Perfectly Aligned | Cassidy Orthodontics
By LISA LOEWEN | Photos by JOHN BURNS
This year, Dr. Kevin Cassidy will mark 30 years at Cassidy Orthodontics in Topeka. He’s the second generation of orthodontists in his family, with his father having practiced in Topeka for more than 25 years before him.
Kevin knew from the time he was 13 that he wanted to be in a profession that helped people feel more confident about themselves and gave them a reason to smile.
“I started working for my dad in the lab as a teenager,” Kevin said. “It was amazing to get to watch people transform over the course of a couple of years and go from crooked teeth to a beautiful smile.”
Even though he spread his wings a bit while in school, he always planned on returning to Topeka to go into practice with his father.
“It made sense to me,” Kevin said. “My dad and I always had a good working relationship, and my wife’s family was from Topeka. It was home.”
BUILDING ON STRONG ROOTS
Kevin was born in Philadelphia in 1967. He moved to San Diego a year later when his father, Michael Cassidy, was stationed on an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War as a staff dentist from 1968 to 1970.
The Cassidy family moved back to Kansas City in 1970 so Michael could complete his orthodontic residency at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. From there, they moved to Topeka where Michael opened his practice. Kevin was only 5 years old at the time — so in his world, Topeka has always been home.
After Kevin graduated from Topeka High, he attended the University of Kansas and received an economics degree. He obtained his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Iowa and completed his Master of Science in Orthodontics at the University of Tennessee.
Upon completing his orthodontic residency in 1996, he moved back to Topeka and joined his father’s practice as an associate.
“We didn’t really have a defined plan in place for what our work relationship would look like,” Kevin said. “I just put my head down and did the work. After the first couple months with Dad looking over my shoulder, he gave me the autonomy to handle cases on my own.”
Because their treatment philosophies were similar, the father-son orthodontic team shared patients and rarely disagreed on treatment decisions. Kevin worked with his father for four years before buying the practice in 2000. For some father-son partnerships, this role reversal could create a power struggle, but for Kevin and his father, it was a smooth transition.
“Dad spent another seven years working in the practice as the employee doctor. Our relationship never really changed because he’d already been slowly handing over the decision-making to me,” he said.
SECURING THE FUTURE
In June 2023, Kevin made a major career decision: he sold his practice to Southern Orthodontics Partners, signing a five-year contract with the option to extend it in two-year increments after that initial term expires.
Kevin hadn’t really put much thought into a succession plan for the practice, but while attending a Mastermind Conference with his wife in 2022, he listened to a presentation from an Orthodontic Service Organization (OSO) that pitched the benefits of turning over the business and administrative duties (like HR, marketing, billing, IT and supplies) to an OSO, so orthodontists could focus on patient care.
“They said, ‘If you are looking to sell your practice in the next five years, this is the ideal opportunity for you,’” Kevin said. “I looked at Marcy and said, ‘I think that’s me.’”
Kevin returned home from that conference and started researching OSO opportunities. He decided Southern Orthodontics Partners was the best fit for him.
“I knew I needed a succession plan, and this gave me one. I wanted to know my patients and my team would be taken care of when I decide to retire,” he said.
Kevin says the decision to partner with the OSO was beneficial not only for the longevity of the practice, but also for his own time management.
“I haven’t balanced my business checkbook since that date. I haven’t even opened QuickBooks since then,” he said. “I used to pay all the bills, do payroll, handle all the administrative tasks. Now I have time to work ‘on’ the office rather than ‘in’ the office.”
The shift from practice owner back to doctor employee has been relatively easy for Kevin because he maintains autonomy over how he runs the practice. Patient care hasn’t changed. The biggest adjustments have been learning new software systems and adapting to different back-office operations. But even those changes have been painless, he says.
“The support we receive from the OSO has been unbelievably good. They don’t really mess with the way we do things unless something is broken,” Kevin said.
The change in day-to-day office operations has given Kevin more time to focus on staff. He starts every day at the office with what he calls the “morning huddle,” where he covers the daily schedule and sets the tone for the day.
“I start the morning huddle with a dad joke. Then I follow up with an inspirational quote for the day and finish with a Bible verse and prayer. That is how we start every day,” Kevin said.
FINDING HIS “NEXT”
Kevin doesn’t have a set date for when he will walk away from the practice. He is two years into his five-year contract, but he can choose to keep working as long as he wants.
“I am in the process of looking for my ‘next,’” Kevin said.
Part of what he calls his “next” will likely include more involvement in his church community, Grace Cathedral, where he sings in the choir.
“I love being part of the church. My grandparents went to this church, and my parents were married in this church. It is kind of a legacy,” Kevin said.
He looks forward to playing golf, reading and spending more time with his wife of 35 years and their two French bulldogs, Fiona and Petunia.
