By Mari Radtke
Tom Roed was fresh out of Creighton Dental School 1982. Dr. Schultz, Paullina’s then-dentist, approached the Iowa native graduates of that class about taking over his Paullina, Iowa dental practice. Tom, a Woodbine, Iowa native, was the only interested candidate, and it was a successful transition. Tom and Karen Roed settled in to life in Paullina, Iowa. Forty two years ago they began their own successful practice, raised their family and have grown deep roots in the Paullina community. It has become their home.
Knowing it was time to step back, Tom began to consider ways for the practice to continue in Paullina with a different dentist. Enter Krayton (Schnepf) Struve, a Granville, Iowa native.
Growing up, Krayton always knew she would be in the medical field. She attended University of South Dakota (USD) for her undergraduate degree in Medical Biology, considering a Medical Doctorate (MD). “It sounded too sad,” she said of the profession. Personal interests and experiences led her to dentistry. From use of enamel as a baby to knocking out her two front teeth at the high school state volleyball tournament while ice skating, dental needs have always been part of her life. Her personal interest in the “artsy” tasks, all of that together led her to choose dental school. She is a 2024 graduate of University of Iowa College of Dentistry.
The conversation between Tom and Krayton began two years ago. “I had heard the dentist in Paullina was considering retiring. I knew I wanted to come back home. My family is here,” Krayton explained about reaching out to Tom and visiting about the idea for the first time. Tom and Karen together decided that they could wait out the two more years to pass on the practice to someone from the area. Krayton’s more recent visit sealed the deal. The practice will become known as “Paullina Dental Care.”
Paullina Dental Care will remain a general dentistry practice. Krayton points out that she loves to see kids, is skilled and ready to care for Invisalign patients, which is different than regular orthodontics, and her favorite procedure is root canals. While she will own the practice, she has arranged for mentoring with an Orange City practice to help her through the startup process. Krayton is planning to keep the staff and hours the same. While the licensing process is underway, Krayton is busy doing backhouse stuff such as insurance partnerships.
A big change coming to Paullina Dental Care is the method of delivering care to the patients. New tooling is coming. Digital tools. Cleaning teeth, filling cavities, all of the general practice procedures will be digital. Making crowns in-house via digital scanning and sculpting is coming to Paullina. Crowns and bridges will become a same-day procedure at Paullina Dental Care.
Krayton is married to Damon Struve. They are expecting their first child at the end of July. Tom’s last day of practice is Thursday August 31. Tom and Karen aren’t going anywhere. They will continue to be part of the Paullina Community.
Paullina Dental Care will open in Mid-September, giving time for adjustment to parenting and allow for all staff to be trained on the new tools.
Existing patients will continue on in their rotation as they always have. New patients are welcome.
“I am super-excited to served the community and meet everyone,” said Krayton. Practice hours will continue to be Monday through Thursday, 8:00am – 4:30pm. She will be at her Orange City mentor every other Friday.