Father-son dentists open new clinic in Grafton

If there was one thing Tyler Grisar knew growing up, it was that he didn’t want to follow in his father David’s footsteps and become a dentist.

“I wanted nothing to do with it,” he said.

Then he turned 15 and seriously looked at career options, focusing on medical professions. He shadowed people in various medical programs, but, he said, “nothing felt right.”

Then his father offered him the chance to shadow him at his clinic in Grafton.

“A week later I was working here,” Tyler said.

After Tyler graduated from Port Washington High School, he earned undergraduate degrees in chemistry and biology from Cardinal Stritch University and his dental degree from Marquette University, then joined his father in business at 1515 Wisconsin Ave. in Grafton in 2023.

Last week, he and his father cut the ribbon to formally open their new clinic building, Woodland Dental Clinic, on Port Washington Road in Grafton.

The building is a state-of-the-art facility that more than doubles the space for the clinic and will allow the Grisars to expand their services and staff in the future.

“We’re busy but we have the ability to see more patients,” David said.

While located on a busy road, the clinic is set back, with woods surrounding three sides, and the decor reflects that to create a serene atmosphere for often-anxious patients.

But among the many nature-related furnishings is a photo of the old clinic. The building, David said, had been a dentist’s office for 60 years, and Tyler was the fifth dentist to work from it.

“It was kind of bittersweet to leave,” he said.

After all, it’s the building where he got his start. David grew up in Port Washington and graduated from Port High in 1991 intending to study medicine. He just wasn’t sure what type of medicine.

A friend mentioned he was headed to dental school, so David said he interviewed local dentists Mark Matera and James Becker.

“I decided maybe dentistry is a better fit for me,” David said. “The next thing you know, I was in dental school.”

It was the right decision, he said.

“I love it. I’m a people person. I love having fun with the patients and staff,” he said. “I like helping people and being able to provide a service.”

After graduating, he joined Becker at his Grafton dental clinic in 1998, taking over from a retiring dentist — a scenario that repeated itself when Tyler joined the clinic, replacing Becker.

“He could have retired years before, but he stayed until Tyler graduated,” David said. “The day Tyler came here, he retired.”

Working with a family member isn’t always easy, but the Grisars said their partnership works.

“When we’re at work, I don’t think of him as my son. He’s my partner ,” David said. “He calms me and keeps me centered. One of his best attributes is his mental toughness. Nothing rattles this guy. He is super centered and focused.”

Tyler added, “I’m quieter. He’s the life of the office. We’re similar enough that we get along and different enough that we don’t butt heads.”

Their new clinic was something that was planned even as Tyler joined the clinic.

“We outgrew that (former clinic) building 10 years ago,” David said. “We were right on top of each other.”

On March 15, 2020, as Covid-19 took hold across the world, he had an appointment with a real estate agent to make an offer on the property where the new clinic is housed. Two days later, the pandemic shut things down and the contract was canceled.

The clinic was closed for 57 days, Grisar said, but even after they recovered he was still looking ahead. Two years ago, the property was still on the market and he bought it, breaking ground for the new clinic on July 1, 2025.

It was built by Design 2 Construct, and David said the experience was “so good we didn’t have one issue.”

And the result speaks for itself. The new clinic — with interior design by David’s daughter and Tyler’s sister Erin — has nine operatories, each with a patient view of the woods, and room to expand to 12, giving each dentist twice the room they had to see patients before.

In addition to the Grisars, dentist John Becherer also practices at the clinic, and there’s space for the clinic to add a specialist. David said he’s considering bringing in a pediatric dentist.

“I think there’s a real need for that here,” he said.

The equipment, like the building, is state of the art and includes a CAT scan so they can take 3-D X-rays.

“We can take a tooth and turn it, look at the cross-sections,” David said.

“I don’t know how we lived without it,” Tyler said.

They also have a cordless X-ray machine, and they noted that as soon as X-rays are taken they are fed into a computer.

“I’ll be looking at them before the patients are in the chair,” David said.

The building has a sterilization lab and a technology lab that’s home to a 3-D printer that is connected to a scanner and the X-ray machine, giving them the ability to create temporary dentures and appliances in days.

“We do everything from implants to dentures to snoring appliances with the scanner,” David said, noting they email information to the lab and “they’re working on it before the patient gets home.”

But key to it all, David said, is putting the patients first.

“I made certain who we are doesn’t change,” he said. “We wanted our clinic to have a small-town feeling. A lot of these patients are people I’ve seen for 28 years. I’ve seen their parents, and I know their grandparents.

“If people have an emergency, they’re going to be seen. That’s important to us.”