Renovating Our Saint Paul Office

When Associated Dentists was founded in 1973, group dental practices like ours were an innovation. While we have continued to innovate in patient care, our building has been stuck in the 70's. Now we are renovating to give our patients the modern, comfortable environment that they deserve.

We are looking forward to completing our renovation in the spring of 2010. We will be posting updates and photos as the transformation continues. Check back often for all the latest news.

---

February 11th, 2010

Out With the Old and In With the New

We have moved into our newly renovated area; the remaining old areas have been demolished and are being re-built. It’s so close…. but not quite done yet! Yes, you can enter through our beautiful 2 story front entry. Yes, the elevator is totally operational. Yes, many of our new treatment rooms are in use for hygiene and dental appointments. Yes, we will soon be in our new main floor reception room. Yes, it’s looking more and more wonderful every day. And yes — there’s still some noise and construction work going on in the background. We expect to be fully renovated by the end of March.

We look forward to seeing you in our new space and hope you enjoy the total experience of the new Associated Dentists. What channel would you like to watch on the TV in your treatment room? Come check it out!

January 28th, 2010

Ready, Set, GO!

It’s a race to the finish of Phase 1. As of Monday, February 1st, you’ll be able to enter the newly renovated building through our brand new front entrance. If you need to use the elevator, it’s now up (or down — haha) and running.

We’re very excited to be approaching the completion of this major phase of the renovation. There may be some minor cosmetic improvements not yet complete, but the equipment will be installed, brand new chairs are in place for your comfort and natural light is shining through to our new treatment rooms which are all handicap accessible.

If you have appointments the week of February 1st, you’ll be checking in upstairs; after that our main floor reception area will be operational and you’ll check in just inside the front door. Be sure to stop at our new check out area upstairs before leaving the building.

The next phase will bring renovation of the remaining treatment rooms, the administrative areas and the employee break room.

Be sure to check back for Phase 2 updates and for photos of the completed Phase 1 renovation.

We’d love to get your feedback on the renovation, so feel free to share your comments with our staff at your next visit.

January 14th, 2010

Close to Completing Phase 1

Beautifully textured stone is being applied to the 2-story wall between the grand staircase and the elevator. It adds rich dimension and texture to the new reception area. The main floor entry area will be in use February 1st, so there are numerous activities needing tight coordination to get everything up and running by then. The elevator will be in use for the installation of the new dental equipment, which begins bright and early Monday morning 1/18.

The flooring and cabinetry is being installed in our new treatment rooms, 12 of which will be in use as of February 1st. There will be a total of 16 rooms available by February 8th. This will be the completion of “Phase 1”, but much more work will follow until we’re completely renovated.

If you drive by later this week, be sure to notice our new sign mounted above the front entry. At night, you’ll notice the glow of our logo along with our name “in lights”. We may not be “Hollywood” but it will be impressive to see, never the less.

Starting February 1st, you can expect to come in the new front entrance, close to West 7th street. The elevator will be operational for everyone’s convenience. We all look forward to that major benchmark of progress — being able to use our own front door again!

January 8th, 2010

A Grand Entrance

Visions of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara (Gone with the Wind) form in my mind as I view the new grand, curved, open staircase welcoming you upstairs from our new street level entrance. It was a spectacle to see it arrive all in one piece and a massive maneuver to get it in place! Now the finishing trim, glass side panels and wood railings are being installed.

Our elevator is closer to operational, our treatment rooms are getting painted and prepped for new flooring and soon our dental equipment supplier will be in to install all the state of the art equipment and supplies needed to treat our patients. It’s fabulous to be able to visualize the new treatment and work environments as they unfold.

Our newly remodeled clinic will greet you with warm wood tones, earthy stone walls, open, airy vistas with lots of natural light flowing from the large expanse of south facing windows. Everything will be fresh and new and exciting. We’re all looking forward to moving into the newly renovated spaces and sharing the progress with you.

Although from the outside, it appears the new entrance is complete, it is in use only for the construction workers because the interior is not yet finished in that area. Please continue to enter through our temporary entrance at the rear of the building.

December 17th, 2009

Making Progress

We’re looking forward to next week when our grand staircase is scheduled to arrive. Once on site, the glass side walls and cherry wood railing will be added to make it both functional and beautiful. Exterior brick work is almost complete and most windows have been re-installed. The elevator is here and being tested. Yes, it does go up and down — yea!

Administrative offices have been temporarily re-located, but staff should be back in their new “homes” in 2–3 weeks as Phase 1 nears completion.

We look forward to early February when our new reception area should be complete and patients can come in through the front door again!

Be sure to take advantage of our expanded clinic hours. Come in before year end to maximize your “flex” dollars.

We wish you all a Happy Holiday and a healthy, Happy New Year.

December 10th, 2009

Goodbye Mud and Muck!

Along with the mud, the construction trailer has also disappeared, providing more room to store the inevitable Minnesota winter snow.

Going up? Or down? The elevator will soon arrive. Now that the elevator shaft is completed, final installation has begun. It’s quite a project, so it won’t be operational for weeks to come, but every step forward is exciting to see!

Brick is being applied to the façade and the windows are being re-installed. Soon the building will be closed in and ready for the start of the interior finish work. We’re looking forward to seeing the reception area be magically transformed into the space promised by the architectural drawings! There are so many construction workers on site simultaneously it must get challenging to determine who’s doing what next. It’s surely a sign of good things to come!

Remember we’re open during construction and have expanded our hours for your convenience.

November 19th, 2009

Taking Shape

Beep, beep, beep! That’s not a good sound when you hear it coming from the computer server room. Three of us in the administrative office rush to see what’s happened. The computers lost power and are running on battery back up. They’ll shut down in 10 to 15 minutes if power isn’t restored.

You hear, “quick, check the circuit breakers, call the electrician, call our systems administrator, find some extension cords.” With the ingenuity of our clinic administrator and operations manager, all the servers kept working and our electronic patient records remained available. Hmmm, was it the space heaters in the adjacent administrative office that overloaded the computer circuits? We’re looking forward to the walls and windows going back in so we can warm up a little downstairs!

The logistics and structural engineering involved in a remodeling project of this magnitude are beyond our comprehension. As we watch the elevator shaft walls erected, we respect those behind the design - a design intended to hold the weight of an elevator and harbor the mechanical and electrical entities involved in moving a piece of equipment through space. While they suited their purpose, patients will find it much easier to come and go without using the long inside and outside ramps once the elevator is operational around February 1st.

The city should soon complete the water line work on the far side of the street. Traffic moves quickly through the cones and barriers, but once the snow flies, the street needs to be open for plowing. Steel beams are being erected for our new front entry. It’s exciting to see the progress begin! After the Thanksgiving holiday our building will be fully occupied with all the various subcontractors - plumbing, heating, electrical, etc. New walls will be going up inside and the "build" will begin in earnest. Remember to call and schedule appointments for any treatments needed. While here you can see the "work in progress" and feel the excitement of the remodeling experience.

November 12th, 2009

Laying the Foundation

As promised last week, new footings and foundations have been installed. It doesn’t look that much different yet, but this week’s progress sets the stage for much more exciting things to come! The City of Saint Paul finished installing the new water line; the road should be completely re-opened soon. The steel for the elevator shaft will be installed next week. Once the floor gets poured in the next two weeks, the building can be closed up and interior framing can begin. We are happy to say our window glass is not sitting in a landfill somewhere. It was carefully saved, stored and will make its encore appearance in the next week or two as the glass is re-installed.

Once the building is closed in, you can expect to see more parking spots available. The construction trailer will be removed since they will be able to meet and plan their work day in the relative warmth of our newly enclosed space. We’re hoping this recent delightfully warm weather continues for a few more weeks, so the sidewalks and other concrete work can be done without the inconvenience of having to heat the materials to have them cure properly.

If you drive by next week, you may see exterior brick work being done and more progress towards closing up the building. Continue to enter at the rear of the building and remember that we’ve expanded our clinic hours to serve you. We’re open 7am – 7pm Monday through Thursday and 7am – 4pm on Fridays. If Saturday appointments are needed, we’re open every other Saturday morning at our West 7th Street location. The alternate Saturdays you can be seen at our Roseville location on Lexington Avenue.

November 5th, 2009

With Demolition Done, Reconstruction Begins

Mud, mud and more mud, but demolition is done! Jack hammers are silent, the elevator shaft has been excavated and the City of Saint Paul is installing a new water line to handle the extra capacity required for our new sprinkler system. The demolition phase has taken longer than expected due to the wet weather this fall and the amazing amount of excavation required, but we’re soon going to be seeing reconstruction rather than destruction.

Patients coming for appointments will continue to enter at the back of the building. West 7th street is partially blocked off this week and probably next week while the water main is being updated, but traffic is still moving smoothly.

If you drive by next week, you’ll see crews pouring footings for our new elevator shaft and front entry. Concrete block will be going in and some exterior brick work will start improving the appearance of the old AD building. By mid-December you can expect to see our building come together with new walls and windows — hopefully that will happen before too much snow flies! Remember, we are open and here to serve you through the remodeling process with extended hours for your convenience.

October 30th, 2009

Excavation and Demolition

There’s always something new being discovered during the excavation and demolition process. As more and more concrete is unearthed, it appears that this place was built to withstand a major earthquake! Unfortunately the additional excavation needed is putting us a little behind schedule, but never fear, "we will persevere."

Patients coming in for appointments will continue to enter at the back of the building. It’s expected to be much quieter in here after the exterior demolition is completed this week. We’ll continue to hear construction noise such as drills, hammers and saws, but the jack hammers should soon be silenced. Ahhhhhh!

Footings will soon be dug for the new piers and to support the elevator shaft. Exterior walls are expected to be in place in the next two weeks as masonry work begins soon. Be sure to check out the progress as you drive by the area! We are open for appointments and will continue to be so during this entire construction project.

Patient Resources

• Request an Appointment Online
• Patient Registration Form (pdf)
• Medical History Exam (pdf)