Kelly & Erin Sedars – Adel Family Dentistry
Adel Family Dentistry moved to Adel in 1988. It literally was moved to Adel, by Jim Frush, who had the building relocated to Greene Street. Today it is owned and operated by Kelly and Erin Sedars. We got a chance to talk with Kelly and Erin about their practice.
They’re the third owners of the practice, purchasing it in 2008.
Kelly is a Doctor Dental Surgery, (D.D.S) and Erin is the office manager.
Kelly is from Winterset, but spent quite a bit time in Adel, his dad Craig Sedars owns Modern Motors. His mother was an Orton, his grandparents were trapeze artists with the circus.
He is an Iowa City College School Dental graduate, a very competitive school with over a 1,000 applicants each year, he made the first cut.
Erin grew up in Cascade Iowa near Dubuque and went to high school in Dyersville. Her parents were both teachers. She graduated from to St. Ambrose University with a biology degree and was a researcher at Iowa City.
They met in Iowa City when introduced by mutual friends. They still have strong ties to the University of Iowa and season tickets.
They make a great team, each playing off the others strengths. They have high expectations and both enjoy a strong professional relationship using their own shorthand communication.
In 2005, at the age of 26, Kelly did extensive research on different options for a practice. His research led him to the Adel practice. He started working only a couple of days a week. The next year they hired a single staff member, since then the practice has tripled in size.
Erin attributes the growth to the slow periods in the beginning allowing them the time to communicate with their clients. Both Kelly and Erin are people oriented and enjoy the time they get to spend with each client and put them at ease.
Kelly went to school to be an orthodontist, although greatful for the training, he realized he wanted to focus on General Dentistry. It’s a wider range of practice, covering Oral, Periodontia, Prosthodontics, also known as dental prosthetics, Pediatrics, and Oral X-rays. It allows them to offer as many services as possible to better serve the community.
Kelly was inspired to be a dentist by Jim Rundel, who had a good chair side manner and was a great communicator. The realization he was going to be a dentist came as he sat in the chair looking up at the florescent lights.
He laughs about the way it came to him, but except for a short time in ROTC where they couldn’t guarantee he’d be dentist and he considered computer science or pilot training, he hasn’t focused on anything else.
Kelly is very detail oriented and likes working with his hands and problem solving. He enjoys receiving new patient referrals from his current patients.
Kelly’s advice for finding a dentist is to schedule an initial visit and to have an overall consult. It allows the patient a chance to know if they mesh as opposed to an emergency consult.
They recommend that children see the dentist by their 1st birthday. Prevention is the key to good oral health. It is a concept that has met reluctance from the medical community. By the age of three teeth are “old” and problems may already exist. Early visits help prevent issues early. It has resulted in a much lower loss rate and fewer trips to the dentist.
Adel Family Dentistry tailors treatment to each client’s personally, explaining the options and allowing the client to play a significant role in the treatment. Once all of the options are explained, an educated decision is made avoiding any misunderstandings.
Staff: Samantha Derifield, Ali Baker, Kelly & Erin Sedars
Kelly and Erin are big believers in giving back to the community they live in. He volunteers dental screenings at the Special Olympics and for Smile Squad. Smile Squad is an R.V. that travels to schools and treats kids in the Des Moines area offered by the Des Moines Public Health Center.
In his spare time he builds electric guitars and is restoring a ’66 Mustang Fastback, the same as his first car.
Erin volunteers with the John D. Gomke Foundation, earning high praise from Jessica Gomke. She was instrumental in organizing the Adel Fire Department Fundraiser after their neighbors, the Schmitzs, lost their house in a fire.
Their staff consists of Samatha Derifield and Ali Baker. Samantha is the dental hygienist and she has been with them for 7 years and Ali Baker is the dental assistant. Ali was one of their patients before going to assisting school. She has been working with them for over 2 years.
Adel Family Dentistry, P.C.
Kelly J. Sedars, D.D.S.
1202 Greene St.
Adel, IA 50003
(515) 993-3701
Email: afdentistry1004@qwestoffice.net
Website: AdelFamilyDentistry.com
