Trent Buttars, DMD
Trent graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in 2010 and received the prestigious Deans award for both academic and clinical excellence. He attended all four years of dental school on the Air Force Health Professionals Scholarship. After graduation, Trent was one of the few selected to attend a one-year intensive Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) Residency at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, NV, where he graduated at the top of his class. This AEGD residency provided enhanced knowledge and experience in all dental specialties including IV sedation, Oral Surgery, Periodontal surgery, complex molar root canals, and implant placement and restoration. Following his residency, he was stationed at FE Warren AFB in Cheyenne, Wyoming. While stationed in Cheyenne, he completed a rigorous one-year Advanced Clinical Dentistry Preceptorship, earning the title of advanced Clinical Dentist. Additionally, Trent was recognized as the top-producing dentist, completed over 250 IV sedation oral surgery cases, and received both the 2012 Medical Group Company grade Officer of the Year award and the Air Force Commendation Medal for his outstanding service to our country.
Trent first came to Telluride the summer of 2014 to visit Dr. Terry Brown and his practice. Originally Dr. Buttars had dreamed of returning to his home area of Jackson Hole, Wyoming to practice. But after his visit, he fell in love with the Telluride area and could not pass up the opportunity to raise his three boys, Raef (18), Ryan (16) and Caleb (12) here. They all love the outdoors, skiing, and hiking and can’t wait to take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities Telluride has to offer. He also recently started training as a Helicopter pilot so spends many weekends in Durango flying.
In this practice, you will see Dr. Buttars implement his three core beliefs for dentistry: 1) Honesty in everything, 2) The highest quality or nothing, and 3) Patient communication.
Dr Buttars is a member of The American Dental Association, The Colorado Dental Association and The American Society of Dental Anesthesiology.
BLYTHE SARGENT, Dental hygienist
Blythe is a member of our hygiene team and joined Dr. Brown’s practice back in 2006. She was born and raised in the beautiful state of Vermont and loves her New England heritage and strong work ethic. She attended the University of Vermont, where she achieved her Bachelor of Science in Health Education and Dental Hygiene. She has been practicing dental hygiene for over 27 years!
Blythe was drawn to Telluride for its easy accessibility to the great outdoors and appreciates the small town community. She loves nature and when she is not treating patients, she can be found skate skiing at Priest Lake, dancing, singing, hiking, traveling, seeing live music and most importantly, sharing all these adventures with her daughter, Stella.
Blythe loves dental hygiene for the one on one she has with patients and the impact she can have on their oral and overall health. She has honed her skill of being gentle yet thorough. She loves educating patients who are wanting to increase their dental IQ and truly loves the opportunity to work on Main Street in Telluride and serve the community. Elevated Dental feels fortunate to have her on our team!
Sarah Newman, Lead Dental Assistant
Sarah joined our practice in the summer of 2020 as the front office coordinator. Sarah, her husband Tyler, and her their son Isiah moved back to Telluride after living in Crested Butte for 23 years. She proved passionate about dentistry immediately and moved into the role of dental assistant within a year. She is truly dedicated to exceptional patient care. Sarah is our Lead Dental Assistant and is dedicated to excellence within our practice. When she’s not ensuring smiles in the office, you will find her exploring the great outdoors, discovering new destinations, and savoring culinary adventures in her kitchen. Sarah is always eager to continue her education, in 2023 she completed her specialized training in Anesthesia assisting and Anesthesia emergency preparedness accredited by the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology. Sarah’s next educational experience will be attending the world renowned Cerac training center in Scottdale in February 2024 to master the process of Cerac in office crowns! We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Sarah on our team!
KATIE SHEWBRIDGE, FRONT DESK COORDINATOR
Katie joined the Elevated Dental team in June 2023 as front desk coordinator. She has lived in Telluride since September 2016, and moved here from Maryland where she was born and raised. She graduated from Towson University with a degree in Psychology in 2009, and has experience in hospitality, floral designing in the wedding industry, retail, and managing multiple yoga studios. She is super detail-oriented and organized, which both carry over into every aspect of her life, professionally and personally. She values the importance of dental health and strives to give her best care in listening to our patients' needs and coordinating our daily schedule. Outside of the office, her number one passion has always been dance, and you can find her performing in various shows around town throughout the year with the Telluride Dance Collective and other organizations. She is also involved with teaching dance at Palm Arts when her schedule allows it. She has been a certified yoga instructor since 2010 and favors any form of hot yoga. She also enjoys other types of movement and wellness, exploring the outdoors with her dog Peri, traveling, live music, getting lost in a great book, and creating art. Katie is the kindest and most compassionate team member. We couldn’t be happier that Katie is on our team!