I think, I had a couple moments over the course of my life. Early on, probably in middle school, my mom had a lot of problems with jaw pain, TMJ problems, ended up seeing a dentist that fully rehabilitated her and took away her pain. So I think that stuck with me, you know, helping relieve, alleviate pain for people. And then in my college years, I had an experience where I chipped my tooth, had to see somebody in Iowa City. Had a great experience. I love the idea of helping people, working with my hands, and doing something tangible every day. And it really just clicked. It hit me like a light bulb. And I decided that day I was gonna try to go to dental school.
I did my undergrad studies at the University of Iowa, had a business degree from the University of Iowa, stayed there in Iowa City to go to dental school. Had a great time. Loved Iowa City. Great experience, great education. University of Iowa was one of the top five dental schools, I would say in the country. And after that, didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but wanted to continue learning. Interested in the military, so I ended up joining the Navy and got an extra year of advanced training in the Navy and spent three years active duty in the Navy. Spent a couple of years overseas in Japan, so I got to work with the Marines and got to go on a short deployment. Ended up at the Navy’s Bootcamp. My last year in the Navy, outside of Chicago and had a great experience. A lot of great mentors really set me up for hitting the ground running once I came, you know, out of my time in the military.
As we go on, we get better every year, you know, every day. And, you know, I think it gave me a wide breadth of experience, different clinical situations, but just different people, different patient populations. The goal is to help people have a great experience. A lot of people have not had great experiences at the dentist, and so, you know, the more comfortable and confident I and my team are, you know, we can share that with our patients. I think it puts them at ease and to their benefit.
I would say one of the most rewarding parts of dentistry is just being able to put people at ease, ease their pain, restore their confidence. Just had a situation the other day where we finished a procedure and, you know, brought somebody to tears. And so to have that ability to impact somebody’s life or beyond just what you do in the chair is, as I would say, the most rewarding thing.
Dr. Jason Niegsch Is Committed to Serving His Community
For over 25 years, Dr. Jason Niegsch (pronounced “Nicks”) has been serving patients and exceeding their expectations. An Iowa native, Dr. Niegsch has undergraduate and dental degrees from the University of Iowa. Following in his father’s footsteps, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he served as an active duty dentist in Japan and Chicago, IL.
Dr. Niegsch believes in being generous to our beautiful community of Ames and the surrounding areas. In fact, that’s how he leads the team at Dentistry At Somerset. He believes in being generous with our time, talent, and resources. He models this by:
- Serving as the co-director for Iowa Mission of Mercy (IMOM), an organization that holds free dental care events throughout the year
- Holding free dental care days for veterans and active duty military through the Smiles for FREEdom organization
- Supporting the Story County United Way and Ames Youth & Shelter Services
- Contributing to local schools and churches, as well as charities that are near and dear to our team’s and our patients’ hearts
Dr. Niegsch’s generosity isn’t the only reason patients travel far distances to see him. He is also one of the most highly trained general dentists in the state of Iowa and among the leading dentists in the entire nation. His achievements include:
- Earning Fellowship status with the Academy of General Dentistry, a feat achieved by only six percent of dentists nationally
- Graduating from the Kois Center in Seattle, WA and now serving as a mentor in its highly-regarded program
- Receiving advanced training in treating temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ/TMD)
- Providing orthodontics with Invisalign for over 11 years
As the dad of four kids, Charlie, Ben, Joe, and Mollie, Dr. Niegsch enjoys time outside of work coaching his kids’ sports teams and going to their games. He also loves spending time outdoors by hiking, fishing, competing in triathlons, golfing, and traveling. His wife, Marcie, helps provide community outreach for the office around managing their busy family of six. His son Ben has Down syndrome, so it’s a passion for the Niegsch family to provide awareness and support for those of all abilities.
