Welcome
Grand Rapids, MI
Welcome!
We are honored to welcome the patients of Dr. Lockwood and Dr. Gray!
A note from Dr. Lockwood & Dr. Gray:
Dear Friends:
We write to inform you of our upcoming retirement from dentistry. After August 29, 2024, our practice will be carried on by Dr. Mitch Vander Baan, who works in his dental office directly across the street from us. You might recall his name as he has graciously agreed to be on call for us when we were away from the office. We know Dr. Vander Baan well, and we are 100% confident in his talents, integrity, and ability to continue the caring and thorough standard of care you are used to receiving at our office.
Dr. Vander Baan was born in Grand Rapids, earned his undergraduate degree at Calvin College, and attended dental school at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry. He has been a dentist for 10 years, including serving for five years as an officer in the United States Army. Honorably discharged with the rank of Major in 2019, Dr. Vander Baan returned to Grand Rapids to begin his private practice. Dr. Vander Baan has a wonderful wife, Mikaelah, and three lovely children.
When not treating his patients, Dr. Vander Baan enjoys both the great outdoors and photography with his family. He is a caring and talented dentist, and his enthusiasm and dedication towards this transition makes us feel as though this were meant to be. Dr. Lockwood has been meeting with him to go over your individual records and planned care. Dr. Vander Baan is our own dentist.
Dr. Vander Baan refers to the same specialists as we do, and conveniently processes insurance plans as we do. Any appointments made in our office after August 29th will have to be remade with Dr. Vander Baan’s office. To help you with this, his office has a list of your future appointments, and they will do everything possible to accommodate you. He is custodian of your records as of August 29th.
One of our hygienists, Ali, already works for Dr. Vander Baan. It is possible that additional employees from our office will work for him. We hope to see you there as our paths cross in the future
Review of transition timeline:
August 29 is our last day of operation, and after that Dr. Vander Baan will carry on with your dental care. Dr. Lockwood will remain in consultation with him for an indefinite period to assist with the transition.
We realize this is sudden news, and we want you to know that we are struggling a bit at this time with our health. Many of you have been in recently and heard of our health challenges. Dr. Lockwood is facing one, perhaps two, surgeries in the near future. Also, Dr. Gray recently lost the vision in one of her eyes, though thankfully, it is returning. Because of these concerns, we realize that at this stage in our careers, the responsible thing to do is to see that you have continuity of care.
Dr. Vander Baan deserves the compliment of having you for patients. He is committed to carrying on what we believe is important in dentistry. Besides being very talented at dentistry, he and his wife are fine and caring people.
When we look back on our careers, we have so many things for which we are grateful. We are grateful to have had the privilege of serving you for 37 years. We are also grateful to have been able to employ and work with exceptionally talented and dedicated team members. Somehow, we managed to capture lightening in a bottle for 37 years. And now, we are grateful to have found a situation where your care can continue in a nearby modern facility by a kind and exceptional dentist.
In closing, we thank you for the privilege of serving you. You have been integral to our calling for 37 years. We are grateful for the opportunity and trust you have placed in us and our team to help you in the maintenance of your health while enriching our souls. We never imagined that our office would become such a special place to spend so much of our lives. We will miss you very much
Mitchell S. Vander Baan, DDS
Dear Patients,
I am deeply honored to carry on the legacy of Dr. Lockwood and Dr. Gray, who have set the standard for excellence in dental care. While I can never replace the relationships you've built with them, I am committed to treating each of you like family and upholding their passion for preventive care. Welcome to the V Dental family!
Thank you for trusting me with your care!