Last October, Tiffin Dental Associates opened its office in the Mercy Office Building. Dentists Samantha Kin Zaciewski and Randall E. Niederkohr now have a busy practice which includes pediatric dental services. Both doctors are graduates of Carey High School, and have family members in Carey.
Having worked together at another dental office in Carey, Niederkohr and Zaciewski said they decided to pair up for their latest venture.
Zaciewski has been practicing dentistry for six years. Prior to opening the Tiffin practice, she was working in Toledo. She said the move was influenced by her husband Tom, who is finishing his medical training in urology.
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PHOTO BY DON GROFF
Dentist Randall Niederkohr works on a young patient at Tiffin Dental Associates, Suite 109, in the Mercy Office Building.
"My husband actually had signed a contract with Tiffin Mercy to come there when he was done with school. He was very happy with the location. He had rotated through there while he was in med school," Zaciewski said. "He helped build the urology suite upstairs in the Mercy Office Building, and there was available room downstairs, so we decided to go ahead and build the office there."
Zaciewski said she received her degrees at Ohio State University. She said the sciences always appealed to her, and she had "a very good experience" with an orthodontist, who still is practicing in Upper Sandusky.
"I had a ton of work done, so I was kind of interested in it, and I liked the medical field. So I got a job in a dental office while I was in college, loved it and decided to go to dental school. I love it. It's the best profession there is," Zaciewski said.
She said her other job is being a mom to two daughters, ages 1 and 4.
Zaciewski said she treats patients of all ages, while Niederkohr specializes in pediatric dentistry. The kid-friendly office is decorated in bright colors, and the treatment rooms and waiting area are dotted with stuffed animals and toys.
Because Niederkohr is only in Tiffin about 10 days a month, most of the day-to-day business falls to Zaciewski. She and Niederkohr say they continue to take new patients, but many of their friends and family members have followed them to Tiffin. Zaciewski said they had no trouble attracting patients.
"I practiced in Toledo before this, and honestly, it's really hard to start up. A lot of it is word of mouth, especially when there are a lot of dentists around," Zaciewski said. "Everyone in Tiffin has been wonderful ... I can't believe how nice everyone has been, and appreciative."
Niederkohr earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Toledo and moved on to the University of Chicago to become a respiratory therapist. In 1988, he graduated from dental school at Case Western Reserve University. He did his pediatric dental residency at the University of Southern California and Children's Hospital, Los Angeles.
"I actually worked at Children's Hospital of Long Beach for about a year after I finished my residency and then I purchased my practice in 1991," Niederkohr said.
His private practice is in California, so he said he flies back and forth through Columbus on commercial flights. While he is in Los Angeles, he said he shops in the toy district and buys toys to give out at both offices. Each child is invited to pick out a toy to take home.
"I guess I was always interested in dentistry, and I knew I wanted to do pediatric dentistry. I like working with kids, and they're very easy to work on," Niederkohr said.
Carol, the receptionist at Tiffin Dental Associates, is Niederkohr's sister. Another sister, aunts and uncles still live in Carey. Between the established clients and the new ones, he said he is finding plenty of work to do.
"I am so impressed. I wish I would have done this years ago. That's how busy I am ... I have no complaints whatsoever," Niederkohr said.
To learn more about Tiffin Dental Associates, call (419) 447-7337.
