The following article appeared in the January 2024 issue of Ponca City Monthly magazine, which includes hyperlocal stories about Ponca City. Get full access to all online articles, videos, and content by becoming a paid subscriber. We offer free and paid subscription plans. Find rack locations to pick up your free print copy here, or subscribe here to get online access plus exclusive content.
Some things are just meant to be, fated, as it were. Some stories just make sense – and so it came to be that Phillip and Nancy Tyndall moved to Ponca City in the year 2000. Their story doesn’t start there though, so we must go back a little bit further.
Phillip and Nancy met in a Physics class in summer school as they were each on their respective journeys through their education in dentistry. They began as lab partners and eventually became life partners. The couple got engaged during Phillip’s second year of dental school and Nancy’s final year of hygiene school. They were married in 1995 and lived in Oklahoma City and then Tulsa. They had planned to buy a dental practice in Tulsa, but when the owner decided it wasn’t quite time to retire, they began to look elsewhere.
Their broker reached out to them about a practice in Ponca City. Nancy was skeptical. Their oldest daughter Sydney was a newborn at the time and Nancy did not want to move. Phillip wanted to visit the practice in question and see what Ponca City had to offer. Phillip made the initial visit on a Saturday to meet Dr. Walker and learn about his practice. He called Nancy on the way back to Tulsa to tell her to pack her bags. They were moving to Ponca City. Nancy admits that it was very hard in the beginning getting acclimated to a new community, particularly as an outsider.
This is where fate comes into play; well, fate and a few lovely humans. A few weeks before moving to Ponca City, Nancy met Barry and Lois Bickle in Tulsa. Barry and Lois were checking the progress on a home one of their kids was building. Nancy and her sister were checking the progress on the home her sister and brother-in-law were building. As they say, “of all the gin joints … .” The groups started talking and Nancy shared that she’d soon be moving to Ponca City. This was the meet cute of a friendship between the couples that continues to this day. Barry and Lois were in Phillip and Nancy’s driveway right behind the moving truck when they got to town. They brought dinner and even offered to watch Sydney so the two could get some unpacking done without a little one underfoot. The couples bonded over good wine and their love for the Oklahoma State Cowboys and still do today.
Another fated meeting for the couple was their introduction to the late Phil Bandy. Phil took Phillip and Nancy under his wing as soon as they moved to town. The day they took over their practice, Phil was there. Nancy remembers, “The first person in the door was Phil Bandy, and he had Fred Boettcher with him. So, we got to know Fred. Then about two hours later, Phil comes back and he has Jerry Evans with him, so we got to know Jerry Evans. And then Phil comes back in the afternoon and he has Danny Head with him. So that was our first day. They all decided that they were going to make sure we got real involved in Ponca City.” Nancy adds this about her friendship with Phil, “He was just such a sounding board. He was such a mentor. After we moved here, he didn’t do anything or get involved in anything that he didn’t try to include us. He was like that. He was just an absolute angel.”
And get involved they did! Over the years the couple has served on boards and volunteered with many local organizations, including Ponca City Main Street, the Ponca City Chamber, the Marland Estate Commission, CASA, Friends of Education and more.
Phillip and Nancy initially practiced in Dr. Walker’s old offices while building the office they’re in now. They moved to their new location in 2003 at 415 E. Hartford and have been there ever since. They have a staff of five, with two working the front office and three assistants working in the back with Phillip and Nancy as they handle patients. Phillip and Nancy have high standards for the care of their patients and make sure that one of them sees each and every patient that comes into their practice.
Phillip and Nancy also go above and beyond to make sure they’re keeping their patients as safe as possible. They, along with their staff, set aside time on a regular basis for the care and sterilization of tools. They also triple check the safety of their water on a regular basis. Additionally, they have a consultant that comes into their facility to check things as well. Safety has been an important standard of theirs from the beginning of their careers.
The couple also values learning and growing their practice, their personal education and the training of their team. They all pursue Continuing Education in various areas depending on their positions. This may look like a crash course in nationwide insurance changes for front-office staff or a class about teeth polishing for back-office staff. In 2018, Phillip went back to school for an oral surgery implant residency. Their practice now has a surgical suite, and they do surgeries along with general dentistry. Nancy is passionate about education and pursed a degree in dental education after dental hygiene school. She makes a point to discuss overall health with all her patients including things like diet, exercise, blood pressure and disease prevention. Nancy believes everyone needs a champion, and she aims to be that champion when she can.
There are so many things that make the Tyndalls excellent at what they do – their love of improvement and continual education, their five-star standard of care and the team of staff they’ve grown. Possibly most important though is their love for their patients and community. The couple agrees that the people they are privileged to work with, and the people they are privileged to work on, are the absolute best part of their job.
You can find out more about Tyndall Family Dentistry on their website at
http://www.tyndallfamilydentistry.com/
or by calling their office to set up an appointment at (580) 762-7857. They are open Monday through Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. They are closed on Friday.Never miss an article, subscribe to our newsletter! We offer a free version, as well as paid memberships for full access to all our online content including exclusive articles & videos:
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