Dr. Nick Ritzema is a dentist that believes in quality care for his patients. He is a courageous and dedicated Complete Health Pioneer on a mission to help patients lead healthier and happier lives.
Dr. Ritzema believes that a quality dental practice should not be a fearful place yet one where whole families feel at home. He and his team put their heart and hard work into ensuring that every patient feels safe, heard, valued and at home the minute they step foot into their dental practice.
He understands that a dental practice is only as strong as its team and views his practice as an extension of his family. “To me, my team members and patients are my brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. Everyone deserves honesty and everyone deserves the highest quality of modern medical care available, and that is what I strive to provide to everyone who is a part of our dental family.”
People matter to Dr. Ritzema and he knows that when people are valued, empowered and educated everyone wins. Cultivating an empowered culture within his practice that is aligned in its complete health mission is what Dr. Ritzema believes to be the top contributor to the success of his practice.
Before attending dental school and becoming a dental practice owner, Dr. Ritzema was a proud West Michigan native. An avid football player in his youth led him to play for multiple National Championship teams and his passion for science led him to graduate with a Biomedical Sciences degree from the University of Michigan.
Dr. Ritzema met Gary Kadi a month prior to graduating from dental school and he views that as a turning point in his career. He credits Gary Kadi for helping open his eyes to the way he wanted to practice dentistry and for sharing the tools and strategies to help him stay focused, determined and in the game of building a thriving practice.
After graduating from dental school, Dr. Ritzema found an associateship that aligned with his vision and he continued to expand his learning and growth as a dentist there. As fate would have it, he met his future wife there, Kristin, who was a hygienist at the same dental practice!
Equally passionate about complete health, they teamed up to explore what being practice owners would entail. Together they shopped around for potential practices and ultimately found the right fit for the oral-systemic health practice they wanted to create together.
This bold step coupled with their shared passion, drive, and dedication to helping as many patients as possible was a recipe for a successful practice. Within their first year they quadrupled their practice and now, 2 ½ years later, have hired a 2nd dentist and relocated the practice to a larger space to accommodate more patients.
Dr. Ritzema’s passion for helping patients and growing a thriving practice isn’t his only passion however. He is an avid family man and outdoorsman who values spending quality time with those he loves and in nature where he enjoys hunting, fishing, camping and playing golf.
Kristen and Dr. Ritzema live in the Grand Rapids area with their three daughters, Maddy, Grace, and Brooklyn, and two sons, Kyle and Reese. Having a thriving and close-knit family alongside a successful practice are two of his proudest accomplishments. We all know it can be challenging as dental practice owners to cultivate a healthy work-life balance but Kristen and Dr. Ritzema have learned how to do just that are inspirations to many.
Dr. Ritzema walks the walk and consistently inspires us at NextLevel. He is a great example of what is possible when you approach dentistry from a Complete Health standpoint, purchase the right practice, implement smart systems into your practice right away and put your team, patients and family first. He is driven, focused and dedicated to creating a healthy and profitable practice where everyone wins. We, at NextLevel, applaud his efforts, heart, and success and we can’t wait to watch you and Kristin soar to even greater heights!
