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Spence Dental in Claremont has a new owner

By GLYNIS HART
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CLAREMONT — After serving the community for 40 years, dentist Richard Spence sold his practice across South Street from the middle school on Good Friday — to a young dentist who’s been working at the practice since last August. 

“He felt comfortable handing me the keys,” said Dr. Colin Boswell. “His kids still work here.” 

Boswell is a newly-minted pediatric dentist, a specialty that requires additional years of school. “The big thing is, we can provide holistic care. Not only is our staff trained really well, but I have more training in things like behavior guidance and oral conscious sedation.

“This is all I do,” said Boswell. “Children and special needs.” 

Boswell moved to Claremont on the invitation of his colleague and friend Dr. Jonny Norris. The two of them trained together in Anchorage, Alaska. 

“We always talked about wanting to be somewhere we could make a difference,” said Boswell. “He’s a great person and I wanted to practice with the right person doing the right thing.”

He was working in the Midwest when Norris called and told him about an opportunity in Claremont, so Boswell came on board at Spence Dental last August. Norris recently opened a practice in Keene, Montshire Pediatric Dentistry, and the two friends hope to merge the businesses eventually. 

Spence Dental has almost 2,000 active patients. 

“A big thing about us is we take pride in Every Child Is Welcome. We see every child regardless of insurance,” said Boswell. The practice takes all insurance types, including Medicaid. 

Boswell brings a strong wish to serve the community and prevent dental disease, not just treat it. There’s a lot of tooth decay in Claremont, so he knows his work is valued. 

“In pediatric dentistry we spend a lot of time in educating,” he said. Parents are invited back to the exam rooms to be with their children, and learn. “If we can really change the trajectory in a kid’s life by encouraging behaviors, that can change a lifetime. So I’m taking plenty of time with each kiddo and their parents.” 

When should children first see a dentist? 

“We want to see kids by age one,” said Boswell. “It’s mostly an educational visit; most of the value is gettng the children used to coming. God forbid [the first time we see them] we have to do a crown. If we’ve already seen them three or four times it makes it easier.”

That being said, a year-one dental visit allows the dentist to catch some things that could develop into problems later. Not only are kids showing up with cavities at age 2 or 3, but as their mouths grow “there are some things we can catch that are time sensitive,” he said. 

Baby teeth are just going to fall out, so if they have cavities, is it worth filling them?

“Yes. The biggest thing with cavities in baby teeth is it can cause pain,” said Boswell. “It can cause pain and an abscess. Kids lose sleep because their tooth hurts, or they miss school. The other thing is teeth are little space maintainers. It helps to hold that dental structure. If you lose the tooth the permanent tooth can tip into that gap when it grows in. And, you don’t want to lose the tooth so you can still chew. It can affect speech, aesthetics, but the main thing is discomfort and pain.” 

In addition to the dental practice, Boswell has reached out to the schools to talk about dental hygiene and to let them know he’s there. “It’s a good way for the kiddos to meet us and get comfortable. 

“We just don’t want children to fall through the cracks and come in four years later with an abscess. We do our best to make it happen for them.”

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