When the 2026 FIFA World Cup rolled through Kansas City, the focus was supposed to stay on soccer. But even on the sport’s biggest stage, real life still shows up.
That’s where Bill Busch came in.
Busch, the owner of NKC Dental and the Chiefs’ team dentist, was tapped to help after Kirk McCullough - Sporting Kansas City’s chief medical officer and team orthopedic doctor - was selected by FIFA to serve as the venue medical officer for the World Cup. McCullough was responsible for assisting teams based in the Kansas City area and those playing at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, and he reached out to Busch to handle oral emergencies.
Busch ended up being called three times during the tournament. Two of those visits came from members of the Netherlands staff, and the third involved England’s team. No players needed treatment, but Busch still found himself in the middle of a pretty unusual international assignment.
“There was the Netherlands head of security and a Netherlands assistant coach came in, but the English coach was from France, so that was interesting,” Busch recalled. “But he spoke six different languages, so he was pretty well-versed. And then we could have used Google Translate, but they were pretty good on that.
“One of them I saw on Father’s Day at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, I don’t know if they recognize Father’s Day elsewhere, but I just said, ‘Oh, I’ll get you fixed up,’ because you know again, time is of the essence.”
Dental problems do not wait for a convenient moment, and Busch said he understood the urgency, especially with teams visiting from overseas. He treated the situations as a host would, not as a billable appointment.
“I just did it pro bono,” Busch said. “I said, ‘It’s on America. Enjoy.’
“They were ready to plop down their credit card. I said, ‘No, we’re taking care of you when you’re here.’ I did get a couple jerseys from them, so that was like a nice little gift.”
The work itself included re-cementing crowns on two patients and repairing a cracked front tooth on another. Busch also spoke with dentists around the country who were in similar World Cup roles, and none of them had been asked to provide dental care for a visiting team.
For Busch, though, the setting was less intimidating than it might have been for someone else. He already works as the Chiefs’ team dentist, a role he said began after Andy Reid became head coach in 2013. Over the years, he has treated plenty of familiar faces, including Reid, general manager Brett Veach and quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
So when the World Cup brought international teams to Kansas City, Busch wasn’t fazed by the names or the moment. He was just glad to be useful.
“You don’t want to hope for an injury, but I didn’t have any expectations. I was really happy that we could be available to help their staff,” he said. “That was very rewarding to me.”
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