A Look Back

Dr. Gary Dalen and his wife Annette opened Dalen Dental Clinic in August of 1975 on Central Avenue in Whitefish.  Gary was a 1965 graduate of Whitefish High School and went on to complete his undergraduate studies at the University of Montana in Missoula and Oregon State University where he met his wife, Annette.  They then moved to Atlanta Georgia and he attended Emory University dental school.  Towards the end of his dental schooling, he enlisted in the Army and upon graduation from Emory, they moved to Tacoma Washington where he served as a Captain.    While in the Army, he opted to work under an oral surgeon where he gained valuable knowledge and skill that would later help him in his own practice. 

 In August of 1975, after fulfilling his responsibilities in the Army, he was ready to move back to Whitefish to start Dalen Dental Clinic.  Annette had just given birth to their second daughter six days prior and said that “it was an exciting but crazy time, with a two year old, a newborn, moving and setting up a new clinic.”  When back in Whitefish, they lived with Gary’s parents, Bud and Ethelyn, because their furniture hadn’t yet arrived.  At night Gary and his dad would work on the new office, plumbing and getting it ready for opening and ordering everything needed to open up a dental practice.   

In the spring of 1997, Dalen Dental Clinic moved from Central Avenue and opened its new clinic on Hwy 93, where it stands today.  Its exterior and interior reflect a Montana sensibility that is familiar to outdoor enthusiasts and reminiscent of Dr. Dalen’s love of the outdoors.  

After Jeff completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Montana in Missoula and graduated from the University of Washington Dental school, he and his wife Jenny and two year old son, Ben, returned to their hometown of Whitefish.  Dr. Jeff joined his Dad’s practice in 2005 and worked with him until his retirement in 2010.  Dr. Jeff Dalen continues to build a lasting legacy of quality dental care in the Flathead Valley.