About US

Valor Dental Mission Statement

Forging joy and stronger communities by serving the the spiritual, mental and physical needs of individuals and families.

We Forge Joy by Serving in Justin, TX

Dr. Greg Kiene and Dr. Chris Merkley believe tangible joy comes more from what you give than what you receive. At Valor Dental, our team measures our success by the legacy of service we give to our community. Patient interaction brings Drs. Kiene and Merkley a sense of joy, and the greatest compliment they can receive is the referral of their patients’ friends and family.

Our history

Chris and Greg met at Fort Leonardwood in Missouri. They were both serving on active duty for the US Army after their dental residencies. They both had large families, where their kids and wives bonded and became lifelong friends. Similarly, they worked at the same dental clinic with their respective offices right across the hall! This solidified a strong friendship that grew quickly, but it wasn’t until later that they realized they both had ambitions to become dental practice owners, and dreamed of moving to Texas to attain those goals. 

After realizing they had similar dreams, Greg decided to ask Chris where he wanted to start a practice. Surprisingly, they both had the same thing in mind. That’s when they knew they had to take the leap and go after their dreams of owning a dental practice, it was all fitting together too perfectly for them not to. This three-year journey to establish Valor Dental in Justin, Texas is the living embodiment of reaching their dreams. 

Over the years, Chris and Greg have grown closer as friends and continue to build a strong partnership in their business. They feel blessed to share similar beliefs, interests, careers, and dreams. They look forward to serving and forging joy in Justin, Texas for years to come. Becoming a patient at Valor Dental means you will be greeted with the hard work and dedication it took to create a practice that is built on friendship, mutual respect, and high-quality dentistry.

Meet Dr. Greg Kiene

Dr. Greg Kiene grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and served a two-year mission in Argentina before attending Brigham Young University, where he shadowed a dentist and became immediately passionate about its art and care. He earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon, as a commissioned Second Lieutenant in the United States Army, and following graduation, he was commissioned as a Captain in the Army. Dr. Kiene later participated in a one-year Advanced Education General Dentistry residency program. After serving in the Army for five years he was honorably discharged and set off for Texas to pursue his dream of opening his own practice. Along his journey, he married the girl of his dreams and currently celebrates a family of five children.

Meet Dr. Chris Merkley

Dr. Chris Merkley grew up in Houston, Texas. Due to work, his family moved to Wyoming and even spent time in Doha, Qatar. After high school, Dr. Merkley spent two years in Peru serving a mission for his church and learned fluent Spanish.

Upon returning from his mission, Dr Merkley completed his B.S. degree in Exercise Science at Brigham Young University, then he moved to Las Vegas to complete dental school where he earned a Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (D.M.D.) from UNLV School of Dental Medicine. After graduation from dental school, Dr. Merkley began his service with the United States Army and moved to Harker Heights, TX near Fort Hood. While at Fort Hood, Dr. Merkley was selected for a 2-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry where he received additional training in bridges, implants, sinus lifts, bone grafts, dentures, orthodontics, wisdom teeth extractions and sedation dentistry. In July 2018 he received orders to be stationed at Fort Leonard Wood. After completing 6 years in the Army, Dr. Merkley and his family moved back to Texas as soon as possible!

Dr. Merkley married the love of his life, Rachel, in 2009 and together they have the pleasure of raising seven adorable, high-energy children. As a family they love to go camping, hiking, visit the beach, sing, dance, go on bike rides and play all sports (soccer, basketball, volleyball, ultimate frisbee and spikeball are a few favorites).

Meet Our Team

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What to expect During Your First Visit

At Valor Dental, we believe that the path to a healthy mouth starts with a comprehensive exam and X-rays. This will give us a solid idea of the type of cleaning you need and alerts us to any areas of gum disease or decay. Once our dentists in Justin have evaluated your overall oral health, we can clean your teeth more efficiently.

Amenities to Make Your Visit More Pleasant

Beverage 
Station

Ear Plugs

Kid’s Play
Area

Netflix

TVs

Warm Towels

Advanced Technology for Superior Care

CBCT technology is an invaluable resource at Valor Dental. A CBCT machine is a special type of X-ray that generates 3D images of dental structures, soft tissues, nerve paths and bone in one complete scan. CBCT X-rays provide detailed images of the bone and helps diagnose diseases of all hard and soft tissue including teeth, bone, muscles, nasal cavities and sinuses. Being able to offer our patients such a detailed image may help catch and diagnose a disease in its earliest development.

Intraoral scanners are one of our most used pieces of technology. They give us a close-up view of your oral health and magnify a picture of your tooth so we’re able to see every crack and crevice with crystal-clear detail. This allows us to detect issues when they’re still invisible to the naked eye, allowing us to fix an issue before it turns into a larger and more costly problem. 

3D printers allow us to fabricate our own custom restorations. We can make crowns and appliances in-office, sometimes while you wait, saving our patients time in the dental chair. It also enables us to save our patients money since we don’t have to send as many cases out to a dental lab. 

Our team uses state-of-the-art sterilization to make sure our patients and staff have a safe visit to our office. We exceed guidelines for sterilization in our office and have a dedicated area with advanced sterilization equipment where we employ the latest techniques to wrap, disinfect, and organize our instruments before each use.

Serving Our Community

At Valor Dental, we believe that a strong community starts with the individual, and to that end, we proudly support those in our community with mental disabilities and their families. We work with adults and children with autism, Down syndrome, muscular dystrophies, and more. We follow through with our core values by donating to Camp Summit for every new patient who comes to our practice.  

Dr. Merkley has a brother who is autistic. He grew up experiencing the blessings and strains that most families endure. His brother was unable to experience the camps that Dr. Merkley attended simply because most facilities are not trained and capable of supporting people with disabilities. After seeing this, Dr. Merkley knew that he wanted to find ways to shape the world into a better, more inclusive place for all. Dr. Kiene has always been passionate about this cause as well. After following his wife up to Idaho for her internship, he got a position as a summer camp counselor for Sun Valley Adaptive Sports where he found purpose in helping individuals with disabilities. 

These are just a few reasons why we’ve partnered with Camp Summit. Camp Summit is an inclusive, unique camp where individuals with disabilities can participate in recreational, therapeutic, and social activities. Partnering with Camp Summit is at the core of why Valor Dental was created. As stated in our mission statement “Forging joy and stronger communities by serving the spiritual, mental, and physical well-being of families and individuals.” Raising money for camp tuition and volunteering at events at Camp Summit is an incredible source of Joy for Dr. Chris, Dr. Greg, and their families.

Save With Our New Patient Specials

We want our new patients to start off with the best care available. Schedule an appointment today to set your smile up for success!

$99 - Comprehensive exam
$49 - LIMITED EXAM

*New patients only. Not valid in cases of periodontal disease. Not valid for use with insurance.

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