Angela “Angie” Echternkamp, Office Manager
Angie has been with The Dental ER since opening in February 2017, helping Dr. Dave with tasks prior to opening. She worked with Dr. Dave and Dr. Doug at AA Dental Care in Quincy previously for over ten years. Angie is a Certified Dental Assistant with certificates in coronal polishing, pit and fissure sealants, and nitrous oxide sedation monitoring from SIU Alton Dental School. She graduated from Quincy Senior High School (Quincy, Illinois) in 2003.
Angie has been married to her talented husband for over five years and been together for over ten years. They have four children: their daughter, Austyn, and three sons, Denver Lee III, Brayden and Lincoln. They also have three step-grandchildren: Mason, Nolly and Irie. Lil Bit is their “super-chihuahua/ terroir-chihuahua mix” dog.
Her contractor husband owns a monster truck named “Venom” and they go on the road to monster truck events, even hosting a show once a year in their hometown of Quincy, Illinois. They love to go camping, fishing and hunting. Angie has a collection of deer, turkey, hog, black bear, caribou, alligator, and rams she has hunted herself. For fun, she sometimes plays softball and sand volleyball recreationally with siblings and friends. “I just love to be outside so I could be doing anything or nothing and be happy as long as I’m outside enjoying the company of my family and friends.”
Angie says of working at The Dental ER:
“I enjoy the most working alongside Dr Dave. He is extremely talented, professional, honest, personable and respectful. I also enjoy meeting new people. I love working with my coworkers and sharing friendly conversations with them and new and existing patients. Patients tend to open up to us on a personal level sharing stories of family, work or hobbies. This happens both in the waiting room before their appointments and in the operatory chair during their appointments, so it’s not just silence or the sound of drills. We listen to music and chat, and it’s nice to feel like the patient is comfortable with us and our office, because comfort is not an emotion that is expressed all that often at the dentist. When patients come to us for the first time stressing their fear of the dentist, you can see their body relax and attitude change when they leave after their appointment. We hear a lot that it was the best dental experience they have ever had, and that’s what makes my job so awesome!”
Angie’s goal is to make all patients feel comfortable from the first phone call to the time they walk into the office and sit in the chair, thus setting the tone for being a friendly office who cares about putting patients first. As office manager, she takes phone calls and schedules appointments, as well as financials like insurance, billing and financing. Angie assists the doctor with treatment planning as well as taking impressions, patient digital full arch scans using the iTero® Element ™ 2 scanner, and X-rays. She also focuses on team marketing.
“A lot of the responsibilities of our office are shared between all of us, which is what makes us such a great team. We all work so well together and can fill in wherever needed at that time. I have been with Dr. Dave for so long that his ethics and knowledge in dentistry are now a big part of who I am, and I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else with anyone else.”
“The Dental ER is a great place to get the smile you have always wanted or maintain the smile you have always had. I love especially after orthodontics or denture insertion seeing people’s lives change and their whole world seems to light up as soon as they lift the mirror and see their new smile. When you see someone at their first appointment, and they are quiet and find ways to hide their teeth whether it be covering it when they talk or stiffening their lips. Watching them grow with confidence as their smile is developed and knowing that you were able to embark upon that journey with them is rewarding. Their happiness and confidence are also rewarding. And it makes me so proud to know that I work for one of the absolute best dentists who is not only able to transform their smile for them and change their life in a way they never could have imagined, but also is passionate about doing so. I know those are some of the moment’s Dr Dave lives for. He is more than a great dentist; he is a great friend to all who meet him.”
Jackie Lingenfelter, Dental Assistant & Receptionist
Jackie has been with The Dental ER for over a year. She graduated from Louisa-Muscatine High School and studied at Muscatine Community College and Iowa State University. She says about the practice:
“I love having such a close-knit team to work with and working in Macomb.”
Her goal is to make sure each patient walks away with a positive experience after visiting the office. She is one of the first people to greet patients either on the phone or in the office. Jackie schedules appointments and assists new patients with their paperwork, conversing with them as they are waiting to be seated. She makes sure to answer questions and calls insurance companies for benefit breakdowns. Also, she sometimes assists with taking x-rays and is cross trained to step in to assist the doctor when needed. She helps with sterilizing instruments and operatory clean up to maintain the flow of the office schedule.
Jackie and her wonderful husband enjoy spending time at home with their 16-lbs. Maine Coon cat, Beau. During the summer, they enjoy exploring new campsites around the country.
Deanna “Dee” Deushane, Dental Assistant
Dee has been with The Dental ER for over eight months. She graduated Lewistown High School in 2004, received her associate degree from Spoon River College in 2007, and has received her Dental Assistant Certification from DANB. She is certified in Infectious Control as well as Radiation Health and Safety from Midwest Tech Institute since 2014.
Besides assisting Dr. Dave every day, Dee also preps trays for procedures, takes X-rays, sterilizes instruments, maintains equipment and cleans operatories. She also does lab work including pouring up and grinding down dental models and fabricating custom trays, retainers and bleaching trays. She prioritizes her time and workload by maintaining the flow of the office. She says of her job:
“The patient comes first so no matter how much work there is to do, I know getting the patient from the waiting room to the operatory and out the door is always the most important task. I sometimes assist multiple chairs at once going back and forth to minimize the patients wait time for their appointment to start.”
Dee focuses on her patients to ensure they have a comfortable time at The Dental ER.
“I enjoy assisting people to achieve a happy and healthy smile. It is my pleasure to get to know our patients on a personal level and ensure they feel comfortable in the chair and have a positive experience, sometimes changing their outlook on going to the dentist… It is my desire to make every patient experience comfortable and have them leave with confidence.”
Dee has a loving boyfriend and two beautiful daughters. She loves to garden, go camping, be outdoors and spend time with family.