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New dental office to open in Middlebury

DRS. RACHEL RIVARD and Erik Koskinen are joining forces to establish a new, 10-chair dental office at 105 Court St. The building, which most recently hosted the Middlebury UPS Store, is being renovated and should be open by year’s end. Independent photo/John Flowers

MIDDLEBURY — Oddly enough, Erik Koskinen and Rachel Rivard never crossed paths while attending the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine more than a decade ago.

Fate would instead unite them after both had coincidentally moved to Addison County several years later.

It’s shaping up as a fruitful professional union.

Koskinen and Rivard — both doctors in dentistry — will soon open a new, 10-chair dental office in the former UPS Store at 105 Court St. in Middlebury.

MiddTown Dental, according to the partners, will offer a full suite of dental services, including teeth cleanings, general care, root canals, crown/bridge/denture service, and restoration of implants.

It was around seven years that Koskinen reached out to Rivard after learning they both shared the same alma mater. The pair made a lunch date to talk about their dental school experiences at University of Colorado, and also assess the dentistry landscape in Middlebury.

They had fun comparing notes and talking about their respective families. But life took over, and the luncheon proved a one-off. Koskinen had his hands full with the solo, practice at 9 Court St. he’d acquired in 2011 from the late Dr. John Langfeldt. At the same time, Rivard was busy as director of Rutland Community Dental.

But earlier this year, Rivard decided she was ready for a new chapter in her career, based largely on geography.

“It was time to (work) closer to home, to be part of the community,” said Rivard, who lives in Weybridge. Her husband, Dr. Robert Rivard, is an Emergency Department physician at University of Vermont Medical Center.

Rachel Rivard reconnected with Koskinen for advice on how to get her own dental career rooted in Addison County.

“As we got to talking, we realized how much fun it would be to (run a practice) as a partnership, to have a connection with another dentist and grow the practice into something that could better serve the community long-term,” Rivard said.

Koskinen has at times thought about expanding his 9 Court St. practice, but has been limited by the idiosyncrasies of a 200-year-old building.

“I have three chairs and would love to have five so I could serve the community better,” he said, noting it can take seven months to get scheduled for a teeth cleaning in spite of the Middlebury’s area’s hardworking general dentistry community.

Still, Koskinen was fast approaching his 60th birthday and felt upsizing on his own might be a heavy lift this late in his career.

Rivard’s partnership pitch gave Koskinen new energy.

“(She) came along and really provided the catalyst to say ‘yes,’” he recalled. “If I did this with somebody, it would be better. I think practicing with another dentist is going to re-energize me during the final phase of my career here.”

The partners began canvassing Middlebury village for a spot to host MiddTown. They have already built a staff of 18 full- and part-time employees. including seven hygienists, five dental assistants and three front-office employees.

A search of available downtown-area properties eventually led the partners to the former UPS Store at 105 Court St. Laura Flint, the Middlebury UPS franchisee, had announced in April she was closing the store and selling the building.

Koskinen and Rivard checkout out the spot and agreed it could be renovated for use as a general dentistry practice. It features, among other things, ample space and onsite parking.

They made an offer on the building on April 13 that was accepted two days later. The duo officially took ownership in early August, upon which they commissioned significant interior renovations to carve out 10 individual treatment rooms to be spread among the first and second floors. Offices and a break room will be sited on the third floor.

Plans call for MiddTown to open its doors by the end of this year. In the meantime, prospective new patients are invited to fill out a form at middtowndental.com/newpatient, or email [email protected].

MiddTown shouldn’t have much of a problem filling out its patient roster.

“There’s such a need in the community,” Rivard said. “There are a lot of dentists who aren’t taking new patients because they’re full.”

She resigned from Rutland Community Dental back in February to make a measured transition to her first co-ownership of a dentistry practice. Koskinen noted Rivard will be breaking a glass ceiling.

“I think it’s amazing that in 2024, we’re talking about Rachel being the first female dentist ever in Middlebury,” he said of his partner.

Koskinen is confident MiddTown Dental will be around for generations. It’s being built with a solid foundation to pass on to future dentists.

“Even at this later stage of my career, I think it’s worth the risk of taking on this project to better serve the community I’ve been fortunate to practice in for 13 years,” he said.

Reporter John Flowers is at [email protected].

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