108 years of dental practices at 106 Dee St ends as Allan Jacobson moves his practice to Dougherty Dental at 74 Kelvin St

As Allan Jacobson closed the doors of 106 Dee St it marked the end of 108 years of history.

The building has been home to dental practitioners for more than 100 years.

Jacobson has been pulling teeth and filling cavities there since 1971, when he started as a dental assistant for Drs Chirnside and Sutherland.

Now in his late sixties and not ready to retire, Jacobson has joined Doughtery Dental at 74 Kelvin St.

It was time for a change, Jacobson said.

"I have spent most of my life working in that building. Almost 50 years."

It was funny because moving to Invercargill to settle down was the furthest thing from his mind when he first started studying dentistry.

"I was going to move to England and travel."

That all changed when fell in love with a girl from Invercargill.

They met in Dunedin while she was training to be a nurse and it wasn't long before the pair were married and moving to Invercargill.

106 Dee St became a second home for him as he was promoted to junior partner with Dr Sutherland in 1973 and eventually bought the business in 1986.

The building had been through a lot in its time, surviving fire, snow, break-ins and financial recessions, Jacobson said.

No matter what was thrown at it, the building somehow survived, he said.

The biggest hardship he ever faced was the 1987 recession.

"Everyone was tightening their belts, it was hard, I had to let go of my dental assistant. There was barely enough work for one of us."

The hardest part about leaving the practice was clearing out 108 years worth of stuff.

Everything from old equipment to dental records had to be relocated.

"I found records that date back as early as 1919."

The record belonged to an 8-year-old girl who got her first filling for 10 shillings and a sixpence.

"That was considered expensive, how times have changed."

Jacobson would be handing his keys back at the end of July.

No plans have been made for the building's future.