Louisville, Kentucky (December 16, 2025) — Mortenson Dental Partners (MDP), a leading supporter of general and specialty dental practices, today announced that it has completed an affiliation agreement with Nikodem Dental and Custom Dental Management (collectively, Nikodem). Under the agreement, MDP will support six Nikodem dental locations. Nikodem serves general dentistry needs in the St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri communities. With the completion of this transaction, MDP now supports 156 dental practices across ten states.
Bill Becknell, chief executive officer of MDP, commented: “We are excited to expand our support services into the state of Missouri. Our services focus on reducing administrative distractions to allow providers more time to focus on patient care, quality and experience. Dr. Ray Nikodem has dedicated his life to serving patients in the St. Louis and Springfield communities. Dr. Ray has entrusted MDP to support and lead into the future the practices he has operated since 2001. We thank Dr. Ray for his years of service to patients’ general dentistry needs.
We’re exceptionally proud and pleased to welcome the team members, patients and referral sources of Nikodem Dental to our growing family of supported dental practices. We also thank all of our now nearly 2,500 team members for their daily dedication to providing the highest quality dental services in the communities we serve.”
Dr. Ray Nikodem, chief executive officer of Nikodem Dental, commented: “The majority of my lifetime has been spent with Nikodem Dental serving the general dentistry needs in our Missouri based practices. After many years on our own, we began searching for an affiliate with a high-quality, trusted support platform to continue to grow and more fully support the needs of our patients and employees. After years working with MDP employees and understanding their mission and values, MDP was the clear choice. Nikodem Dental could not be more excited with our affiliation and the opportunity to invest in existing practice locations while also expanding our footprint to other nearby communities.”
Jeff Reibel, chief financial officer of Mortenson Dental Partners, commented: “Expanding into the St. Louis community was identified as a part of our strategic plan. We are extremely excited and grateful for the new market beachhead for future growth opportunities. We have already formalized plans to make investments in each existing Nikodem practice, while also actively seeking additional practice affiliations in the St. Louis as a part of our densification strategy. The affiliation is our fifth in 2025, bringing our added supported practice count to 19 and adding 130 operatories.
The affiliation agreement included both cash and stock consideration. As a result, we welcome our new owners to MDP’s direct investor group, exclusively our supported doctors and team members who either have direct ownership in the company or ownership through MDP’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). We also want to recognize the exemplary support by our lending team, Fifth Third Bank, J.P. Morgan and Truist Bank in funding and supporting the transaction under our recently extended and upsized $160 million syndicated credit facility, which also includes a $40 million accordion.”
MDP continues to grow organically and through strategic affiliation and is looking for passionate, care-focused team members. Those looking to learn more about the benefits of joining MDP can click here.
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About Mortenson Dental Partners
Mortenson Dental Partners (MDP) is one of the largest groups of doctor and employee-owned dental support organizations in the United States. Beginning as a single practice in 1979, MDP has grown to 156 practices across ten states and welcomes nearly one million patient visits each year. With services primarily focused on general dentistry further supported in certain markets with specialty dental services including pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, oral surgery, prosthodontics, periodontics and endodontics. MDP believes in delivering high-quality dental care as a critical part of managing overall health under its mission to improve the lives of others every day.
About Nikodem Dental
Nikodem Dental has served the St. Louis community’s dental needs since 2001. Nikodem’s goal is to help you feel your best and enjoy life through good dental health. Nikodem has grown to six practices expanding care beyond the St. Louis community and into Springfield, the third largest community in Missouri.
