After more than three decades of caring for local smiles, Dr. Mark Minchow prepares to close the chapter on a career rooted in family, community and dentistry.
He will retire from his 33-year career at Seward Dental Clinic at the end of the month.
The Milford native graduated from Milford High School in 1985 and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln four years later. Minchow graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry in 1993 and joined Seward Dental Clinic immediately after.
Minchow’s mother worked at Seward Dental Clinic, and the clinic’s founding dentist, Dr. Robert Green, was Minchow’s godfather and mentor. Growing up around dentistry inspired Minchow to go into the field.
“I liked biological sciences, and I loved art, too,” he said. “I thought dentistry was kind of a combination of both art and science, because there’s definitely an art to a lot of dentistry, especially cosmetic dentistry.”
He said the best aspect of his career has been the people, both the staff and the patients.
“It’s getting to know patients and their families and treating them for decades, generations,” he said.
Minchow also treasures the quality of dentistry Seward Dental Clinic provides, noting that it always works to stay on top of new technology.
According to Minchow, from radiographs to crowns to implant placements to surgical guides, everything in the industry is going digital.
“Digital dentistry has really made life easier for us as dentists and the patient, really, because, for example, for crowns, it is now a single visit,” he said. “It’s streamlined.”
Despite evolving methods, Minchow has always prioritized the same aspects of care: Listening to his patients, educating them about prevention and treatment options, diagnosing them accurately and delivering reliable, excellent services.
He works to do all this while giving patients the same care he would give to his family.
“Not everybody’s in the same position in their life at certain points in time, not everybody can afford a full mouth reconstruction or something like that, so I just treat them like family but still meet them where they’re at in their life,” he said.
Minchow is an active member of the American Dental Association and the Nebraska Dental Association, and he has filled several roles with the NDA over the years. He earned the Nebraska Dental Association’s Outstanding Young Professional Award in 2001 and was inducted into the International College of Dentists in 2005.
He will retire earlier than he originally anticipated due to back issues. He and his wife, Ingrid, have two children and enjoy spending their free time enjoying the outdoors and supporting the Huskers.
Jake Wiesen, who will graduate from UNMC this spring, will fill Minchow’s position.
Looking back, Minchow’s impact extends beyond his patients and into the dozens of younger dentists he has helped to shape. In addition to his work at Seward Dental Clinic, he served as a part-time faculty member in the Department of Surgical Specialties at the UNMC College of Dentistry for about 10 years.
Dr. Matt Kunasek, a partner in the practice, was a UNMC student during that time.
“I got to know him pretty well before I started here at Seward Dental Clinic,” Kunasek said. “Even at the school, he’s always had an approachable personality and been level-headed and even-keeled with people.”
Kunasek said Minchow continued to mentor him when he joined the Seward Dental Clinic team, demonstrating both technical skills and people skills.
“He was always open to giving advice, and I consider him a good friend,” Kunasek said. “I was able to learn from him and see how he really, truly cared for his patients and had their best interests in mind. It wasn’t about the bottom dollar or anything, just mainly about how you treat people. You did for people what you would do for your family.”
