.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} tr.d0 td { background-color: #ccccff; color: black; }
Dr. Zachary Graham took three life-changing steps within five weeks this fall, including moving to Iowa, getting married and opening his first dental practice, Graham Family Dentistry, in West Des Moines.

After attending the University of Nebraska’s College of Dentistry and working five years at a dental practice in La Crosse, Wis., where Graham said, “I perfected my chair-side technique, got my speed up and learned the basics on how to present to patients in the best manner,” he ventured to open his own practice.

“The biggest thing I learned was that I did not like working for somebody else,” Graham said.

At the time, the office Graham worked for was one of 26 owned and operated by a corporation that purchased dental practices; he worked with two other doctors in the same office.

By opening his own, smaller practice, Graham can return to the “mom-and-pop type feel.”

Starting a practice, rather than purchasing an established one, which Graham had considered, allowed him to stay within his “tight” time frame, keep his start-up costs “reasonable” and create the environment he wanted in his business.

“I like the smaller, homier feel, interacting with patients and getting to know them on a personal level,” Graham said. “I am not in the business of trying to sell dentistry; I am trying to practice dentistry.”

Though large expansion is not part of the plan for the practice, Graham’s office does have space to grow, and he plans to eventually add two full-time chair-side assistants, two dental hygienists and a full-time receptionist “as patient flow allows.”

Graham, who grew up in Nebraska, and his wife, Emily, chose to settle and begin his practice in Greater Des Moines after considering more than 20 Midwestern cities. They found the West Des Moines-Waukee area appealing because of the size, the opportunity to do more culturally, and it split the distance between the two sides of the family.

“We looked at areas that had potential for growth, as well as a smaller-town feel,” Graham said.

Working with Greater Des Moines banks also added to Graham’s decision to locate in Iowa.

“I was able to get a personal banker at First American (Bank) that worked with me,” Graham said. “With my background and five years experience, they gave me the acumen to get a business up and running and they took care of me without having to put money down.”