She's back
“When I was a kid I actually enjoyed going to the dentist. I guess I was kind of an oddball that way,” Dunn said.
Dunn, who has returned home as Millersburg’s newest dentist, said she wants her patients, her hometown neighbors, to enjoy their dental health experience as much as she did. She is now caring for patients at Millersburg Dental, a familiar, 39-year-old practice formerly known as Earney Dental.
“Dunn is the perfect fit for this practice,” said Dr. William Earney, who started the practice in 1977 and recently sold it to Dr. Robert Heller. Earney was beginning to formulate a transition plan for his retirement when Heller expressed an interest in acquiring Earney’s offices in Millersburg and Shreve. Heller, a dental implant specialist, operates another practice in Lewis Center.
“I’m very excited that Dr. Heller stepped forward with the purchase of my practice because he shares my goals of providing top-quality and compassionate dental care,” Earney said. “He also treats his staff with loyalty and professional kindness. Those were the qualities I was looking for in the development of this transition. Dr. Dunn’s coming home to join the practice is icing on the cake.”
Dunn, or Kaila Smith as most people know her, grew up in Millersburg before going off to Ashland University, then to The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, where she earned her doctorate in dental surgery. While attending Ashland she met Kevin Dunn, who she married last October.
“It has always been a goal of mine to come back and serve my community,” she said. “Kevin is also from a small town, and I am so lucky to find a partner who is willing to come back with me and make Millersburg his home too. Being a rural community, I think we’re underserved in some areas of dentistry, and I am looking forward to helping in any way I can.”
For the near future Earney will continue to see patients. Eventually, he said, he will leave his longtime patients in Dunn’s care.
“Dr. Dunn is going to be a real asset to this practice,” he assured. “She has a super personality and, being young, she is going to bring some fresh new ways of thinking that I believe our patients are going to be very excited about.”
Dunn said the strong bond she developed with her orthodontist was instrumental in choosing dentistry as an occupation.
“As I got older I learned more about this field,” she recalled. “Along the way he inspired me to reach this goal of mine.”
Dunn believes that one of her strengths is her ability to make people relaxed and comfortable. A graduate of West Holmes High School, she is one of three children of Brent and Andrea Menuez Smith. Earney has provided dental care for Millersburg families for 39 years.
“My wife and I were both from this area and were very fortunate to be able to come back and raise our two daughters here,” he said. “It’s been a wonderful area to live in and to practice dentistry. Our commitment to high-quality dentistry and compassionate patient care were the keys to growing the practice. I’m confident that as I transition out, Dr. Dunn, under Dr. Heller’s leadership, will seamlessly carry on that tradition.”
Heller’s goal is to combine the latest dental technology with a neighborly environment to provide patients with the best oral care experience possible.
Heller is a prosthodontist, a specialist in the esthetic restoration and replacement of teeth. He is degreed in both restorative and surgical dentistry.
You can make your appointment with Dr. Dunn by calling 330-674-8080. Millersburg Dental is located at 135 South Clay Street in Millersburg.