Meet Dr. Windhorst

Lauren Windhorst, DDS, MS

Meet Dr. Windhorst – St. Joseph's only "hometown" orthodontist!

Dr. Windhorst moved with her family to St. Joseph when she was 6 months old and spent her childhood growing up in the community. She attended Bessie Ellison and Noyes Elementary Schools, Bode Middle School, and graduated from Central High School in 2002.

Dr. Windhorst graduated summa cum laude with her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. She started dental school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in the fall of 2006 and graduated in the spring of 2010 with her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. While there, she received several honors, including induction into the national dental honor society Omicron Kappa Upsilon. She graduated Valedictorian of her class for achieving the highest level in both clinical skills and didactic coursework.

Dr. Windhorst went on to complete her orthodontic specialty training and earn her Masters of Science in Oral Biology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. During her orthodontic residency, she served as Chief Resident. Dr. Windhorst is an active member in several professional organizations at the local, state and national levels, including the American Dental Association, Missouri Dental Association, Northwest Missouri Dental Society, American Association of Orthodontics and Missouri Society of Orthodontists. She also hosts a monthly Women in Dentistry Meeting with other local female dental professionals.

After completing her education, Dr. Windhorst came back to her hometown of St. Joseph to practice orthodontics. Her strong work ethic revolves around treating every patient as if it was herself in treatment. In fact, the first Invisalign case she treated was on herself so she could make sure if worked before she recommended it to patients! She is sympathetic to patients going through treatment since she was treated with conventional metal braces, headgear, elastics and Invisalign during her life.

Dr. Windhorst is very involved in the community. She serves on various committees, including the Wyatt Park Baptist Church Council, and teaches Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. She is married to Andrew Windhorst who is a commercial lender at Commerce Bank, and they are the proud parents to 2 little boys, Landon and Crosby. Her parents, Donald and Sheryl Gossett, still live in St. Joseph and are an active part of the community. Her father is a local Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, and her mother is a retired dental hygienist.

When Dr. Windhorst is not working, she loves spending time with her family and watching sports. She has a niece and nephew that get mixed signals regarding which team to cheer for from her and her husband - she is a Missouri Tigers fan and he is a Kansas State Wildcats fan. At least they both cheer for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals! Dr. Windhorst and her husband are also the proud parents of two children -- Landon was born August 2015 and the newest addition to the family, Crosby, was born August 2018.