By Mary Owen
A Stayton dentistry practice passed down from father to son now has a new owner.
Dr. Roger Van Santen started working with his father, Dr. Boyd Van Santen in 1972.
The two worked together until the elder Van Santen retired in 1983. Now it’s the younger Van Santen’s turn to retire. The practice, however, will continue under the new ownership of Dr. Jeff Van Kirk.
Farewell Dr. Van Santen
Roger Van Santen began his dentistry career “literally by sweeping floors in Dad’s office when I was in grade school.”
“By the time I was in junior high, I was making gold crowns and doing denture repairs for Dad,” he said. “I had pretty much concluded I’d be a dentist by the time I was in high school.”
Born in Walla Walla, Wash., while his dad was in college, Van Santen graduated from Columbia Adventist Academy in Meadow Glade, Wash.
He attended Walla Walla College where he met his wife, Karen, while the two were dissecting frogs in biology lab.
They married after their sophomore year, and then traveled to Southern California for Van Santen to complete his dental education at Loma Linda University.
The couple has two children: Lori in Arizona, and Eric (married to Stacy with a son and another on the way) in northern Kentucky.
“Most of my early years, we lived in the Lebanon, Stayton and Salem areas,” Van Santen said. “Recreationally, I’ve enjoyed water and snow skiing, flying, motorcycle riding – dirt bike racing and competitive road rallying – and a few other less physical activities.”
Van Santen has been active in his church and a number of philanthropic organizations.
“One of the more rewarding organizations is Project PATCH – Planned Assistance for Troubled Children,” he said. “We have a ranch in Idaho where teens spend up to 18 months learning how to deal with life productively in a socially responsible way.”
Van Santen also participated in mission dentistry in the United States and in Thailand.
Of his local patients, he said, “A few have expressed disappointment that I won’t be around to do their dentistry, but overall, people have been supportive and encouraged us to have a great next phase of our lives.”
Van Santen said he will miss relationships that have been for him “the most important and most rewarding.”
“We’ve served four generations of families,” he said. “Our patients have not just been patients, they’ve been friends. We’ve celebrated weddings, births, anniversaries, vacations and other events. We’ve also share the challenges of illnesses and deaths.”
Van Santen plans to travel, and wants to ride his motorcycle from Key West, Fla. to Prudhoe, Alaska.
“There are a number of other places I plan on visiting with my bike,” he said. “We also want to visit a bunch of our national parks and friends around the country.
“Now we can be with our grandson on his second birthday in April and the birth of his brother in July without the pressure of having to get back home to work,” he added. “We also plan on spending time in Arizona with our daughter.”
Van Santen said he won’t give up dentistry entirely.
“I’ll be helping with dental missions and will stay involved in the profession,” he said. “I’m confident that Dr. Van Kirk will serve our patients well and continue the relationships we’ve had through the years.”
Welcome Dr. Jeff Van Kirk
Previously an accountant, Van Kirk became interested in general dentistry when his younger brother became a dentist.
“I was tired of the ethical pressures place on me in the business industry, and wanted to do something more personal and creative,” he said. “Dentistry was a great fit for my interests and personality.”
Licensed in Oregon, Van Kirk is a member of the American Dental Association and Academy of General Dentistry, as well as the state and local components of those societies.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in chemistry at Walla Walla College, and his dental degree at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
He also received advanced training in general practice residency at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Cleveland.
Van Kirk purchased the practice from Dr. Van Santen on Jan. 17, a decision that had roots in a recreational outing two years earlier.
“I had been kayaking on the North Santiam River and had commented to my wife that this would be a nice area to live,” he said.
“I grew up in an agricultural community, so I really wanted to work in a small town. When the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance.”
Since coming on board, Van Kirk said he has already had many positive experiences.
“Roger and I have many similar interests and philosophies about dentistry and life in general,” Van Kirk said. “It was a perfect fit for each of us, and we have really enjoyed working together.”
Van Kirk said he has enjoyed meeting patients, some of whom have driven in from “far away, have enjoyed the experience, and have chosen to stay with us.
“One of the reasons that this transition was a good fit for me is that I am able to perform the kinds of work that Roger was already doing, but I’m also planning on adding other services that I’ve been used to performing, such as dentistry for kids, extractions and root canal therapy,” he added.
“We look forward to adding new patients to the practice and earning their trust.”
Some changes are still in the works, and plans are in the making to modernize the infrastructure of the practice, Van Kirk said.
“The transition has been pleasantly smooth so far, and we are already starting to get some kind referrals from existing patients,” said Van Kirk, who still has space for new patients and appreciates the small town “word-of-mouth” grapevine.
Van Kirk loves the problem-solving aspect of dentistry.
“The fun thing about being a dentist is that you never know what’s going to come in the front door, but it’s also fun to problem-solve a diagnosis, and to realize that there are many ways of solving a problem,” he said.
“Whether it’s a simple case or a complex one, I truly love what I do!”
Van Kirk especially loves getting to know his patients, learning their interests.
“That’s half the fun!” he said.
