Your best dental experience awaits

Springfield, IL

Dr. Maggie Schaefer Gilpin is native to Springfield, Illinois where she went to high school, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for undergrad, and Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine for dental school. She has wanted to be a dentist for as long as she can remember. In fact, she drew a picture of herself as a dentist in 3rd grade! She was the rare child who looked forward to going to the dentist. Visits to the dentist were always a positive experience for her, and now she has the opportunity to make your experience as enjoyable as hers.

Dr. Schaefer’s goal is to make sure patients of all ages have a positive experience at the dentist. Her expertise and compassion have made her popular with our patients! Some of her favorite procedures include crowns and dental implants. It’s always her goal to provide comfortable, effective local anesthesia when it’s needed. Whether the procedure is general or cosmetic dentistry, she’s dedicated to making sure the patient leaves with a smile.

Dr. Schaefer is an active member of the GV Black District Dental Society and Illinois State Dental Society, member of Young Philanthropists, and ambassador of HOPE. She takes a keen interest in fitness and wellness in an attempt to be the best mom to her wild Harper Rose, and the best wife to her husband, Keenan.

Dr. Zerkle is a native of the Springfield area, attending Rochester High School, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and then graduating from Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine. The transformation of her own smile sparked Dr. Zerkle’s interest in dentistry. Improvement in her self-esteem inspired Dr. Zerkle to help create that confidence and self-assurance for others. It is the interaction with people, use of knowledge and hand skills, and facing new challenges daily that keep dentistry interesting for Dr. Zerkle. She is known for her quick, easy & comfortable dental experiences. Overall health and wellness has always been important to her and she takes pride in helping her patients achieve success. Dr. Zerkle is part of the American Dental Association, The Illinois State Dental Society and is a board member of the GV Black Dental Society. She has achieved fellowship status with The International Congress of Oral Implantologists. She also currently serves on the Lincoln Land Community College Foundation board of directors as well as the Vision for Hope board for the Hope school.

When not providing dental care, Dr. Zerkle can be found on a golf course, working out, boating, or simply spending quality time with her family. Her and her husband, Adam, stay busy with their two children, Amelia and Walter, and a fun pup, Enzo at home. Life can be a wild ride, but she is glad to have her friends and family alongside her.

Dr. Joshua Renken, a central Illinois native, attended Eastern Illinois University and then the University of Illinois at Chicago where he received his DDS degree. Following associate work in Chicago, Dr. Renken moved to Springfield and opened his first practice, Renken Dentistry, in 2003. In 2018, Dr Renken and his family moved to the Austin Texas area to continue growing the Renken Dentistry group. Since arriving in Texas, Dr Renken has opened an office in Leander, Texas in the Crystal Falls community where he lives as well as an office in Georgetown, Texas next to Randall’s in the Sun City Community.

His commitment to continued professional growth has awarded him fellowships from both the White Cap Institute as well as the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.

Renken Dentistry has been voted the best dentist in Springfield among The State Journal-Register’s readers in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

In his commitment to organized dentistry, Dr. Renken finished his tenure as 2014-2015 President of the GV Black Dental Society. At a state level, Dr Renken has been a member of the Illinois State Dental Society, serving on the communications committee. Since moving south, Dr Renken is now a member of the Texas Dental Association. Dr Renken also holds professional memberships in the Academy of General Dentistry, a Fellow of the International College of Oral Implantologists, and as a member of the Chicago Dental Society and the American Dental Association.

Dr. Renken is deeply dedicated to our community, specifically the success of children and families facing the challenges of developmental and neurological differences. He has been a long-time member of the board of The Hope Institute for Children and Families and currently serves the organization as chairman of the Hope Foundation Board of Directors. Renken Dentistry has been a pilot site for Hope’s Vocational Program. This partnership has made it possible for the dental practice to meaningfully employ and support a team member with developmental differences. Dr. Renken is also a member of the Ambassadors of Hope, a volunteer group of business leaders who serve as advocates for The Hope Institute and the children and families it serves. Dr Renken has been a member of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Chatham Chamber of Commerce, and Local First Springfield. He has most recently joined the Leander Chamber of Commerce and the Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce.

Over the course of the last five years, Dr. Renken established and owns Renken Properties LLC — a properties company, PracticeWater — a practice management services company, and has founded dental practices including Schön Dental and Renken Dentistry of Georgetown and Renken Dentistry of Crystal Falls.  Dr. Renken most recently added author to his resume, with his first book, Dr. Fries-With-That.

Besides caring for patients full-time, Dr Renken continues to create innovative solutions for the dental industry. As dentists and their teams are now providing a range of advanced procedures, he wanted to add a structure that would lend itself to consistent, and reliable outcomes for patients. Maximizing efficiency and organization in the dental care delivery system, Dr Renken invented and patented the Drop Delivery System where a dental practice can routinely provide any procedure in any dental setting. More recently, Dr Renken has been testing an innovative scheduling and rewards automation software called CareSchedule. The software is meant to optimize and simplify dental care appointments for patients and their dental practice. Currently testing, it is set to launch summer of 2020.  CareSchedule and the web-based patient subscription management platform, Health Assurance Plan, are part of the Springfield startup incubator Innovate Springfield.

As time goes on Dr Renken is devoted to finding new, tangible ways to express the values associated with the five values of Smile From Within Way. The sum of these efforts has become the Smile From Within Growth Platform. The goal continues to be creating greater health for team members, patients, and practices.Dr. Renken and his wife, Leigh have four children: Reilly, Miles, Oscar, and Lorelai, and a dog named Stella.