Office Showcase Aurora Pediatric Dental

By: Lana K. Richardson, DDS, MS, & Adam H. Richardson, DDS, MS

Aurora Pediatric Dentistry began years ago as a pipedream when Adam and I were still in dental school. We knew we were getting married, we knew we both wanted to specialize in pediatrics, and we knew we wanted to eventually own and create our own practice. We didn’t know how we would make any of this happen. Our typical life mantra seemed to fit well in this scenario: “The most important step you can take is the next.”

We leaned into that philosophy in the years that followed, focusing on honing in on our craft. We always had our end goal in mind, but made sure not to lose sight of the present moment. Our journey took us to Columbus, Ohio, where we both completed pediatric residencies at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

When we were ready to think about the next step, we started by brainstorming what we wanted our practice to feel like. We wanted a bright, welcoming space where kids of all ages, not just young children, would feel comfortable and safe. We wanted to emphasize that all kids with all different family structures and of all different income levels could feel at home in our office. We wanted to ensure that every patient could receive the highest level of care while keeping the office vibe lighthearted and fun. We also wanted a space that we could grow into and where we could imagine retiring. Dreaming up this office was always kind of funny to us-throughout all of the planning stages, we still had zero patients, so every now and then, we would just laugh and cross our fingers in hopes that patients would find us!

Living out of state in the height of the pandemic, we planned our practice almost completely virtually. Most evenings, I would race home from residency, Adam would pick our infant daughter up from daycare, and the three of us would sit on Zoom calls, planning our next move. Since we could not be the boots on the ground in Oklahoma City, we knew that choosing a good team was critical.

Location

Our commercial real estate agent, Jack Geurkink, truly led us through the entire process. He walked us through demographic analysis to pick the perfect neighborhood and linked us with a developer to bring our building to life. Beyond his job description, he also connected us with our banker (because, oh yeah, this all takes money!) and introduced us to dental suppliers so we could find the right fit for us.

Equipment

We chose to work with Patterson for our equipment and supplies because of how much we trusted Russ Cornelius. Living 15 hours away, we could not regularly check on the project, and Russ assured us that he would make regular visits to keep everything on track and moving forward. He meticulously worked with our contractor to get each pipe, cabinet, and chair seamlessly positioned.

Design

Russ introduced us to our interior designers, Lauren Horton and Tessa Cotton of Micah & Co. We told Lauren and Tessa that we wanted a colorful, bright office that would be kid friendly without

(Oklahoma City)

being childish. Somehow, with such little direction, they knew exactly what we wanted and curated a polished and fun office design. They were cognizant of our budget while still delivering unique and imaginative space that our patients and their parents love!

Branding

While on a Zoom call with Lauren, we mentioned that we needed a logo. She recommended Robot House, which gave us much more than a logo. We couldn’t believe that this group of creatives, who are the minds behind COOP Ale Works and Sunnyside Diner, would take an interest in a start-up pediatric dental office, but that’s exactly what they did! The Robot House team worked tirelessly to give us the amazing brand, catchy name, cohesive design, and marketing strategy of our dreams.

It Takes A Village

Like any pediatric dentist, Adam and I can do SSCs with the best of ‘em, but Aurora Pediatric Dentistry wouldn’t exist without the team that helped us along the way. When we made the move from Columbus back to OKC, we held our breath as we finally pulled up to the practice that would be ours. We were absolutely thrilled with what we saw – our vision had come to life.

We officially opened our doors to patients in January. It has been so exciting to see how our practice has grown in such a short time. We feel so honored each time a parent trusts us to care for their child. Just as it has taken a village for us to build our dream practice, we know it also takes a village to care for the kids in our community, and we feel so privileged to play a small role in that!

About The Authors

Dr. Lana & Dr. Adam met in dental school at the University of Oklahoma (Class of 2018), where they fell in love with pediatric dentistry, and with each other! Dr. Adam completed his undergraduate degree in zoology at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Lana earned her degree in nutritional sciences from Oklahoma State University. Both Lana and Adam attended the Ohio State University and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where they were awarded Masters of Science degrees and certificates in pediatric dentistry. They opened Aurora Pediatric Dentistry in The Village in January 2023.

Lana & Adam are teachers at heart and love to share their passion for healthy habits with their patients. They truly believe that a positive dental experience in childhood can change a patient’s view of going to the dentist for the rest of their life.

At home, they enjoy raising their 18-month-old daughter, Eloise. Both golden retrievers, Winnie and Sandy are the dogs of the family, or as Eloise calls them, “woof!”