Nothing makes our team happier than welcoming a new patient into our dental office and watching their smile improve and their confidence grow as we take care of them. We know you’ll come to appreciate our fast and friendly service starting at your very first appointment. And, if you ever have any questions, you can trust that we’re ready to provide the answers you need. We can’t wait to meet you, and you can learn a little more about us by reading on below.
Kelsey began her career as a dental assistant, and she became a dental hygienist after attending Ozarks Technical Community College. In addition to having over a decade of experience in the field, she has additional certifications in nitrous oxide, lasers, local anesthesia, and more! For her, getting to know each patient and improving their overall oral health through quality dental care is extremely rewarding.
Outside the office, Kelsey loves spending time with her husband and their young son and daughter. Fishing, walking on nature trails, playing board games, and having movie nights are some of their favorite things to do as a family. On the weekends, you’ll often find her on the sidelines of her son’s soccer games cheering him on.
.jpg )
Lauren is a native of Lawrence, KS, and attended the University of Kansas for her Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Community Health. She then moved on to earn her Dental Hygiene Associates Degree from the Johnson County Community College. During that time, she became certified in local anesthesia, administering nitrous oxide analgesia, and dental laser therapy. Thanks to all her training, she gets to help make a positive difference in our patient’s lives by educating them on dental hygiene and making them feel confident about their pearly whites.
When she isn’t at the practice helping to keep smiles healthy, Lauren is spending time with her family, loved ones, and her dog, Riley. She enjoys being outside, gardening, going on long walks, and is a whiz at operating outdoor equipment (due to her years helping with her father’s landscaping company). She also loves to cook, try new restaurants, listen to her favorite podcasts, and travel around the U.S.!
Marsha has been working in the dental field for almost 30 years, and she loves everything about being a part of our team – the environment, the patients, the team members, and more! She studied at Johnson County Community College and has her extended care license along with certifications in laser dentistry, local anesthesia, and nitrous oxide.
Marsha is from Indiana, and she and her husband have two adult children as well as two Labradors. She has many personal passions outside of work! She does a lot of portrait/landscape photography and sews and knits regularly. She loves to exercise, so over the years, she’s completed five marathons, three triathlons, and countless 5k’s and 10k’s. On top of this, she is a certified yoga instructor. She’s also always up for going to the lake and riding her stand-up paddleboard or kayaking with friends. One of her biggest hobbies is going to National Parks – she wants to visit as many as possible!
Sierra has been a part of our team for nearly five years so. A Lawrence native, she studied dental hygiene at Concorde Career College and is trained in BLS/CPR, OSHA, local anesthesia, and nitrous oxide/oxygen sedation administration. She chose dentistry because she wanted to help people! The best part of her job is getting to know her patients and helping educate them on their oral hygiene. She has been working for Dr. Heck for 10 years and has watched her patients families grow and it has been her absolute favorite! She also loves to bring joy to her works days in some way shape or form
At home, Sierra loves spending time with her husband Tanner and their Samoyed puppy Luna. Her favorite hobbies include baking, running, crafting, reading, and enjoying a good cup of coffee. She plays play rec volleyball with her husband. She’s also an avid movie watcher and a lover of anything Disney-related! She even did an internship at Walt Disney World while she was in college.
Blake was born in Valley Falls, where he worked as an assistant for his hometown dentist during his time in college. He was later accepted into Johnson County Community College’s Dental Hygiene Program in 2014. After graduating in 2016, he worked as a dental hygienist while continuing his education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He earned his bachelor's degree in Dental Hygiene, became certified in CPR, and is trained in laser dentistry. He has several years of experience and has been attending the Midwest dental conference in April every year.
Whenever he isn’t at the office connecting and helping patients with their oral and overall health, Blake is at home with his lovely wife and their pet dogs and cats. He enjoys playing softball, golfing, and playing board games and video games. He’s also a major Star Wars fan and has an entire room at home dedicated to the franchise!
Megan was born and raised in Lawrence, KS. She attended Pittsburg State University for her Bachelors and Missouri Southern State University for her Asssociates in Dental Hygiene. She chose dentistry because she loves to help people and she grew up having a very positive relationship with her family dentist and hygienist. She loves being able to help someone who is typically fearful of the dentist to feel comfortable. It gives her great joy to see people smile after a cleaning and find relief after dental pain.
When she is not in the office, she enjoys going on walks, playing with her two German Shepards, going to local sporting events, catching a movie at the theatre, and trying out new restaurants with her friends.
These last few years, Ameliea has been working as one of our dental assistants. She does an excellent job of it, too, given her education at Mercy University and Dr. Beshore’s School of Dental Assisting. Her training even extends to nitrous oxide, Zoom Whitening, CEREC technology, and more! With that background, she’s well-equipped to build trust with patients for successful treatments.
All that said, Ameliea has plenty going on outside the office too. For starters, she has a sizable family that includes four siblings and 13 nieces and nephews. She also pursues many outdoor hobbies – soccer, biking, camping, paddleboarding, etc. Finally, much of her free-time is also spent with her church community at Free City Church.
Anjelica’s dental career spans over a full decade so far, with around half of that time spent right here at Heck Family Dentistry. She studied at Central Wyoming College and has advanced training in conscious sedation and phlebotomy. As one of our dedicated assistants, she’s always ready to go the extra mile for our patients!
At home, Anjelica is married with two sons, one daughter, and two dogs. Away from work, she enjoys spending lots of quality time with loved ones, cooking and fishing alongside her husband, and watching the latest crime shows. She has a lifelong love of French Bulldogs and George Strait.
Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Betsaida completed her studies at the Pinnacle Career Institute. Since then, she has undergone training in nitrous oxide, CEREC® technology, and CPR. She has been an integral member of our team for more than three years now. Year after year, her favorite part of her job continues to be bringing smiling back!
When she isn’t serving our patients, Betsaida enjoys spending every moment she can with her husband and three beautiful children. Together, they love going on long walks and trying new foods! One thing you may not know about her is that she loves making people laugh and smile.
Born and raised in Topeka, KS, Sherry has been working in the dental field for well over two decades. During her years in dentistry, she’s become certified in various skills, including subgingival scaling, administering nitrous oxide sedation, and CPR. As a Dental Assistant, you’ll find her helping the dentist with multiple kinds of treatments while educating patients on how to improve and maintain their pearly whites. Her favorite thing about her job is being able to always learn something new!
If she isn’t at the office, Sherry is likely spending time with her loved ones, including her three adult boys, three daughters-in-law, four grandchildren (two boys and two girls), and her pet cat named Lil Gemini. She also truly enjoys walking, exploring, and adventuring outdoors. Her greatest passion has always been taking care of others.
Gay has been a part of our dental office for almost a full decade so far. She has her Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management/Personnel Administration from Bartlesville Wesleyan University. Today, she finds it such a joy to come into the dental office each day. Dr. Heck has been such a dream to work with ever since she first started! He has put a great group of people together, and their awesome team simply can’t be beat.
Gay hails from Coffeyville. She and her husband Skip have three grown children and three grandchildren (all boys), as well as three four-legged children named Nellson, Lolli, and George. In her spare time, she enjoys sewing, playing golf, camping, and relaxing in the sun by her pool. She’s also passionate about tackling various home projects and is never afraid to tear something up and redo it to her liking.
Lauren’s history with our dental office spans a full decade so far, and she always looks forward to seeing patients. She loves creating relationships with patients and keeping up with people every 6 months or however often they come in! Hearing all about their vacations, their kids’ various activities, their holiday plans, and more is so much fun, and patients know her family really well in turn because they’ve spent years sharing stories. She truly loves and appreciates the relationships she’s built over the past ten years! She takes pride in making people feel comfortable and welcome in the office. As for education, she spent a semester studying in the Philippines before attending Kansas State University. She has additional training through the American Association of Dental Office Management.
Lauren hails from Lawrence and is married to Jamelle. They have boy/girl twins, Brooklyn and Jamelle Jr, that love to play flag football, soccer, gymnastics, swimming, reading, creating comics! They have another son 3 years younger than the twins, Jacoby who loves bike riding, swimming, reading... she has lots at home to keep her occupied when she's not at work. Her husband Jamelle is a fulltime basketball coach for a Christian Basketball Organization called Livin the Dream, so when she's not at one of the kids' games, they are in Kansas City cheering on his teams!
An Elk City native, Hunter studied at the University of Kansas and Independence Community College. She chose dentistry because she always gravitated toward professions that help people. She says that each patient is just as unique as our team members, and as our dedicated coordinator, she loves playing a part in pairing people with the perfect provider. She is also a problem solver and she enjoys making things easier for those around me The best part of her job is working with people who are genuine, outstanding individuals.
At home, Hunter has a husband named Chris, a son named Jack, and two male cats named Barbosa and Bobo. To relax, she enjoys a good pickleball match, but one of her biggest hobbies is painting colorful animal portraits with acrylics. She’s a true amateur and paints only for stress relief. If you couldn’t tell already, she’s a BIG animal lover, so please don’t hesitate to share every detail about the shenanigans of your household pets. She wants to see photos and videos! She also dabbles in web and mobile app creation and design.
Heather likes to say that she has been in the dental field her entire life, and it’s true! Her dad was a dentist in St. Louis, and her first job was filing paper charts for him starting at age seven. She quickly moved up the ranks and became a dental assistant while in high school. After spending a few years in England administering for a Bible school, she went back to work for her dad as a Front Desk Coordinator. Today, she has over a decade of experience.
Heather moved to Lawrence in 2016 with her husband and their two boys. They quickly became Jayhawks fans, but they will never let go of their deep love for the St. Louis Cardinals!