Fairfield dentist Dr. Gleason retires after almost 40 years of service

FAIRFIELD — Fairfield dentist Dr. Marty Gleason is calling it a career after almost 40 years of cleaning teeth at the Fairfield Dental Clinic.

Gleason announced that this would be his final week on the job, and that he is ready to hand the reins to fresh blood in the company. Gleason is co-owner of the clinic, where he has worked since 1983 from the moment he moved to Fairfield. He will leave the business in the hands of Dr. Pat Jones and Dr. Matthew Holt, who joined the business in June to take Gleason’s place.

Gleason said he felt 65 is a good age to retire at. He’s had to cut back on certain dental procedures that are too physically exhausting because of pain in his knees. In fact, he said the first thing he’ll do in retirement is replace both his knees. After that, he and his wife Julie are looking forward to traveling.

“Going to Italy and Alaska are on our bucket list,” he said. “You need time while you’re still healthy to enjoy retirement and be able to travel.”

Gleason grew up on a farm near La Harpe, Illinois, a town just east of Fort Madison, Iowa. When he was a boy, he imagined he’d be a farmer. As a teenager, Gleason had to wear braces, and developed a friendship with his dentist Dr. James Hugg. He told Dr. Hugg that he was thinking about a career in dentistry, and Dr. Hugg gave him advice about the steps he needed to take to become a dentist.

“He was a great mentor to me, and we’ve been lifelong friends,” Gleason said.

Gleason got his undergraduate degree from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and from dental school in Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.

Upon graduation, Gleason hoped to secure a dentistry job close to home, so he applied for jobs within 50 miles of La Harpe. One of the towns he looked into was Mt. Pleasant, but when he called the Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce, he learned that the town was flush with dentists, and that he should check out neighboring Fairfield instead. Gleason did, and he set up a meeting with Fairfield Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Charlie Barnett.

Barnett introduced Gleason to three dentists in Fairfield: Stephen Van Tasell, L.B. Carter and Larry Nash. Van Tasell and Carter worked in the same building but had separate practices. After meeting with Gleason, Van Tasell and Carter worked out a plan whereby they would combine their businesses so that Carter could retire, and Gleason could inherit his customers in the new joint practice.

Gleason said he was so fortunate that the stars aligned for him on his visit to Fairfield, and he’s never once considered leaving the town in the nearly 40 years since.

“Fairfield has been a wonderful community,” he said. “It’s been great to me and my wife Julie. She became a teacher in the school district, and taught for 32 years, most of it at the kindergarten level. I’ve been a 40-year member of Lions Club and lots of community activities, serving on lots of committees, boards, you name it.”

Marty and Julie have two children, Scott and Emily, who followed their father’s footsteps into the medical field. Emily works at the Keokuk County Medical Clinic in Sigourney, and Scott is an orthopedic surgeon in Burlington.

Gleason said the most rewarding part of his job has been to improve someone’s smile and see how happy it makes them. He also takes pride in talking patients through their procedures so they don’t fear them.

“I tell them, ‘We can do this without you having to feel pain, and we can do this together,’” he said. “You don’t have to be afraid. So many times, it’s about communication and compassion.”

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com