Destiny and dentistry

It has often been said that the only constant in life is change. Even in the Platte Valley, where life seems to move a little slower, it is inevitable. For Dr. Robert Wimpenny, owner of Platte Valley Dental, change has come after more than 31 years in business. While his decision was not an easy one, and is emotional, he is leaving it in the hands of someone he feels will provide the same level of service he has for the past three decades.

When it comes to Dr. David Scott, it is almost as if he was destined to take over the practice from Wimpenny. Both dentists, while not native to the Valley, were first made aware of it while in college from friends who had lived here. Though 30 years apart, the quality of life and available recreation attracted the two dentists to the area.

"My first introduction was one of my classmates," said Wimpenny. "When we were in school, we got to be friends and he explained what the Valley was like and I thought, 'that sounds like a perfect set up for me' as far as the elk hunting and fishing and the recreation it has to offer and the quality of life."

For Scott, it was none other than Sarah Wimpenny who had put the Valley on his radar.

"Sarah actually had graduated a year before I did from Creighton and so Saratoga had kind of been on my radar as a place I would be interested in living in," Scott said. "I had worked in oil and gas and that's when I first visited here and I thought, 'Well, it's a pretty amazing place.' I never thought I'd be fortunate enough to land here."

The decision to first put the practice on the market came after Wimpenny realized he had been in business for 30 years. 

"I told my wife (Regina), 'Maybe we ought to think about retiring.' It was hard to get it out without a tear in my eyes. We decided right there to start taking steps towards hanging it up," Wimpenny said.

Wimpenny purchased Platte Valley Dental from Dr. John Johnson, who had practice for 30 years before retiring. Johnson, in turn, had bought the practice from Dr. Wilson, who had 34 years into the business. With that considered, Wimpenny felt obligated to hand the practice over to someone who would have that same commitment to the community.

"I felt like I needed to find somebody that's going to carry that torch and be here and be stable," said Wimpenny.

For nearly a year, Wimpenny struggled to find someone who fit that specific criteria. In September, he made the decision to stop actively looking, believing that the person meant to take over for him would make themselves known.

"As soon as I surrendered my will, two days later Dave and Amanda were standing in my parking lot on a Friday," Wimpenny said. "Unannounced."

"For the record, we tried to warn you," Scott said.

When Scott first became aware of the practice being on the market, he reached out to the practice broker Wimpenny was going through to express interest. Scott never heard back. In September, following a stay in Savery, the couple were traveling through Saratoga when they spotted the practice from the highway.

"We were driving through town. I said, 'I think that's the practice there.' Amanda said, 'Let's just pull in, see what it looks like,'" said Scott. 

Regina happened to be in the office that day and, following introductions, showed the Scotts around the office. Wimpenny, who was returning from a sage grouse hunt, eventually joined them.

"Just the few minutes that I spent with them I just knew they were the ones," Wimpenny said.

When the Scotts visited the practice in September, they were living in Cheyenne. While some opportunities had presented themselves over there, they both were more comfortable with practicing in a small town with a strong sense of community. Since moving to the area in November, that sense of community has already shown itself to the Scotts and solidified their decision to move to Saratoga.

While the transition process is time consuming, both dentists have had a chance to reflect on the major changes they both are going through.

"I can see the dental clinic and the parking lot from our house and other day it kind of hit me. I was having some coffee and I used to look at the parking lot and I could watch people come and go. I'm not going to be owning that anymore," said Wimpenny. "It kind of drew a tear to my eye."

"It's just a big transition, big change. We're putting down some pretty deep roots, dedicating ourselves to the community," said Scott. "We feel as though it's going to be good for us, it'll be good for the community. We feel pretty good about it."

Scott began seeing patients on Monday. Those wanting to make an appointment at Platte Valley Dental can call 307-326-5348.