After 42 years, Dr. Noel P. Kornett will retire from his dental practice in Stuart on Wednesday, December 20.
Those in some careers can plan for their retirement based on the number of years they have invested in a career, Kornett said.
“You know, military, post office, you name it, if you work for so many years, you’re eligible for retirement. In dentistry, especially dentistry that’s a single owner, private practice dental office, it’s much more difficult,” he said.
Kornett said this is in part because work involves physical factors, like hand-eye coordination and the ability to be comfortable working.
“You rely a great deal on your skeleton, and so when your skeleton begins to degenerate, you have the tendency to not be able to do the things you used to be able to do,” he said. “So, mostly it has to do with just the body is wearing out.”
Kornett said this helped him come to the decision that he’s probably not doing as good of a job as he should be.
“So, it’s better for myself and my patients that their care be transferred to someone who’s a little bit more capable,” he added.
Kornett started as a dentist in Patrick County in June 1981, right after he finished dental school.
Fellow dentist Dr. Akers, who had been in practice in the county for several years, was instrumental in getting him started in Patrick County, Kornett said.
“He was very kind, and we didn’t actually work together. He wasn’t in very good health at the time, and so basically, I just came in and took over” his practice “and ran with it,” he said.
It was Kornett’s first and only practice.
A graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Kornett said his original plan was to return to the Blacksburg/Christiansburg area and open his own practice.
“But that didn’t work out. I did, finally through a network of individuals, find that Dr. Akers was going to be closing his practice, and so I did come up here and talk with him, and we came to an agreement with that. That’s when I decided it would be here I would work,” he said.
Throughout his more than four decades, Kornett said he’s seen countless patients.
“I really do not know how many,” he said.
During retirement, Kornett said he will miss the contact he had with people each day.
“It was tantamount to always” being able to “count on a good story. Always news, events, keeping up with peoples’ lives. There were happinesses and sadnesses,” he said.
Kornett will also miss being part of the community, as well as understanding and knowing what was going on because of his job.
“This whole area really relies on that community spirit. That’s something I really will miss is not being part of that in the same way. I will still be able to see some of the same people, but not all of them,” he said.
Kornett said those who have worked in his office are like a family.
“We’ve always tried to respect each other, and basically to work with each other in a way that shows we were a team,” he said. “That’s one of the things I’ve enjoyed the most. I’ve always looked at each one of my office staff and members as the most important people in my life. So, to me, that makes a big difference, and I will miss them, I really will.”
The first portion of his retirement will be dedicated to resolving a few personal medical issues. After that, he mainly wants to play a bigger role in his children’s and grandchildren’s lives.
“I’m not a big traveler, but I’m not saying I wouldn’t travel if I had the opportunity to do that,” he said.
Kornett also plans to focus on his hobbies, including working on computers, woodworking, and doing other work around the house.
“Nothing that’s too strenuous. I’m pretty much beyond that,” he said.
The office will be closed to patient visits starting Thursday, December 21. Records will be made available at request, or at the request of a patient’s chosen new dental office.
Kornett said the office’s phone message will change.
“Right now, they can call,” and somebody will answer the phone and help “to guide them through the transfer process. Later on, it may be a bit more automated,” he said.
When it comes to finding doctors and dentists, Kornett said it’s difficult for smaller communities to compete with larger areas.
“It’s just unfair. Right now, there’s no real competition. We can’t really compete for those people,” Kornett said. “There’s such a shortage of them. I’d love to see that change, but I don’t think it’s going to change in the next two months.”
