The team at Joplin Dental Arts is committed to giving you the best possible service.  Collectively, the Joplin Dental Arts team represents over 250 years of experience in the dental field!

Joplin Dental Arts moved into a new building at 510 West 32nd the day after Labor Day, 2009.  The dentists, Drs. Robert Renger and Gregory Kivett, Jr., know that most people go to the dentist with a degree of anxiety, and they designed their building with the patients’ comfort in mind.  They want people who enter Joplin Dental Arts to feel they’ve walked into a calming  atmosphere.

The new office has modern equipment to benefit the patients. Before the move, Drs. Renger and Kivett were in the office of Dr. Sapp, a longtime Joplin dentist who is now deceased.  Their practice had grown to the point that they needed more room and up-to-date equipment. The equipment they had been using was not only outdated, but it was starting to break down and required expensive repairs.  Faced with the need to make changes, the dentists made the big decision to build a new facility. But because they needed to upgrade, it was an easy decision to make.

They each have six treatment rooms with a centralized area through the center for supplies, laboratory, and sterilization work. Dr. Kivett looks with pride at the modern treatment rooms and says, “Dentistry has come so far in the last 10 years, even the last five years.” He points out the advances in training. “In dental school now they train with big computer monitors, digital X-rays,” and other up-to-date methods, he says. The large monitors are an advantage over the old one-inch X-rays, making it easier to diagnose and then explain to the patient what is going on in their mouth. Now the patient can see the same thing the dentist sees, and that improves communication.

Communication and comfort for their patients are important to Dr. Renger and Dr. Kivett. They understand what it’s like to sit in a dental chair with their mouths open, and they want their patients to be as comfortable as possible in that position.  The doctors have staggered hours to aid the patients, too. Dr. Renger sees his first patient at 7:00 a.m. The early hour benefits those who want to come in early, get the procedure done, and make it to work by 8:00. Dr. Kivett works through the normal lunch hour, benefiting patients who prefer lunch hour appointments.

Both men trained at the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC) Dental School.  Dr. Renger was a senior when Dr. Kivett was a freshman. But they didn’t meet until after Dr.  Kivett’s senior year when he started looking for a place to practice in Joplin.  Dr. Renger grew up in Carl Junction and knew Dr. Sapp, his family dentist, since he was 5 years old. He always felt close to Dr. Sapp but hadn’t  considered going into dentistry. In fact, he went to the University of Missouri in Rolla to study engineering. When he realized engineering wasn’t the right fit for him, he switched majors and enrolled in Pittsburg State University in Kansas. He began thinking about a dental career and talked it over with Dr. Sapp, who allowed him to go into his office and observe. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree in chemistry with a minor in mathematics, he went on to dental school.  After graduating in 2002, Dr. Renger returned to Joplin and bought half of Dr. Sapp’s practice. Dr. Sapp had been practicing for over 30 years and was a valuable mentor for his new partner.

Dr. Kivett grew up in southern California until his family moved to Missouri—a move he says was “the best thing that ever happened to us. It’s beautiful out here.” Unlike Dr. Renger, Dr. Kivett knew from the time he was 12 years old that he wanted to be a dentist. At first he thought about being a doctor, but he observed people leaving doctors’ offices, and they never looked happy. The ones leaving dentist offices were often smiling, so he decided dentistry was his career choice.  After graduation from Seneca High School, Dr. Kivett joined the Air Force. The recruiter said he would be a mechanic, but Dr. Kivett’s dad was a mechanic, and he said, “No way is my son going to bust his back like I have.”  So Dr. Kivett got the job he wanted as a dental technician. After his military service, he attended Crowder College and Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry. From there he was accepted into UMKC Dental School. He graduated in 2005 and bought the other half of Dr. Sapp’s practice.

Dr. Renger says, “Continuing education is a benefit to us,” providing training in the best treatment options for their patients. He and Dr. Kivett attend many sessions to stay up-to-date on implants,  orthodontic treatment, the invisalign alternative to braces, and other procedures.  Drs. Renger and Kivett stress the importance of good oral health in relation to overall health. Dr. Kivett says, “Dental disease is preventable.” He and Dr. Renger would like to convince everyone to brush and floss their teeth twice a day.  If people would brush and floss, avoid an overload of refined sugars, and visit their dentist every six months, they would avoid most dental problems.  But when they do have problems, they can relax in the calming atmosphere of Joplin Dental Arts. The dentists designed it with their patients’ comfort in mind.