Pediatric Dental Clinic celebrates 5,000 days

The University of Minnesota Pediatric Dental Clinic, Made Possible by Delta Dental of Minnesota, recently took the time to celebrate a milestone highlighting its longevity and its commitment to care.

It started when Jeffrey Karp, DMD, MS, clinical associate professor, interim director of the Division of Pediatric Dentistry and director of the Pediatric Dentistry Program, downloaded an app that quickly identifies the number of days that have passed since a key event. He plugged in April 3, 2012—the date the clinic opened—and discovered that they were close to a huge milestone: the clinic would hit 5,000 days since its opening on December 11, 2025.

Initially built to be “a resource to partner with dentists, pediatricians and the broader pediatric medical community,” according to Karp, the clinic serves as a resource for the neighboring children’s hospital—and for the community, state and nation. The clinic was made possible through the generosity of many, including individuals and local corporate partners like 3M and the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation.

Robert Jones, DDS, PhD, professor of pediatric dentistry, remembers serving on the clinic’s planning committee before it came into existence. “I was able to shape operatory design to optimize specific rooms for treating children who have anxiety and behavioral challenges,” he explained. “I have continued to serve as a core faculty member, training residents at the West Bank Clinic and supervising their clinically focused research projects.”

Cynthia Jacobs, clinic manager, began working at the clinic as soon as it opened—about a month and a half before the clinic’s first patient arrived. She grew in her role as the clinic itself grew—running the front desk before  becoming a supervisor, then transitioning to clinic manager and supervising dental assistants in 2025. “It’s exciting to see something you were a part of from the very beginning reach important milestones and achieve so much in that time,” she said.

Since that first appointment, she revealed, the team has performed more than  68,000 exams, placed 29,000 sealants to prevent tooth decay, restored tens of thousands of decayed and broken down teeth to health and function again and served more than 20,000 unique patients. At last count, the clinic’s team over the years has included 33 different staff members, 25 faculty and 90 residents pursuing advanced education in pediatric dentistry.

“That’s a lot of little mouths and little teeth, and there’s so much more that we’ve accomplished,” she said.

What means more to the team than the numbers, though, is the care they’ve been able to provide to a unique patient population. “We are one of the only practices in the state that treats children with minimal or moderate oral sedation, which helps to safely treat children with dental anxiety in a clinical setting and avoid overburdening the hospital system,” Jacobs explained. She recalled a mother who tearfully shared that her experience at the clinic was her child’s first successful dental visit.

“Every day in the clinic, we see tangible results of the work we do,” Karp reflected. “We are a referral center for kids who need services that other practices are unable to  provide. We interact daily with our medical colleagues, and we provide comprehensive, high-quality care in a way that’s very warm and inclusive. That makes us unique and special.” 
For Jones, the thing that makes the clinic the most special is the people who work there. “It is the best team I have ever been a part of,” he said. “Positivity radiates all around the clinic for children. I have several memories of children smiling confidently for the first time after getting their teeth restored.”

Because the team works so hard, they decided to take the time to celebrate their 5,000 days milestone—complete with a gathering and a Goldy Gopher-themed cake.

“We work hard, and we wanted to take a moment to recognize the work that we do and celebrate our team,” Karp said.

Jacobs agreed. “It’s important to celebrate the wins,” she said. “Highlighting what we’ve accomplished reminds us of our ‘why.’ And we all need to be reminded of how truly remarkable our achievements are, and how we’ve all contributed to our success.”

As the team moves into their next thousand days—and beyond—they continue to have high hopes for the future. Jones hopes someday one of their patients will become a pediatric dentist and join the team. Jacobs hopes to continue celebrating and making positive contributions to the pediatric dentistry community. Karp hopes to continue relieving pain, promoting health and helping kids enjoy their time at the dentist.

But most of all, they hope to continue making strides to improve patient care and keep kids happy, healthy and safe—building on the foundation of their first 5,000 days and the people that made it possible.