Dr. Thuernagle & Family

Dr. Oliver O. Thuernagle, D.M.D.

Dr. Oliver Thuernagle is a native of Idaho Falls. In fact, one of the reasons he chose build his dream practice where he did is because he graduated from Skyline High School and loves the area. Some may remember his good ol’days as a competitive athlete. He graduated from Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University in 2005 and moved back to Idaho Falls with his family. By July 2006, he opened his own practice without an associate or mentor dentist. A pretty bold move to some, but he said “I felt that if I treated people right and I did things fairly, patients would come.”

Dr. Thuernagle is very concerned about the comfort of the patient. He built Legacy Dental to be soothing so that nerves start to settle the moment you walk in. One smile from him is all that’s needed to know how sincere he is. Not wanting people to feel cramped for space, he made sure that every operatory is at maximum allowance for square footage while maintaining the privacy of the patient.

He is also a fun-loving guy that thinks “tinkering” with cutting-edge dental technology is awesome. A big draw to building his own practice was that he could use the latest products that dentistry had to offer. He’s quoted “For me, technology is the bulldozer versus the sledgehammer. They both get the job done, but it’s a lot more fun with the bulldozer. It’s really fun to see people enjoy learning about what I do—and what I need to do—by seeing and understanding it.”

Dr. Thuernagle values his staff and credits them as a driving force in their success. “I have a great team. I’ve surrounded myself with competence. Me being good isn’t enough. I need the best of the best.” He hopes to complete the two operatories and add a couple of colleagues in the future but for right now, “I feel a lot of satisfaction and pride every time I unlock the door and walk in…I’m really grateful every day… You’ll never know what you can do if you don’t try…If it’s something you want to do; you’ve got to run with it and make it the best.”