Kent Burnett, DDS: Serving Organized Dentistry and Providing Family-Friendly Care in Corvallis - Coastal Cascades Dentist Society February 2026 Member Spotlight

 

 

Dr. Burnett is currently a member of the Coastal Cascades Dentist Society council and was integral to the merger of the membership of the Southern Willamette and Lane County Dental Societies.  He also serves on the Oregon Dental Association Board of Trustees. He serves on these boards to express his gratitude for the opportunity to become a dentist and to say thank you.  Why did he decide to become a dentist in the first place? A friend suggested that he should become a dentist. At first, he resisted the idea, but he liked the idea of working with his hands and making a decent living. Most of all, the pursuit of dentistry was a challenging goal for him to achieve.

Dr. Burnett was born in Missoula, lived in Utah while his father worked at Weber State, and he went to dental school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Early in his career, he worked as a dentist with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Tribal Health Department.

Dr. Burnett ended up in Oregon after he and his wife decided not to move back to Utah due to the high number of dentists there and to avoid snow. After working in Eugene with a friend, he ended up finding a dental practice in Corvallis in 2001. The practice seemed like a good deal, but he struggled to rebuild the practice during economic turndowns associated with 9/11 and 2007.  He recommends that new dentists pay attention to Return On Investment (ROI) before making big purchases. Regardless of the initial challenges, Kent has enjoyed being a dentist. The favorite part of his job is chatting with long-time patients and seeing them through all the many stages of their lives. He thinks this is funny because he generally likes being alone. 

One of  Dr. Burnett’s favorite activities outside of work is taking a quiet scenic drive and continuing his family's tradition of “grey-lining,” which involves traveling on less-used roads to discover unique places. He also enjoys gardening and enjoys the challenge of growing a vast variety of different plants. Once, he grew a 12 foot tall Greenhouse to grow bananas.

Member Spotlight: Dr. Matt Schapper, Focused on Family and Serving Others, Reprinted from CCDS January/February 2025 Newsletter

Dr. Matt Schapper is the first dentist in his family. He was looking for a career that would allow him to help serve others' needs. At first, he thought this could be medicine until he took Dr. Joseph Mirci's pre-dental class at the University of Utah. Dr. Schapper shadowed at his office and was a Teacher's Assistant for his class for a couple of years. After that, he went to  Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia. While at his General Practice Residency at the University of Utah Hospital, his brother Dane shadowed him a few times and pursued dentistry, going to Temple University as well. They practice together at Complete Dental Health LLC in Albany and Dental Health PC in Corvallis.

Since Dr. Schapper grew up in Springfield, he has plenty of family in Oregon and decided to start his career here with Dr. Kendell Wood for 12 years until he retired. After Dr. Wood Retired retired, Dr. Schapper's brother came to join the practices. The brothers have similar schooling and training and work well together in patient care and treatment. Dane has a background in Business and Accounting which helps them manage both locations utilizing the same systems to help both offices operate consistently. Most of the time the doctors are at different locations, but sometimes work together on Fridays when only one of their locations is open.

When asked what he likes best about working in the Corvallis/Albany area, Dr. Schapper responded that he enjoys seeing the diversity of patients: "Students from Oregon State to families and individuals who have grown up here their whole lives, or maybe transplants to Oregon. I enjoy getting to know my patients, what they are up to, and their interests overall. I think having a better understanding of who our patients are helps to provide care better tailored to their needs."

Dr. Schapper and his wife, Ashley, have four children: 13-year-old twins, a 9-year-old son, and a 5-year-old daughter.  As a family, they go on camping trips and vacations to visit family here or in Utah. During summertime, they also try to take full advantage of outdoor activities, enjoying Oregon's beauty. Dr. Schapper looks forward to seeing if his children will be interested in dentistry when they are older; for now, they enjoy sports and music. In addition to family activities, Dr. Schapper enjoys golfing with friends and trains for triathlons.