Greencastle Hometown Dental celebrates new dentist, expanded space, 10 years

Monday, August 19, 2019
Dr. Tess Funke

Exactly why is Greencastle Hometown Dental hosting an open house all day on Wednesday?

Perhaps it is to welcome recent addition Dr. Tess Funke to the practice.

Or maybe it’s to celebrate the expansion of the east side dental practice.

Dr. Dennis Knuth

Or could it be that Dr. Dennis Knuth opened his Greencastle practice 10 years ago in August 2009?

It turns out the 8 a.m.-5 p.m. open house will be a celebration of all three, giving patients and non-patients alike the chance to stop in the office at 1113 Indianapolis Rd. to meet Dr. Funke, tour the expanded facility and celebrate a decade of serving patients in Greencastle and the surrounding area.

The day will also offer a chance to pick up a dental-themed cookie and just say hi to Knuth, Funke and the rest of the staff.

It’s been a period of transition for the practice, but Knuth is happy with where things are now.

“We needed to expand our area for a total of seven treatment areas,” he said. “We have expanded the waiting room. We’ve added more to the business area to allow for more personal conversations with patients.”

And that says nothing of the new doctor.

“We also brought in Dr. Funke, which ultimately allows us to see patients on an expanded schedule to see people in more areas,” Knuth said.

The practice will now be open most Fridays, expanding it to a full Monday-through-Friday schedule.

A few weeks in, Funke (pronounced like an adjective describing James Brown) is feeling right at home.

“It’s been great,” Funke said. “I really feel like I’ve joined a great team. It feels like a family environment. I’m grateful they chose me.”

Funke isn’t the only one feeling grateful, as Knuth is surprised how well things have gone with her in the fold and how quickly the time has passed.

“I think we both got lucky,” Knuth said. “It’s hard to believe it’s already been a month and a half.”

An Evansville native, Funke did her undergrad work at Purdue before attending dental school at the University of Louisville.

She then moved on to a general practice residency at an Arkansas hospital.

“It’s a year of advanced training in dentistry, but it allowed me to work in a hospital setting,” Funke said.

With three of four siblings in the Indianapolis area and the other in Bloomington, Funke is feeling right at home in Central Indiana.

As for Funke’s contribution to the Hometown Dental team, Knuth feels she only expands what they are able to do.

“We always strive to see patients on a personal basis, to give them a hometown feel,” Knuth said. “With Dr. Funke, we’re able to do that more.”

It’s more of what Knuth says he’s tried to do for a decade now.

“I moved to Greencastle 10 years ago and opened this practice five days later,” he said. “I couldn’t be more happy with how that has turned out. Emily, my wife, has returned to Greencastle and couldn’t be more pleased with how it’s turned out.

“We’ve been able to serve our patients and serve our community and do dentistry in a way we know is best for our patients,” Knuth continued. “That’s something I’m very proud of — that we treat our patients as if they’re our friends and family. That’s difficult to do in today’s dental and medical world.”

The friends and family aspect is just an extension of how Knuth feels about his staff.

“I work with a wonderful team here that I consider my friends and part of my family,” Knuth said. “I enjoy coming to work every single day. I think everybody else does too. We laugh. We have a lot of fun here.

“Ultimately, I think that helps us serve our patients.”

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: