About Derek Draft, DDS
Dr. Draft has been practicing dentistry in Grandville for over 20 years. He lives in Zeeland with his daughter Ashleigh and his son Hayden. Dr. Draft enjoys being a general dentist because he can provide a wide range of services. From small fillings, to root canals and extractions, to very complicated full mouth reconstructions and implants, Dr. Draft enjoys being challenged on a daily basis by the specific needs each patient has. Dr. Draft is very comfortable working on patients of all ages, from the youngest teeth to the oldest teeth. Dr. Draft credits an early fascination with building model trains to his beginnings in dentistry. He quickly developed the skills necessary to work on small objects and an excellent attention to detail. Applying these skills and a strong desire to help people, he soon geared his schooling towards the goal of becomming a dentist. He attended Hope College and graduated with his B.S. in Chemistry. From there, he was accepted to the Univeristy of Michigan School of Dentistry and graduated in 1998 in the top 20% of his class. Dr. Draft is a member of the American Dental Association, Michigan Dental Association, West Michigan District Dental Society, American Society of Forensic Odontologists, Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, and the Michigan Forensic Dental Identification Team. Dr. Draft has also received additional training at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies where he has studied Neuromuscular Dentistry. Another of Dr. Draft's passions is using his skills to help others who are less fortunate. Dr. Draft was asked by a local non-profit Christian based organization,Partners in Compassionate Care, to help organize and start a dental clinic in Werkok, Southern Sudan. In 2008, Dr. Draft was asked to join the PCC board and traveled to Sudan on an annual basis for several years delivering much needed dentistry to a poplulation who has survived many years of civil war, famine, and disease. Dr. Draft currently makes annual trips to Guatemala and has recently returned to Kenya for several mission trips. In 2010, Dr. Draft was honored by the Grandville-Jenison Chamber of Commerce as the Small Business Person of the Year Award recipient. Besides spending time with his family, Dr. Draft is often found playing volleyball either at the beach or indoors duirng the winter. He has also kept up with his love for trains, however he now models 1/8 scale trains. In the winter months, he has started to teach his kids how to snow ski and in the summer the family enjoys spending time on their boat speeding around Lake Michigan.
