Dentist reflects on industry changes

Koch, 83, has worked in dentistry since 1951, when he graduated from Western Reserve (now Case Western Reserve) with a "Dr." in front of his name. Since then he has been a fixture in the Lima community, caring for and repairing teeth for 48 years and crafting dentures for the past 10 years.

If not for a seminar during his undergraduate studies at Baldwin-Wallace College, however, Koch said he might never have found his passion for dentistry.

"There was a Christian Vocations seminar, and I sat in on that," he said. "At the time I was going to teach, and teachers were only making about $1,800 a year. I thought I couldn't support a family on that."

Looking at a list of careers, Koch said he randomly settled on becoming a dentist.

"I thought, ‘Hey, maybe that's what I'll do,'" he said. "I picked it out from the lecture I attended."

Throughout his career, Koch said he has seen many changes in the industry he loves. For one, the prices have risen a little bit.

"We didn't have (dental) insurance back then," he said. "I got $3 for a filling and $5 for an extraction."

Koch said the technology used in a dentist's office has also made a big difference in patient care. The drills have gotten faster, and are made from different materials (the newest ultrasonic drills, which debuted in the 1960s, needed water to cool the tooth being drilled; the need birthed the vocation of dental assistant). Instead of porcelain and vulcanite, dentures are made of stronger, tougher plastics.

Most noticeable, however, are the changes in the patients, Koch said. Fluoridated water has helped eliminate rotten teeth in children, and overall attitudes have changed as more comfortable care and cosmetic dentistry have grown.

"Patients are more relaxed in the dental office than they were," he said. "When I started, people were so tense."