Dr. Richard Hannah is an orthodontic specialist practicing across Hannah Orthodontics’ five Kansas offices. A Kansas native, he earned his dental degree at UMKC (2011) and completed his orthodontic residency and Master of Science in Dentistry at Indiana University. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and joined the family practice in 2015.
A Kansas practice, and a Kansas practitioner
Dr. Richard grew up in rural Olathe and graduated from Spring Hill High School - he was a patient in this part of Kansas long before he practiced in it.
He decided on orthodontics early. His grandfather, Dr. Radke, founded this practice in 1959, and Dr. Richard grew up watching him work. By his junior year of high school he was shadowing in the practice, and the decision was effectively made.
He joined Hannah Orthodontics in 2015.
Education and Training
Montana State University - Bachelor of Science, Cellular Biology and Neuroscience. A love of the outdoors took him west for his undergraduate years.
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry - Doctor of Dental Surgery, 2011.
General practice, Bozeman, Montana - two years practicing general dentistry after dental school.
Indiana University - orthodontic residency and Master of Science in Dentistry.
Why the two years of general dentistry matter. Many orthodontists go straight from dental school into residency. Dr. Richard practiced general dentistry first, which means he has treated the restorative and periodontal problems that orthodontic treatment has to work around - useful in adult cases, where teeth rarely arrive without a history.
Board Certification
Dr. Richard is a diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics.
Board certification is voluntary. It requires an orthodontist to submit completed treated cases to a board of examiners and defend the clinical decisions behind them, then renew that certification periodically. It is a specialist choosing to have their finished work examined by their peers.
He is also a member of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) and of the American Dental Association, Kansas Association of Orthodontists (Past President), Kansas Dental Association, Fifth District Dental Society, and Southwestern Society of Orthodontists.
How He Practices
Dr. Richard’s focus is the relationship as much as the result. He treats families over years - in a practice that has looked after some of them since 1959 - and that continuity shapes how he works: Dr. Richard loves building strong relationships with his patients and their families.
He treats patients of every age across all five offices, from early treatment check-ups at age 7 through to adult orthodontics.
Outside the Practice
Dr. Richard and his wife, Dr. Gretter Hannah, have three children. He is an avid outdoorsman - hunting, fishing, and getting the family outside whenever Kansas weather allows.