Menser reflects on 50 years as an adjunct instructor

For Daniel Menser, DDS ’72, dentistry is more than a job—it’s a calling. That’s why he’s dedicated his life to practicing and teaching it, for fifty years.

Menser grew up in Minneapolis, where his own dentist encouraged him along the path of oral health. “He took me to career day at the dental school, and that really sealed the deal,” he recalled. After attending the School of Dentistry, Menser served in the Navy as the dental officer at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

A striking change from city life, Menser was the only dentist in a small, isolated community. “We worked on everyone: dependents, service members, children, the like,” he recalled. And though it was different from what he grew up with, Menser and his wife fell in love with small town life.

After his two years of service, that love for small towns brought Menser and his family to Hector, Minnesota, in 1974, where he worked for 38 years as the community’s dentist. It was an interesting setup, with an office inside a home built in 1912 by another dentist. “There was the house, and there was the dental office, right off the dining room,” he recalled. A new office was constructed in 1979, allowing more room for a growing family and a growing practice.

As soon as Menser settled down in his role in Hector, he began working as an adjunct instructor at the School of Dentistry once per week. “That was my mental health day,” he recalled. “I’d come to the U, share problems and questions with my colleagues, and we all felt the same way.”

Menser loved that day of the week so much that, when an associate bought him out of his practice, he chose to move to teaching three days per week, rather than retire. Today, Menser is Operative Clinic Director.

July 2024 marks fifty years of instruction at the School of Dentistry for Menser. He works closely with Gary Hildebrandt, DDS, MS, clinical professor and director of the Division of Operative Dentistry, on the hiring of adjunct faculty. But what he loves most of all—and what’s kept him coming back year after year—is the students.

“I enjoy working with the young students. They’re eager, they want to learn and they want to be here,” Menser said. “I love watching a light bulb go on, showing them a new technique or hint. Passing on some of the knowledge and things you learn after so many years in practice.”

With each graduating class, Menser feels a bit of nostalgia and pride. “I’ll see the Class of 2024, for example, and I remember the first day we were together in preclinic, and watching them grow,” he said. “Now, they’re my colleagues.”

Overall, Menser is happy with the way his life has turned out, at home and at work. “I’ve had a well-rounded life thus far,” he said. “My wife and I met in college, and we made our life together. We raised three daughters, and we’ve been married 52 years.”

And as he reflects on fifty years at the School of Dentistry, Menser isn’t quite sure what will come next. “I don’t want to be the guy who stays late at the party,” he said. But he has no plans to leave any time soon. He’s excited to be part of updates and changes to the clinics, and watch them continue to improve.

“I keep enjoying it. Each year, when I sign up again, I just look forward to it. I never wanted to quit dentistry, and this job really gives me purpose”