---
title: "Dental Practice Renovation: Revitalizing a 40-Year Practice into Smiles by Design"
id: "off-the-cusp-0-building-new-life-into-an-old-practice"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/off-the-cusp-0-building-new-life-into-an-old-practice"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Dentistry"
source_name: "Off the Cusp Clinical"
source_url: "https://www.offthecusp.com/building-new-life-into-an-old-practice/"
published_at: "2026-08-25T19:55:44.000Z"
evidence_level: "Journal Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Dental Practice Renovation: Revitalizing a 40-Year Practice into Smiles by Design
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/off-the-cusp-0-building-new-life-into-an-old-practice
- **Specialty:** [Dentistry](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/dentistry.md)
- **Primary Source:** Off the Cusp Clinical
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.offthecusp.com/building-new-life-into-an-old-practice/)
- **Published At:** 2026-08-25T19:55:44.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Journal Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- Dr. Justin Smutz purchased a 40-year-old dental practice in Arvada, Colorado and opted to fully gut and renovate the building rather than perform minor updates. - The original facility was dated across many aspects; Dr. Smutz considered location important and chose to rebuild on the same site. - The entire practice was transformed into Smiles by Design, with comprehensive updates to clinical spaces, an in-house lab, and a dedicated sterilization center. - Equipment decisions prioritized longevity; Dr. Smutz selected **A-dec** based on observing older practices that retained A-dec equipment for decades. - Dr. Smutz partnered with Patterson and its equipment specialist Lonnie Gwynn for planning, procurement, delivery, installation, and ongoing support. - Patterson’s role included coordinating vendors, providing skilled technicians for technology service, and offering practice support through teams like TechEdge. - The remodel has coincided with substantial practice growth: reported production has quadrupled since the renovation. - Dr. Smutz emphasizes non-financial measures of success, valuing bringing refined, high-end dental services to his hometown community. - The in-house lab keeps restorations “inside the walls,” which Dr. Smutz highlights as a point of pride and control over quality. - The sterilization center was intentionally designed to give staff appropriate space and pride in infection-control workflows; staff appreciation was noted. - Dr. Smutz describes the project as a team effort and expressed strong trust in Patterson for vision-to-delivery support and ongoing relationships. - After completion, Dr. Smutz conveyed gratitude to his Patterson team, calling the office “beyond my dream.” - The source references additional media (a video and an article) to view the remodel and learn more; specific details of those resources were noted but not reproduced in the source.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
Building new life into an old practice - Off the Cusp Skip to content Business of Dentistry Practice Growth Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Email Read Time: 2 Minute, 31 Second When Dr. Justin Smutz made the decision to purchase a 40-year-old practice in his hometown of Arvada, Colorado, he knew he’d need to make some immediate changes. “The building was full of a lot of love, but just never touched over 40 years. It was quite dated in every respect,” he said. Knowing the building was exactly where he wanted to practice made his decision to gut it and start over an easy one. He jokingly says it “just needed a little paint, a little facelift,” but every inch of what is now Smiles by Design has been transformed. Another easy decision: equipping the practice with A-dec. Dr. Smutz explained that in visiting older practices, the ones that had A-dec originally still had that equipment 40-50 years later. And longevity matters when you’re putting down roots. Of Dr. Smutz, Patterson equipment specialist Lonnie Gwynn said, “He’s a big picture guy. He already knew what he wanted to do. My job was just to kind of fill in the blanks on that big picture. I know how we’re going to get there – what we’re going to use to get there.” If numbers are any indication, he has arrived; production has quadrupled. “I’m not a huge numbers guy. That’s not what drives me,” he said. Dr. Smutz measures his success in other ways. Being able to bring refined, high-end dental service to the community he calls home “has been my absolute favorite thing.” He’s particularly happy with their in-house lab. “Nothing leaves the walls,” he smiled. Another area Dr. Smutz is very pleased with – one that often doesn’t get a lot of love – is the sterilization center. His staff loves having “the space to do it the right way .… It gives them a place of pride. This is where we’re bringing our friends and family. This is why we want them here.” Taking a practice from studs to stunning is a team effort, and Dr. Smutz confidently chose Patterson for the huge undertaking. From vision through delivery to ongoing support, he trusts his Patterson crew to take care of every need. Having relationships with every vendor he wanted to work with – and having skilled technicians to service his cutting-edge technology – continues to reinforce his trust in Patterson. “There’s a lot of moving parts in this practice every single day – and honestly, it’s best I don’t even know about any of them. TechEdge keeps them out of my schedule.” Remembering a special conversation after Smiles by Design was completed, Lonnie shared, “He said, ‘I just wanted to call. You probably think I want something, but I don’t this time. I just want to give you grace and say thank you .… This office is beyond my dream.” To see Dr. Smutz’ beautiful remodel and learn more about his practice, watch this video or read the article . Patterson Dental At Patterson Dental, we are committed to partnering with dental practices of all sizes to help oral health professionals practice extraordinary dentistry. We do this by living up to our promise of Trusted Expertise, Unrivaled Support every day. https://www.pattersondental.com/ Total 0 Shares Share 0 Tweet 0 Pin it 0 Share 0 Subscribe * indicates required Email Address * First Name Last Name Recent posts Building new life into an old practice Partnering for Success From Failed Waterline Tests to Reliable Compliance: Why More Practices Are Moving from Tablets to Cartridges Turn Waterline Testing Into a Routine, Not a Risk Building Bloomy’s: A vision for a child-friendly dental practice comes to life Search Off the Cusp Search for: Close Menu Home Categories Business of Dentistry Dental Practice Marketing Practice Finance Practice Growth Dental Industry News Industry Events Dental Practice Management Human Resources Dental Practice Safety Infection Control Future of Dentistry Dental Equipment Dental Technology CAD/CAM About Off The Cusp Privacy Policy Off The Cusp Terms of Use pattersondental.com Search for: Partnering for Success August 19, 2026 August 19, 2026 In healthy group practices, consistency drives growth and performance July 7, 2026 July 7, 2026 Grow Your Practice with Single Visit Dentistry April 29, 2026 April 29, 2026 Implant Dentistry in 2026: Key Stats, Trends & Tools for a Growing Practice March 19, 2026 March 19, 2026 4 Must-Do Steps to Prepare Your Practice for the New Year November 25, 2025 March 4, 2026 Convenient & Reliable: Single-Visit Dentistry October 30, 2025 March 4, 2026
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