A smile can mean many things – gratitude, celebration, sympathy, contentment. But most of all, a smile means happiness. How can a person be truly happy if they don’t like their own smile?

Kemmet Dental Design has a mission to help people maintain a smile that will last a lifetime through technical quality, inimitable expertise and a caring, positive and enjoyable place to visit and work.

Kemmet Dental Design, located in the Town & Country Shopping Center, began business in November 2012 and has brand new facilities, digital technology and is welcoming a new dentist to the team today.

Dr. Lindell Kemmet is the current and founding dentist of Kemmet Dental Design. He decided he wanted to be a dentist at just 11 years old when his orthodontist convinced him, family being the primary reason for his choice.

“I love what I do and I love that it allows me to be with my family during holidays and other times,” Kemmet said. Anyone could see the truth behind that statement with the beautiful family photos that were hanging on his office wall.

After receiving degrees from North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota, Kemmet spent some time in dental practices outside of North Dakota. Now, he is happier than ever to be back in his home state. With a love for learning and perfecting his practice, he spends numerous hours each year attending seminars and classes in order to make a patient’s experience the best that it can be. He is also an active member of the American Dental Association, the North Dakota Dental Association, the Minnesota Dental Association and the Minot Dental Club.

When his business began in Minot in 2012, Kemmet took over for a previous dentist who had worked in the community for more than 30 years. The dentist was professional, well-known and seen like family to many of his customers, and Kemmet said, without hesitation, “That’s what I want to be.”

After six months of construction, Kemmet Dental Design was made into a brand new facility with large glass windows and doors, sleek and organized technology and wooden touches like a fireplace that gives it a rustic, warm feel.

“We’re like a family here,” said Kemmet. “We want our customers to come in and say ‘hi’ when they’re passing by, not just on the days they have appointments. That’s the kind of feel we wanted this place to have.”

While Kemmet Dental Design started with just four employees, including himself and his wife, Keisha Kemmet, CDA, it has now grown to double that number. Lindell Kemmet said they handpicked their employees and they all fit with the vision, goals and values of the business. The office even began the “Elf on the Shelf” tradition last year and made it their goal to find their elf, Nurdle, each day.

“We like to have fun,” Kemmet said, laughing as he explained that the origin of Nurdle’s name came from something they had learned at a dental seminar.

All fun aside, Kemmet is proud to offer top-of-the-line technology at Kemmet Dental Design, an area in which he has received an amount of specialized training that allows him to train other dentists, young and old. In particular, Kemmet Dental Design offers a CEREC system that allows them to create and place crowns and other restorations in just one office visit, a process that can typically take two weeks. Additionally, 3D X-rays provide cosmetic dental treatments and complex restorative without having to refer patients to a specialist. Images can then be displayed on a television screen from a variety of angles and views so the patient can see exactly what Kemmet is seeing. 3D X-ray imaging costs less than CT scans and emits 100 times less radiation.

“Patient education is really big for us,” said Kemmet. “We want to make sure that what they want is what we can provide. We can also say, ‘Look where we were, and look where we are now.’ It really shows the difference.”

With all the new technology and growth of the company, Kemmet Dental Design is excited to welcome a new dentist, Nathan Burbach, to the family. After earning his degrees at North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota, Burbach is excited to be back in his home town.

“I love it here,” said Burbach. “I wouldn’t have come back here if I didn’t.”

Burbach was hand-picked by the Kemmet Dental Design team because of his expertise, values and similar goals in dentistry.

“His mentality and who he is is exactly what we’ve been looking for,” Kemmet said. “He’s been a large part of the community in the past and he will be in the future, and we’re excited and blessed to have him on board.”

Burbach said he strives to help patients be comfortable, happy and help them achieve the highest level of dental care they desire, and to fit each patient’s distinct desires.

At the end of the day, both Kemmet and Burbach just hope to have their patients smiling.

When asked his favorite thing about being a dentist, Kemmet answered that without a doubt, it was the relationships he had with his patients.

“I’m a dentist for what I’m able to do for people,” he said. “In dentistry there’s a lot of immediate gratification, and having that hug at the end of the appointment because I did something right is amazing. Last week a girl was crying in a chair and I was crying because she was so happy to be able to see herself smile again. It’s probably the most gratifying career I could have gone into.”