4 March 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — It runs in the family. Generation after generation. Dentist after dentist.
Dr. Brick Scheer has been practicing most of his 40 years at his dental office on east 29th Street, and that’s not all that unusual. But four decades is only a fraction of the amount of time Scheer Dentistry has been established in Wichita.
The 105-year history of Scheer Dentistry began in downtown Wichita, on the northwest corner of Market and Douglas, in, at the time, was the tallest building in the state of Kansas.
“My grandfather started dentistry in 1916 in two small Missouri town that don’t exist anymore,” said Brick. “April of 1919, he moved into the eleventh floor of the Bitting Building and became the highest dentist in Kansas at the time.”
Brick is speaking of his grandfather, George W. Scheer. Brick’s father, Harold, joined the Bitting Building practice from 1945 to 1950.
“In 1950, the Korean conflict started, and then they called him up and said, alright, it’s time to pay your dues. So, he had to go to San Francisco as an Air Force dentist,” said Brick. “He went to school on the G.I. Bill, so he was the dentist for the dependents of the servicemen there.”
Harold returned to Wichita two years later and rejoined George in the Bitting Building until George passed away in 1965.
“We all three went to dental school at Washington University in St. Louis,” said Brick. Although Washington University remains open, the dental school was closed in the early 1990s.
“I joined my dad in 1982, and in 1987, we decided to move out to the suburbs, and we moved to our current location. Right here. You can see that’s the location we’re sitting at now,” said Brick as he looked at a photo of the groundbreaking of the new building, which opened on St. Patrick’s Day in 1987.
Brick and his siblings grew up around the family business. His sister, Laurie, has worked as a dental assistant and receptionist for 39 years. His niece, Star, is the office marketing consultant.
So, did the third-generation Scheer always want to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps?
“My dad told me … he said he always wanted to be a dentist. He could never remember not wanting to be to be a dentist. And I have the exact same feeling because I always wanted to be like dad,” said Brick.
105 years and counting.
Brick’s son, Dr. Brandon Scheer, decided to follow in his dad’s footsteps. Brandon is an orthodontist in Denver. He opened his own practice in 2019.
“I think he’s pretty proud. Yeah, he’ll tell you, and this is true, that he never really pressured me to go into dentistry. And so, it was my decision entirely to do this,” said Brandon. “But he can’t really hide very well that he’s glad that I made that decision. That he’s proud of this.”
So, what do the third and fourth generation of Scheer men have to say about their family’s legacy?
“It’s really cool. I don’t know very many other people that have had a family profession passed down through the generations to four generations like that, and it’s just something cool to be part of,” said Brandon.
“We’ve done a great service to the people of Wichita, to the people. We take good care of people. We strive to do our business with integrity. We want to do it with excellence. We don’t just treat their teeth. We try to treat the whole person,” said Brick.
Brandon will celebrate the fourth year of his growing practice, Shine Orthodontics, later this month. His father, Brick, says he’d like to have his son practicing with him here in Wichita, but he also understands it’s important for Brandon to live his own life in Colorado.