Dental News - American dentist still practicing at 93

Dental Tribune International

Tue. 27. June 2017

save

EVANSVILLE, Ind., USA: Dr. Wilbur K. Manchette is probably one of the most passionate, dedicated and experienced dentists in his field. Even though the 93-year-old could be enjoying retirement, he is not considering ending his career at the All In The Family Dental practice in Evansville any time soon.

In an interview with Dental Tribune Online, Manchette, who practices dentistry three days a week, spoke about his work routine. “We begin the morning with prayer with the entire office in attendance and go over the dentists’ and hygienists’ schedules. There are four dentists and four hygienists to coordinate,” he said. On a typical workday, he performs crowns, bridges, restorations, dentures and many other procedures on an average of five to eight patients.

Manchette’s interest in dentistry began when he visited a small-town dentist to have his toothache treated as a child in the eighth grade. After military training, graduating from the Saint Louis University School of Dentistry and serving two years in the Korean War, he eventually started practicing dentistry in 1952. Now, 65 years later, his career is as old as the age at which most people retire. However, according to Manchette, he could not think of a better way to spend his time, as long as he is healthy enough to work in his own practice.

“I am physically able and still enjoy doing dentistry. Many friendships have been established through the years, patients have become friends. Doing dentistry has become a way of life and I would miss it if I weren’t involved. I work three days a week so I do have partial retirement. I can’t think of a better vocation I could have chosen,” Manchette explained.

Looking back on his long career and the many decades that he has been practicing dentistry, Manchette also reflected on the technological developments in the dental field. Among other things, he especially enjoys the advantages of paperless records, digital radiology, diamond burs, bonding technologies and 3-D scanning.

Tags:

Age Dentist Dentistry Interview Old Retirement USA

To post a reply please login or register

Beyond digital: Why clinical skill and tooth preservation still matter

Dr Ronaldo Hirata is an internationally recognised expert in restorative and aesthetic dentistry and has more than three decades of clinical, research and ...

Occlusion principles for the practising dentist in the digital age

What do dentists want to know about occlusion? Occlusion may appear complicated because of the multiple factors involved, such as teeth, muscles and the ...

Five steps to practicing pain-free dentistry

PORTLAND, Ore., U.S.: Research shows that 75% of dental professionals complain of musculoskeletal pain, and now the COVID-19 pandemic is adding to the ...

Five things AI cannot replace in dentistry—and why clinicians still matter

Artificial intelligence (AI) has seen a rapid surge in popularity and accessibility in dentistry, and more broadly in healthcare. Publicly available AI ...

Lawsuit alleges American dentist sparked fire in patient’s mouth during procedure

LAS VEGAS, U.S.: According to a recently filed lawsuit, a 5-year-old girl has had her mouth set on fire while receiving routine dental treatment. As a ...

Empowering the voices of tomorrow at the FDI Young Dentists Forum

As the global dental community prepares to gather in Shanghai for the 2025 FDI World Dental Congress (FDIWDC25), the spotlight turns to the next generation ...

New resources help dentists identify patients at risk of cardiovascular disease

DALLAS, US: Government survey data from 2019 shows that approximately 29 million Americans see a dentist annually but not another medical professional, ...

Is there still a scientific literature?

Many years ago, Prof. Pierluigi Sapelli, having to organise a meeting on evidence-based dentistry, “forced” me to give a talk on the subject. This led ...

Paradigm shift in dentistry: Dr Pallavi Patil on practicing during the pandemic

At this point during the COVID-19 pandemic, many dental offices have begun to adapt to the current situation and resumed their day-to-day work. However, ...

Dentists discover their digital selves at 3Shape Discover

COPENHAGEN, Denmark: Digital dental technologies are changing daily dental practice. On 6 June, dental technology specialist 3Shape hosted 3Shape Discover,...

Education

Live webinar
Tue. 24 February 2026
1:00 pm EST (New York)