Whatís in a name?

By Barbara Brown
When Dr. Michael Grotheim thinks about his 33 years of practice in North Branch, he gets a little emotional.
Thatís not surprising considering Grotheim spent all those years in the little yellow dental office at the corner of 6th Ave. and Main St.
While Grotheim and Dr. Richard Johnson have shared them same office space for the past several years, the two were not partners, Grotheim said, and Johnson bought out Grotheimís interest in the building.
Grotheim, his wife Barbara and the staff of the office moved everything three blocks up the road to Midtown Commons and got set up to open Sun Dental.
The ësuní theme can be seen in a lot of what Grotheim does. His license plate reads Sunracer and the Sun Dental idea came from his own sonís involvement in the University of Minnesotaís solar vehicle racing team.
The new office is nearly twice the size of Grotheimís old location and offers a lab, sterilization room, comfortable waiting area and bright, updated dental studios.
Keeping the business a family-friendly one is tops on Grotheimís priority list.
Barbara Grotheim is returning to the practice after taking a 27-year leave to raise the coupleís family of four children.
Patti Anderson, who works as the office receptionist, has been with the office for 26 years.
Grotheim said last week that he is starting to see grandchildren of his first dental patients coming in for their check-ups.
ìItís really amazing to see,î he said. ìThese people arenít just patients. It really is like this is my family.î
New to the staff are hygienist Lori Olson, who has 20 years experience. Grotheim said she will be the first hygienist in town.
Olsonís husband was a patient of Dr. Grotheimís when he was a young man.
Matt Peterson, who will arrive July 1 after graduation from dentistry school, will join the practice as a second dentist
Adding the hygienist and the new dentist will make it easier for patients to get appointments for check-ups while allowing the dentists to concentrate on more in-depth procedures.
Along with the new office came some new equipment, including a panoramic X-ray machine that will allow Grotheim to detect potential dental concerns early.
Also, clients can be given nitrous oxide ñ commonly known as laughing gas ñ to take the edge off prior to getting numbed with novocaine for a dental procedure.
Barbara Grotheim said the family wanted to assure their patients and friends that they do not plan on leaving any time soon.
ìHeís certainly not going to retire,î she said of Dr. Grotheim. ìHeís not ready for that yet.
ìThis move shows our commitment to staying in the community and offering services to North Branch.î

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