My passion for dentistry started in 8th grade health class when I was assigned to write a report on a career in the health field. My personal dental experiences had never been “bad” but they were frequently “scary”. I decided in dental school that I was going to make it my priority to make dental visits as comfortable as possible and even fun for my patients. Dentistry to me is more than fixing a cavity or making a crown. Dentistry is about looking at the overall health of my patients and trying to find the dental solutions that work best for them to keep them healthy.

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A “Hoosier” all the way through, I was born and raised in Warsaw, Indiana. When it came time for college my dentist told me “go to IU and major in Chemistry” so that’s what I did. I guess he had good advice because I was then accepted to Indiana University School of Dentistry and received my degree in 1990.

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I am questioned frequently about the origin of the practice name, Ardente Dental. I actually selected the term ardente from my musical terms dictionary. It is Latin and means passionate and enthusiastic. I believe that fits my feelings about dentistry and how I approach life in general. I love cooking, sewing, playing the piano. As my 3 sons have needed less of my time and started moving into high school and college I’ve expanded my passions to downtown renovations for the Coulter Smock building on Clinton Street and the former Hook’s and Main Meat Market buildings on Main. I also am a second degree black belt , and an avid ballroom dancer.