Dr. Ralph C. Oppermann
Class of 1986
Career Pathway: Health Sciences
Ralph Oppermann attended Ferris State University, completing an associate's degree in dental laboratory technology, a bachelor of science in business administration and the prerequisites for dental school.
He was accepted into the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Dentistry, where he earned a doctor of dental surgery degree in 1997. He was a tutor for the dental technology program, participated in Project Health-o-Rama in Detroit and provided dental exams for children in Head Start programs. In 1997, he traveled to Belize as part of Michigan's Partners of America dental program. There he provided dental care for people who otherwise would not have received it. Upon graduation, he received awards from the Detroit District Dental Society's prosthodontic section and from the International College of Dentists for outstanding achievements.
Dr. Oppermann worked in public health as a staff dentist and dental laboratory coordinator at the Bay Mills Dental Clinic from July 1997 to January 1998; then he became a staff dentist for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians until 2003.
In June 2003, he and his wife Cari (Longworth), a 1987 GHS graduate, and their two daughters moved back to Grayling, where they opened AuSable Family Dental.
