All our professionals at Norwood Dental maintain the highest levels of accreditation and pursue ongoing education to stay abreast of the latest trends in cosmetic dentistry.

Dan Ross D.D.S.

Dr. Ross was born in northern Minnesota and was raised on the Mesabi Iron Range near Hibbing, MN. Having been raised in a small town it is natural that he would seek a small town in which to spend his career. He graduated from Greenway High School in Coleraine, MN in1982. He received a bachelors degree in biology from The College of St. Thomas in St. Paul in 1986. He went on to receive his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the University of Minnesota in 1990. He spent the first 3 years of his career working in various practice settings such as associateship positions in the Twin Cities and as an employee of the Mille Lacs Ojibwe' reservation. He began practicing in Norwood, MN in 1993 and decided within a few days of practicing there that this was where he wanted to stay. After working as an associate of Norwood Dental for three and a half years he purchased the practice and shortly after this he also purchased the dental practice of Dr. Bertrum J. McCarthy. His vision for the practice was to provide modern high tech dentistry for Western Carver County. He refused to accept the notion that modern health care could be found only in large communities and made it his goal to seek out the best of modern dental technology and make it available to his patients. Items such as fully computerized treatment rooms, Wand gentle anesthetic delivery systems, same day crowns, high tech smile makeovers and laser cavity detection stand as proof of his commitment to his vision. He continues to tirelessly pursue his vision and makes every effort to ensure that his patients have the best experience possible. The technology available at Norwood Dental will ensure that all patients, children and adults alike, will have the best experience possible.

Dr. Ross enjoys many activities outside of his dental practice. He participates in men's league hockey, weight training and cycling. He is an outdoor enthusiast and has spent many hours backpacking in the Rocky Mountains of Western Montana and the Superior National Forest. He enjoys recording his own music in his home recording studio. He has resided in western Carver County since 1995 with his wife Rebecca.

 

Brandon Bussler DDS 

Dr. Bussler was born and raised in Waconia, MN and graduated from Waconia High School in 1997. He attended Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2001. He completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree at the University of Minnesota, School of Dentistry in 2006.

Dr. Bussler feels very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to join the Norwood Dental team. Growing up in Carver County, he knew he wanted to work in a smaller community after dental school. He is proud to work with state of the art technology in a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. He views the office's dedication to continuing education and commitment to success as admirable core values.

Dr. Bussler and his wife Cathy reside in Chanhassen, MN with their two shih-tzu dogs, Bailey and Ginger. They enjoy working out at Lifetime Fitness in addition to running, walking and biking. They have come to appreciate Minnesota's north shore as a favorite vacation destination.

 

 

Amy Bartels RDH 

Amy grew up in Sibley County and graduated from Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop High School in 1988. She received a bachelor's degree in Dental Hygiene from the University of Minnesota in 1994. She accepted a part time position with Norwood Dental immediately upon graduating. This quickly became a full time position as the demands for Amy's services grew. She is proud to continue to see many of the same patients she started her career with. Her friendly, fun and ambitious nature makes her an irreplaceable team member.

Amy has been with the team for 11 years and cites many reasons for her continuing dedication to Norwood Dental. She values the advantages enjoyed by the patients as a result of technology not commonly found in other facilities and appreciates the opportunity to work with these technologies. She recognizes the strong leadership and commitment to excellence exhibited at Norwood Dental. She values the excellent team members she is surrounded by. And perhaps most importantly, she appreciates being a part of a team that places the patients needs above all else.

Her life outside of dentistry is filled with many activities. She enjoys aerobic exercise, strength training, singing, church activities and spending time with her family. Her weaknesses are chocolate and Caribou coffee. She resides in Sibley County with her husband Jay and her two children, Max and Libby.

 

Angela Brau RDH

Angie graduated from Mankato State University with a degree in Dental Hygiene. While at Mankato State, she completed externships at the Open Door clinic in Mankato, and the White Earth Indian reservation in northern MN. She started working at Norwood Dental in July of 1997.

In addition to her duties as a registered dental hygienist, Angie has also been a valuable event planner for the team. She enjoys working as a hygienist because she enjoys meeting people and assisting them in achieving and maintaining optimal dental health.

She also enjoys giving classroom presentations to children, encouraging healthy oral habits from an early age.

Angie is blessed to have a wonderful husband and son. Volleyball, running, jet-skiing and watching the NFL (Go Vikes!), are some of her favorite activities. Volunteer work is very important to her. She is a past member of the local Lions International group and has also been a teen mentor. She is currently involved with her church as a vacation bible school teacher and an Advisor for the Youth Group.

 

Nyssa Friedrich RDH

Nyssa grew up in Stearns County and graduated from Rocori High School in 1994. She received a Bachelors Degree in Community Health from Mankato State University in 1998. After working the health field for four years, Nyssa returned to school and attended Normandale Community College. She received her degree in Dental Hygiene in 2004.

Nyssa is proud to be part of the team at Norwood Dental. She feels that the dynamics of this team set them apart from other dental offices. This office wants the best for their patients.

Outside of the dental office, Nyssa enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She also enjoys running and walking their chocolate lab Ally. She and her husband reside in Carver County.

 

 

 

Sue was born in Park Falls, Wisconsin in 1957. She graduated from Lincoln High in 1976 and moved to the Minneapolis area. Sue attended Hennepin Technical College and graduated in 1983 with an Associates Degree in Dental Assisting. Her work experience in the dentistry includes public health, endodontics, pedodontics, general dentistry and periodontics. After more that fifteen years of dental assisting, Sue returned to school and graduated with a degree in Dental Hygiene in 2000. She was the recipient of the Proctor and Gamble Patient Education Award. She has been a Norwood Dental Team Member since 1997.

Sue enjoys working at Norwood Dental because of its progressive, comprehensive nature and the value placed on good oral health as an integral part of total health. Sue carries her role as a dental hygienist beyond her clinical duties at Norwood Dental. She enjoys teaching principles of dental health at many of the local grade schools as another means of improving the overall dental health of the citizens of Western Carver County.

She resides in the Excelsior area with her husband and children. She enjoys good coffee, good movies and a great work-out at the gym.

 

Barb Simons RDA 

Barb was born and raised in Waconia, MN. She graduated from Waconia High School in 1975 and moved to Norwood in 1979. In 1997 Barb became a patient at Norwood Dental and the team took notice of her intense interest in dentistry. Given her interest in dentistry and her warm and engaging personality, the team unanimously elected to recruit Barb as a team member and in April of 2004 she joined Norwood Dental. Currently, she is attending MCTC in the Dental assisting program and plans to graduate in August, 2006.

Barb enjoys working with the cutting edge technology offered at Norwood Dental. She is excited to be a part of a team that constantly pursues the latest technological advancements of dentistry.

Barb enjoys running, walking, and spending time with her family and friends. She and her husband Paul have three children, Becky (25), Bob (22), and Aaron (18).

 

 

Karrie West RDA

Karrie was discovered by the team at Norwood Dental as an extern assignee from Hennepin Technical College. The team noted her energetic nature and warm personality and as a group decided to offer her a permanent position. She graduated from high school in 1990, and attended Hennepin Tech graduating with an Associate of Arts degree. She continued her education at Hennepin Tech and received a degree in Dental Assisting in July of 2005.

She enjoys working at Norwood Dental very much. She appreciates the positive attitudes of her fellow employees and feels fortunate to be exposed to the high tech touches found at Norwood Dental. She is excited to have been given an opportunity to be a part of such a rare team.

Outside of work, Karri enjoys hiking, walking, 4-wheeling, reading, and spending time with her family. She resides in Belle Plaine with her husband, two children and two lab dogs.

 

Rachel Zabel RDA

Rachel was raised in Cologne, MN and graduated from Central High School in Norwood Young America in 1999 with a vision of becoming a healthcare professional. In 1999 she enrolled in the Dental Assistants Program at Hennepin Technical College in Eden Prairie, Minnesota where she received her degree in Dental Assisting in August of 2000. Immediately upon graduating, Rachel accepted a position at Norwood Dental and has been a team member ever since.

Rachel enjoys being a team member at Norwood Dental not only for the warm, friendly atmosphere but also because of the latest technology which is utilized at Norwood Dental. She realizes that being given the opportunity to utilize the latest technology has allowed her to rise to the top of her profession as each day she employs technology not found in the workplaces of her colleagues. As a result of her experiences at Norwood Dental, Rachel has learned things such as designing and polishing one appointment crowns, using digital radiography, using decay detection lasers (Diagnodent) and numerous other advanced technologies. She is proud to be a part of a team which strives to remain a leader in cutting edge dentistry while providing a warm and welcoming atmosphere for patients.

Outside of the dental office, Rachel enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She and her husband, Josh, enjoy walking with their black lab, Zippo, bike riding, and camping. She also enjoys creating scrap books. She and her husband reside in eastern McLeod County.

 

Candace De Vlaeminck RDA

Candace was born and raised in Arlington, MN and graduated from Sibley East High school in 1999. She attended South Central Technical College and graduated with a degree in Dental Assisting in 2000. Upon graduation she was given the opportunity to join the team at Norwood Dental and has been a team member ever since.

After 5 years, Candace has come to appreciate many things about working with the team at Norwood Dental. She enjoys the challenges of ongoing learning and the extensive focus on continuing education. In addition to this she appreciates the patient benefits that are available through state of the art technology found at Norwood Dental as she understands that it equates to better patient care. And she enjoys being a part of a team with the common goal of continually striving to provide the best possible dental experience for patients. She finds great joy in working with children and loves to teach them proper dental care techniques.

Candace currently resides in Sibley County with her husband and 1 year old daughter. When not at work she enjoys creating scrapbooks, teaching Sunday school and spending time with family and friends.

 

Charlene Barels RDA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Janeen Lucker - Office Coordinator

Jan grew up in a small farm town in southwestern Minnesota. After graduation from Slayton High School, she attended Willmar Tech School for her Administrative Assistant Degree, which led her to a position at a mechanical contractor company in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She received her Associate Degree from Ridgewater College in Sioux Falls while maintaining her full time position for the mechanical contracting company in Sioux Falls.

In 1988, Jan moved from Sioux Falls to Norwood/Young America with her husband and son. Shortly thereafter she was employed at Norwood Dental as scheduling coordinator and gradually moving into her current position as Business Manager.

During this time, she has gained a vast amount of knowledge in the dental field. She enjoys her many responsibilities as business manager and is excited to participate in assisting patients in achieving their dental health wants and needs. Jan is proud to be a member of the Norwood Dental team because the team constantly pursues the best that modern dental technology has to offer.

When not working at Norwood Dental, Jan enjoys golfing, bowling, gardening, reading, and helping with various church and high school projects. Jan, her husband Brian and two sons, Eric and Brad, have made a home in Norwood/Young America and enjoy the friendly small town community.

 

Debra Prchal - Scheduling Coordinator

Deb was born and raised in Carver County, Minnesota on a dairy farm with eight siblings. She graduated from Central High School. She started working in the Dental field with Dr. Bertrum McCarthy in 1984 and continued working with him for twelve years. In 1997, Dr. McCarthy sold his practice to Dr. Daniel Ross. The Norwood Dental team was delighted to retain Deb as scheduling coordinator. She has been instrumental in helping patients feel welcome at Norwood Dental. Her kind and cheerful demeanor make her an irreplaceable team member.

Deb enjoys working with the public, meeting new people and helping patients understand the importance of dental health and how it is an integral part of total health. In 2000, Deb was given a complete smile makeover by Dr. Ross and this experience helped her to gain firsthand knowledge of how the latest dental technology can change lives. Her results can be seen in the "before and after" smile makeover page of our website.

She enjoys spending her time with her husband, Allan and two children, Jason and Kristin. She enjoys attending ball games, fishing and gardening.

 

Sarah Odenthal - Receptionist