Rooted in Community, Built on Trust by Michele Jerrell, Publisher

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Categories: Marketing; Office Design; Practice Management, HR and Accounting;
Hernick
Dentaltown Magazine 

A look inside Dr. Jacoby Hernick’s patient-centered practice

by Michele Jerrell, Publisher

Name: Dr. Jacoby Hernick
Graduated from: Marquette University School of Dentistry
Practice: Hernick Family Dental, Bloomington, Minn.
Practice size: 1 location, 3 chairs
Website: hernickfamilydental.com
Team size: 4
There’s a certain kind of dentist who sees the job as more than a clinical transaction. Dr. Jacoby Hernick is that kind of dentist. At Hernick Family Dental in Bloomington, Minnesota, she’s built something that runs counter to the corporate trend sweeping the industry: a small, locally owned, female-led practice where patients are known by name, never rushed, and always treated like people first.

It’s the kind of place that takes its time. And that’s entirely the point.


A passion that started with Play-Doh
Ask Hernick when she knew dentistry was her calling, and she’ll tell you it started with a Doctor Drill ‘n’ Fill Play-Doh set she got for Christmas as a kid. “Drilling those pretend cavities sparked a lifelong passion,” she says, laughing. “I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands, solving practical problems, and helping people feel more confident.” That early pull toward hands-on problem-solving, combined with the satisfaction of genuinely improving someone’s life, made the choice feel less like a decision and more like an inevitability.

She went on to earn her dental degree from Marquette University School of Dentistry, and two years ago, she took ownership of a practice that had already been part of the Bloomington community for more than 50 years.


Keeping it personal in a corporate world
Bloomington is an area with no shortage of corporate dental offices, which makes Hernick Family Dental’s approach feel refreshingly different. “Patients are known, heard, and never rushed,” Hernick says. “Because we’re locally owned, we have the freedom to slow down, listen intentionally, and tailor treatment to each individual’s needs.”

That philosophy shapes everything from how appointments are scheduled to how treatment conversations unfold. Hernick describes her approach as collaborative: She offers her best clinical recommendations, but patients have the final say. “It’s their care and comfort that come first,” she says. “That sense of control and partnership goes a long way in making every visit feel comfortable and stress-free.”

With roughly 1,900 active patients and a team of four, the practice is small by design. When the previous owner retired, many of those patients could have gone elsewhere. Most of them didn’t. “They gave me a chance,” Hernick says, “and I don’t take that lightly.”


The family in family dentistry
One of the things Hernick loves most about general dentistry is exactly what the name implies: treating whole families, across generations, over the long haul. “I’ve always envisioned a practice where everyone feels welcome,” she says. “It’s a privilege to watch families grow.” She’s celebrated toddlers on their very first dental visit, cared for grandparents, and treated patients well into their 100s.

Those long-term relationships are what make the work meaningful. But occasionally, a single patient moment cuts through everything else and reminds her why she showed up in the first place.

One such moment involved a woman who had avoided the dentist for nearly a decade because of severe dental anxiety. When she finally came in, she would barely make eye contact and apologized repeatedly for the condition of her teeth. Hernick and her team took it slowly, visit by visit, focusing first on trust. Over several months, they worked through preventive care and conservative restorative treatment. At her final appointment, the patient looked in the mirror and teared up. “I never thought I’d smile confidently again,” she told Hernick. “Dentistry is not just about teeth,” Hernick says. “It’s about helping people feel comfortable, cared for, and proud of their smiles.”


A family practice, in more ways than one
Running a solo practice means the work doesn’t stop at the operatory door. Hernick is candid about how much the behind-the-scenes side of ownership has changed her day-to-day life. “When I was an associate, I could focus on dentistry and head home,” she says. “Now, every decision ends up on my desk.”

When she took over the practice, it was still running on paper charts and handwritten notes from the 1980s. Transitioning everything to digital was no small project. Fortunately, she didn’t do it alone. Her wife, Kalie, trained as both a physician assistant and a real estate agent, stepped in as office manager and transformed the way the practice operates. She handles insurance coordination, billing, scheduling, treatment coordination, and front desk operations, freeing Hernick to focus entirely on patients.

“The trust we share makes decision-making and managing finances much easier,” she says. “The office feels calmer, smoother, and far more organized.” Together they run a four-day-a-week schedule that’s busy and lively, and rarely the same week twice.


Prepared before the day begins
On the clinical side, the habit that has made the biggest difference in Hernick’s day is a simple one: She reviews her schedule and patient charts at the start of each week. Knowing exactly what’s coming, what each patient needs, and what the next steps are means appointments run more smoothly and patients feel genuinely prepared for.

For complex cases, she starts the same way she starts every appointment: with the patient. “I want to understand their goals, concerns, and expectations so we can create a treatment plan that’s clear, realistic, and achievable,” she says. When specialist care is needed, she coordinates closely to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.


Home turf
Hernick grew up less than eight miles from her current practice, and that connection to place shows up in everything from her community involvement to the culture inside the office. She sponsors local high school hockey teams, supports a scholarship fund, and participates in neighborhood events, including the 4th of July parade and Penn Fest, an annual street festival in Richfield, where her team does face-painting for kids and hands out toothbrushes and floss. “I love it because it gives me the chance to meet new patients face-to-face and start building trust,” she says.

For Hernick, community engagement isn’t a marketing strategy. It’s just what you do when the practice has been part of a neighborhood for half a century, and you intend to keep it that way.


Life between the checklists
Outside the office, Hernick recharges by running, reading, and walking her dogs, Joey and Mushu. She and Kalie have been partners since high school, navigating college, post-grad programs, COVID-19, house flipping, student loans, and practice ownership side by side. Their cat, Crunch, keeps things unpredictable, mostly by knocking things off counters at 2 a.m.

“These hobbies remind me that life happens between the checklists,” she says.

When asked what she’d tell other dentists, especially those just starting out, her advice is grounded and honest. Invest in yourself across all areas of life. Give yourself grace, because dentistry is hard. And don’t forget to have fun. “There is a life outside of the office waiting for you,” she says. “Aim to be the better version of yourself, for yourself. Life is short, and every day is an opportunity to grow.”
Rooted in Community, Built on Trust
Dr. Hernick and her team at a community event.
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