Meet the Team

We’d love to see you!

I graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dental hygiene in 1983 and have been licensed to practice dentistry in the State of Nebraska since that time.

I began working at Optimal Dental in 1984.  During that time I have also had the opportunity to teach part-time in the Periodontal Department at the UNMC College of Dentistry and to practice part-time in a periodontal office.

My favorite thing about the profession would be the relationships that I have with my patients. Over the years, I feel like I have developed a friendship with most of my patients. I love that many of the children that I saw for their first dental appointments are now getting married and bringing their children in to see us! I also enjoy that the practice of dentistry is always changing. With the advances in technology and patient care, there is always something new and exciting to share with the patients.

My main role in the office would be to oversee the patient’s periodontal (bone and tissue) health. I do this by evaluating tissue health with a full periodontal assessment, taking radiographs to see bone levels, checking for oral cancer, and removing any build-up on the teeth by either scaling (routine cleaning) or by scaling and root planing (periodontal therapy). I follow this up with home care instructions and by continually monitoring the patient’s dental health and dental hygiene needs.

My personal interests are my family, friends, walking and going to the health club.  When the weather is nice, I enjoy being outside, I am a wimp in the cold weather!

I was born in Germany, while my father was in military service, and grew up here in Lincoln, graduating in 1988 from Pius X High School. I attended the University of Nebraska to complete pre-requisite requirements before attending the UNMC College of Dentistry and graduated with a degree in Dental Hygiene in 1994.

I have worked at Optimal Dental since 1994, and truly love this practice. During the many years I have worked as a Dental Hygienist, I have had opportunities to specialize in areas I enjoy, gaining valuable experience I offer to all of my patients. Early in my career I worked in a pediatric dental practice where I developed a love for working with kids of all ages. I currently specialize in a periodontal office as well.

I am also a registered licensed yoga instructor.

Kristian and I married in 1992, and have a family of five children we adore; Ashley, Ehlee, William, Maire and Maura. We also have a pug, 2 cats and a rabbit.

I grew up and graduated from Milford in 2003. I attended Done College in Crete, Nebraska where I completed my pre-requisites for Dental Hygiene. I then transferred to UNL and graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene.

I am very fortunate to love what I do. One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is being able to form close relationships with my patients. I also enjoy working with people of all ages.

Our beautiful daughter, Tenli, was born in August 2015 : )

I started off my dental career as a dental assistant for a few years before deciding to go back to school for Dental Hygiene. I graduated from Central Community College in 2007 and was blessed to be welcomed into the Optimal Dental family right away.

I love the dental profession and the patients I get to work with. The dental field is always changing and technology growing so we can better serve our patients. We do a lot of continuing education throughout the year to keep up to date on these changes.

My favorite thing would be the relationships that I am able to build with our patients. I love hearing what they have been up to since the last time we saw each other, what their kids are doing and where they have been traveling to. I also love working with people with dental anxiety. It is so rewarding to see their smiles at the end of the appointment, when they tell me they had a great experience in our office and make their next appointment to come back to see us.

As a Dental Hygienist my job is to monitor your tissue and bone health. I love educating patients on oral diseases (for example: gingivitis, decay and periodontal disease) and going over home care to help reduce the amount of bacteria in the mouth. We also perform Oral Cancer Screenings on each patient.

My personal interests include traveling, crafting, ice fishing, camping, reading, my two kitties and spending time with my many nieces and nephews.

I grew up in the Kansas City area but now consider Lincoln home! I moved here in 2013 to attend the University of Nebraska. Upon graduating in 2017 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Dental Hygiene, I gained valuable experiece for a year before joining the Optimal Dental team part-time.

My passion for dentistry is rooted in the time I spend getting to know our patients and their families, often many generations. I hope the connections as well as the dentistry make people feel cared for. I also hope to offer our patients knowledge and tools so that they feel empowered and equipped to take responsibility for their oral health.

I am marrying David in September! We have one pup named Osborne, as in Tom. I enjoy traveling, spending time with our extended family, and making use of the trail system in town.

I graduated from the accredited Dental Assisting Program at Southeast Community College here in Lincoln in 1988. Prior to dental assisting school, I received my Associates degree from Southeast Community College in Beatrice.

I started as an assistant with Dr. Ganser upon graduation. I moved out of state for a period of time, while out of state, I assisted in an oral surgery practice full-time as well as completing lab work for two family practices. After returning “home” to Nebraska; I was very fortunate to return to Optimal Dental.

Beginning in the fall of 2007, the doctors allowed me the opportunity to work as an adjunct clinical instructor for the Southeast Community College Dental Assisting Program during the spring and fall quarters, one afternoon a week. I did this over a span of 4 years, and during that time I supervised, graded and offered feedback to the Dental Assisting students completing clinical rotations at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Dentistry along with site visits of students while in private practices.

I very much enjoy taking care of our patients on a daily basis and the relationships I have formed with them over the years. I feel fortunate to work alongside Dr. Bailey and Dr. Wirth every day. I take pride in what I do and the people I work with.

Away from the office, my two adult daughters take up part of my time. I love spending time with friends, both in and out of the office, and I play on a coed competitive volleyball team through our church (even though every year I tell myself “this is the last time” it never is).

I grew up on an acreage outside of Hickman where I attended Norris School District 160 and graduated in 2012. Soon after, I moved to Lincoln and spent 2 years at Southeast Community College. While attending SCC, I rotated through Optimal Dental where I fell in love with their beautiful, clean office and cheery staff. I then graduated from SCC’s accredited Dental Assisting Program in 2014, and worked at another office for about a year to gain experience. Fall of 2015, I was blessed to have the opportunity to become a part of the Optimal Dental team and have been enjoying it here ever since.

Away from the office, I am busy planning a wedding with my fiancé Cody. My free time is usually spent playing volleyball, spending time with family and playing with our two dogs, Ellis and Jojo.

I was born in Lincoln, Nebraska but grew up in Syracuse, Nebraska. After graduating from Syracuse High School in 2009, I attended the University of Nebraska in Omaha and then on to Southeast Community College, where I graduated from the accredited Dental Assisting Program in 2013.

Since graduating, I worked as an orthodontic assistant. I enjoyed working with children of all ages and I especially loved the final results of creating a beautiful smile.

I joined Optimal Dental in 2014, my role as a Hygiene Assistant is to assist patients, as well as the needs of the hygienists. I have great joy in assisting patients and forming new life long relationships.

My husband and I were married in 2014, we added to our family in October 2016 with the birth of our son Barrett, who was welcomed home by our “first born fur baby” Oakley. My husband and I farm near Syracuse, Nebraska, and when I’m not working as a dental assistant, I’m fulfilling my duties as a farmer’s wife.

I was born in Lincoln and grew up on an acreage north of town. I graduated from Raymond Central High School in 2009 and went on to get my associates degree in Human Services from Southeast Community College. In 2015 I decided to change up my job field and went back to school where I graduated from the accredited Dental Assisting Program at Southeast Community College. After graduating, I worked at a general office for 2 years before making the switch to Optimal Dental where I was a long time patient prior.

In my free time I enjoy going out to the lake, going to concerts, taking my dog for a walk, and watching football. I spend a lot of time with friends and family, but try to spend the most time with my niece and 2 nephews.

I am originally from Fullerton, Nebraska, graduating from Fullerton High School in 1981. I attended Central Community College in Columbus, Nebraska, graduating with a degree as a Licensed Practical Nurse. Since that time I have worked in dental offices in Fullerton, Columbus, and Lincoln, and have been with Optimal Dental since 1989.

My role in the office as business manager includes being responsible for accounts receivable, accounts payable, resolving insurance claims and questions.

I very much enjoy the interaction with patients; being able to help them with their concerns and having them be happy with the outcome.

My husband and I were married in 1984, we have two grown children and two granddaughters. My personal interests include spending time with my family, camping, church activities and reading.

In 1995, I accepted my first position as a Dental Office Manager after having worked many years in public service and customer service management. I met Dr. Bailey working at a dental practice in South Lincoln shortly after moving here in 2001. In 2004, I came to work for Drs. Ganser and Bailey at Optimal Dental as Insurance/Finance Coordinator.

In 2011, I chose to explore other dental office management opportunities. I worked at a practice with Dr. Wirth 2012-2014 as an account executive for a dental billing service 2012-2015.

Though outside work experiences provided varied and valuable knowledge, I happily returned to Optimal Dental in 2015 when a position became available. Much of what I do at Optimal Dental is promote our family-friendly practice and the excellent care provided here. As scheduling coordinator, my goal is to build a daily schedule that utilizes the clinical staff and doctors’ time effectively, while devoting adequate time to each patient for the treatment they need, being respectful of everyone’s time.

Family time is my first priority outside the office. Mike and I have been married since 1979. We raised a son and 2 daughters, each married with families of their own, blessing us with nine grandchildren. Any and all time spent with them is our greatest joy! In addition, I enjoy a variety of arts and crafts, and a wide range of music.

After graduating from the Heartland Dental Assisting Program, I worked as a Dental Assistant at a practice in Omaha for a year.  In July 2015 I was hired at Optimal Dental, filling the position as Front Desk Receptionist, where I get to meet and greet all of our Optimal Dental “family”.  I love seeing their smiles!

I was born in Houston, Texas and moved to Lincoln at the age of 7 so, I have lived here most of my life.

My fiancé and soulmate, Eric and I are raising our two boys, Taylor and Jackson, who occupy most of our time outside of work.  Given the opportunity, I enjoy photographing weddings and family.