Marquette University School of Dentistry celebrated the long-awaited opening of its new Endodontic Clinic with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, Nov. 6.
The clinic, which opened at the start of the fall semester, moved the endodontic program into a new space within the school, expanding its footprint and allowing for more operatories and equipment.
“This new clinic isn’t just bigger — it’s brighter, smarter and better equipped than anything we’ve ever had before,” said Dr. Arndt Guentsch, chair of the Department of Surgical & Diagnostic Sciences. “The technology and design here allow us to deliver the highest quality of care to our patients, and with our increased resident enrollment, we’ll be able to help even more people in need of advanced endodontic treatment.”
The space will also be shared with the new General Practice Residency program, allowing for more interdisciplinary collaboration, Guentsch said.
The state-of-the-art clinic includes 13 operatories fully equipped for endodontics; each features a ceiling-mounted Zumax microscope, a 4K 2D integrated camera and recording system, varioscopes and wall-mounted monitors. The clinic also features a new J. Morita Veraview X800 CBCT machine. Ten of the operatories are designated for the graduate endodontic program, including two large rooms designed for surgical procedures or use as quiet rooms. Three of the chairs are for predoctoral endodontic training.
“This set-up represents the latest in technology and educational design, especially for our pregraduate dental students, who no longer have to stare at a rubber dam and imagine what’s happening; they can now see what the resident sees through the microscope, with procedures projected live onto monitors in real time.,” said Dr. Stephanie Sidow, postgraduate program director of endodontics.
The ceremony also honored the late Dr. James Bahcall, postdoctoral program director from 2001-11, for whom one of the private operatory rooms was dedicated in his name. The effort was led by one of Bahcall’s former students, Dr. Rustin West, Dent ’05, Endo ’08.
The construction of the clinic was part of the school’s sweeping revitalization project that has taken place since 2022. Under the project, all four pre-doctoral clinics have been renovated, the Dr. Patrick Pralle Innovation Center was built and the Delta Dental Urgent and Special Care Clinic was opened in late 2024. The final phase includes upgrading specialty clinics, six classrooms and patient areas.
As the state’s only dental school, Marquette delivers patient care and services to citizens from 66 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. Since its building opened in 2002, the School of Dentistry has received nearly 2 million patient visits, with an estimated value of services provided annually exceeding $16 million. By offering the most advanced clinical resources and instructional technology available, the next Marquette dental students are positioned to grow and adapt with the rapidly changing health care landscape.
