I view my job as a dental practice owner in the community I’ve always called home a simple one. I strive to provide a warm, kind and compassionate dental office. Our dental family (what I call our patients) knows that we foster long-lasting relationships but follow a simple rule. Treat others the way you would want to be treated. This influences every aspect of our dental office, from how we treat our team or dental professionals to how we communicate with our patients and how we always strive to provide the utmost quality of dental care for them. I believe this central code is what has allowed me to continually grow Legacy Dental into the most recognized and highest-reviewed dental office in the area.

My personal story isn’t one necessarily filled with excitement but one more filled with loyalty and a strong work ethic.  I was blessed to grow up in a house where both of my parents instilled virtues in me, which included a strong sense of community.  I observed my Dad, David Vodonick, who was an emergency room physician at Shawnee Mission Medical Center for 39 years. He constantly did his very best, maintained a strong passion for his work and for the members of his community.  I have always felt a duty to continue that legacy, hence the name Legacy Dental and it is my hope that one day my children can say the same thing about me. 

I grew up here, attending Shawnee Mission North and married my high school sweetheart, who attended Shawnee Mission Northwest. I graduated from KU with a BS in Cell Biology and graduated from UMKC Dental School with honors in 2008. In 2008, I also established Legacy Dental.

I put most of my energy into two things:

1. Helping people achieve their personal goals for a healthy mouth.

2. Doing my best to help raise our three kids as happy, healthy, kind human beings.

I have spent the last 20 years of my life in the dental field, as two years prior to dental school, during my college years, I worked in a dental lab. At this point in my career, I know what I’m doing, but that doesn’t mean I stop learning! That is the spice of life and keeps it interesting! I consistently invest in education to keep our skills at the forefront.

What makes my business successful? Without a doubt, what sets my dental practice apart from others, is the TEAM I surround myself with. To be blunt, I am a good judge of character, and consequently, I hire well, but you also have to retain that talent! The most common theme I get feedback on when I ask why someone works for Legacy Dental is, I know I can trust you with my family's and friends' dental care, and that means the world to me! Consequently, I have many long-term team members. That instills a sense of continuity and established permanence in my dental practice, which our dental family appreciates.

Technologies setting our dental office apart from others. 

Since I graduated from dental school 14 years ago, there have been some amazing advances in the field of dental care. There are two pieces of equipment that, in my opinion, should be the standard of care for any general dental office. First, the ability to offer same-day crowns. The historical workflow would include goop impressions, temporaries that would fall out, and a crown designed and fabricated offsite. That would be cemented weeks later at a second appointment. Here at Legacy Dental, we have invested in the technology to digitally scan your teeth (which means no more goop), digitally design your crown by the dentist, mill the crown out of a solid block of ceramic on site and deliver your permanent crown, all in ONE easy appointment!

The second piece of critically important technology that should be utilized by all general dental offices is the ability to take 3-D x-rays. Historically, dental offices would only have access to 2-D x-rays, which would lead to difficulties in correctly diagnosing oral health problems. With today’s modern 3-D x-rays, I can gather so much more information that it makes any diagnosis so much more accurate. Plus, it allows me to view complex anatomies of nerves of teeth to ensure successful root canals and digitally place dental implants on software, design and mill a surgical guide to ensure accurate and conservative placement of the dental implant.

Reviews

My business has 653 reviews, as of today, with a 4.9 rating on Google. That doesn’t happen unless you’re doing something right! Take your pick of personal reviews from Google for reviews. It is the best-reviewed dental office around!