Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Cline.
Hi Matt, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi, my name is Matt Cline DDS and I am a St. Louis native born and raised in St. Louis. I went to Lafayette High School then I went to University of Missouri-Columbia, (Mizzou) and after that I went to University of Missouri Kansas City, School of Dentistry. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. I narrowed it down to the field of dentistry by shadowing different types of doctors when I was in high school and college. I really admired a dentist’s ability to be a small business owner and entrepreneur while also providing the ability to develop long running relationships with their patients which grow into friendships. I find it fulfilling to know them and take care of them as human beings and friends. I also like the ability to express my artistic interests because a lot of dentistry is sculpting and it’s very artistic to make things look beautiful and also functional. It incorporates art as well as engineering to make things work well and look good.
My wife and I jointly managed our practice starting in 1997. She was the office manager and I was the dentist. We were a family dentistry practice taking care of all ages performing all aspects of dentistry and we really enjoyed it! Two years ago I merged my practice with another doctor, but it was in such a fashion that I could still see and treat my own patients as well as helping to take care of some of their patients who needed the services that I offered, and they did not. While I still perform all aspects of dentistry and provide all services, I would say my biggest interests are surgery, extracting teeth, placing implants and crowns and bridges, or prosthetics. They can make such a dramatic improvement in such a short time. The same is true of Orthodontics with Invisalign. It’s just so easy and quick to improve someone’s appearance and function by simply getting the teeth in the right position so that they do their job without breaking down.
A newer procedure I enjoy that is gaining popularity is called all-on-X or all-on-four and it’s where someone can replace all of their teeth or all of the teeth on one arch by doing a procedure where we remove all the teeth and placing implants in the same day using 3-D cameras that can scan and 3-D print a whole set of teeth that will perfectly fit and screw into four, five or six implants. Immediately within 24 hours you have teeth that feel solid as a rock and are screwed into the implants that were just placed the day before. You don’t have to worry about a denture falling out or slipping loose or not looking natural.
Technology is rapidly evolving and allowing dentists to take care of our patients with greater ease and better results!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No job is ever smooth completely and dentistry is no different. I would say one of the biggest challenges we face in dentistry is the inadequacy of insurance coverage. It is well documented that when insurance first started for dentistry the allowable maximum coverage per year was around $1000 and it is still around $1000 100 years later! Most patients are accustomed to paying a small deductible and a small co-payment and having their medical insurance pay the lion’s share of their costs. Unfortunately, they don’t comprehend that dental insurance is merely a coupon. It’s merely a discount because the lion’s share is still put on the shoulders of the patients and that ideally would change in the patient’s favor so that patients could get the care that they desperately need .
As you know, we’re big fans of Matthew P. Cline, DDS. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I want the public and my patients to know that I have pursued education in order to care for them and make the delivery of care as easy as possible! I use the latest technology as a means to an end. I also try to offer many services in house to limit the inconvenience of visiting multiple offices.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I have had the excellent fortune to work with my wife for 28 years in managing our dental practice! It was wonderful to develop and grow relationships into friendships with our patients while simultaneously taking care of their dental needs! Now that my wife has passed, I continue to cherish the friendships with our patients who now are consoling and supporting me with their sympathy.
I have also had the good luck to have found and worked with excellent team members and patients. Dentistry is more enjoyable when caring for like-minded kind-hearted people.
Contact Info:
- Website: clinedentalgroup.com and ziebafamilydentistry.com
- Instagram: drcline.ig
