larry to follow in the Kutina footsteps of dentistry, he said. Rather, "the opportunity was there to answer questions I had and not to push me to go one way or the other." Years later, however, he understands his importance in carrying on the Kutina dentist legacy. It comes with a sense of pride and responsibility.

"I look at it as a compliment that I have some patients that saw my grandfather and saw my father and I'm seeing them now," said Larry. "To see the quality work that was done years back, it's still there. I guess that's pressure on me to continue the trend of doing great work."