I thought I was gonna go into the medical field. I shadowed in an ER and I ended up fainting and not loving it. And so I then looked at different professions that have affected me. So I went and shadowed an orthodontist, and then I shadowed him and I never looked back. I went to undergrad at Winona State University up on the beautiful Mississippi River. And then I took a year off and I worked as a dental assistant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at a periodontal office. Went to Creighton School of Dentistry down in Omaha and did a residency at University of Nebraska Medical Center.
I was looking into going to Kois, an advanced dentistry center. And I looked for somebody in the area who had taken all the courses and was listed as a mentor. I found Dr. Niegsch and I called him and wanted to get his opinion on it, and he told me all about it, all the great things that he learned. And then I said, “Great, thank you so much for your time.” And before I got off the phone, he said, “Hey, just throwing this out there. We’re hiring. We’d love to have you down.” I came down here with zero intention of moving to Iowa. Iowa always was like, no, I’m never moving there. I’m from South Dakota, went school in Nebraska, I’m good. But we came and visited, hung out with Marcy, Dr. Niegsch. Saw the office and got in the car and my husband said, “If you don’t take this job, you’re crazy. This looks amazing.”
Kois is an advanced dental education program that helps teach you more how to treat patients comprehensively, how to look at things in a deeper manner, and have a greater understanding of how things tie together. Not with just the mouth, but maybe other areas of the body too. I feel like it changed the way I looked at patients, I don’t just look at a tooth for tooth. It’s a whole mouth attached to a patient.
I love helping people. People come to me, they don’t like something, they’re in pain, and I get to help them with that and just make them comfortable and make them happier, smile more. I love to smile. One of my personal goals in life is to leave everybody better than when I found them, whether I’m checking out at the grocery store or seeing them in the dental chair. So being able to help somebody’s life. Or even today I saw a patient who hadn’t been to the dentist in a long time, super scared, and she left saying, “Thank you so much. I think I am actually gonna come back and get my teeth looked at.” So, making them feel good about themselves.
Dr. Autumn Morgan Loves Improving Patients’ Smiles
Dr. Autumn Morgan pursued dentistry when she realized her pre-med course out of high school wasn’t quite right for her. Remembering her own positive experience with the dentist as a child, she took a harder look at the dental field. In 2019, she graduated from Creighton University. Then, she completed a General Practice Residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where she treated medically complex and special needs patients
In 2022, Dr. Morgan joined our team at Dentistry At Somerset. She connects with patients easily and enjoys building relationships with them. She looks forward to treating them for the long run and improving their oral health throughout their life. Dr. Morgan believes in the importance of sharing your skills and talents in order to help those around you. She also values ongoing education and will follow in Dr. Niegsch’s footsteps by attending the Kois Center in Seattle, WA.
Dr. Morgan is a self-proclaimed extrovert who enjoys swapping stories and laughs with her patients. You may be surprised to discover she had a competitive gymnastics season at age 23 after her undergraduate years. She continued competing while working as a dentist. The sport gives her a lot of joy because she loves the raw athleticism that gymnastics requires.
When she’s not busy improving smiles, you might find Dr. Morgan spending time with her husband, Zach, and their new baby daughter, Mae. She also loves outdoor activities with their canine companions, Winston and Hamilton. Plus, she enjoys gardening and baking. You are welcome to ask her for some cookie baking tips!
Having recently relocated to the area, she has been very impressed with the opportunities and welcoming atmosphere in Ames. She looks forward to many years serving the patients of Dentistry At Somerset!
