Sounds of laughter filled the back area of Dr. Joey Bonnot’s office on his last day of dental work. Cammie Pearson sat in his chair early that morning reviewing how many generations of her family had been his patients since he opened on July 13, 1981.
“We’ve counted up that I’ve served five generations of patients since I’ve been here, and with Cammie, I’ve seen her grandmother and her grandkids and the three generations between,” Bonnot said, and Pearson agreed.
Raised in LaWard, Bonnot went to Industrial High School, and earned a degree from Texas A&M University after three years with a BS in Zoology before graduating from the University of Texas Dental Branch in Houston. He earned his license by July 1981 and opened his practice at the young age of 25 in an office constructed by Texana Builders. With the help of Dr. Walter Konzen and Wayne Marshall, Bonnot leased for two years until he purchased the building. By the year 2000 he was able to remodel and double the size of his office.
The 1994 Texas Academy of General Dentistry Dentist of the Year nominee cherishes a large three-ring binder filled to the brim with pictures, articles and memories collected throughout his dental journey. These will be on display during a come-and-go retirement reception from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 22 at the YK Conference Room for Dr. Joey and his wife Sharon, whom he said has been invaluable not only to him, but to his patients as well.
“She worked very hard to ensure that along with quality dental care, our staff offered great customer service which resulted in long-term relationships with our family of patients,” Bonnot said of Sharon. “She’s a diligent fighter for our patients where insurance is concerned, and has gone above and beyond, spending countless hours communicating with insurance companies to ensure our patients received the insurance benefits due to them, and Sharon is still doing that to this day.”
The pair married in 1977, and Joey said she put him through dental school, so much so that he didn’t have debt when he finished. They started their family soon after, but Sharon was always involved with the office from day one.
Over the years, Bonnot has found the biggest changes within the dental world has been infection control and technology. Back in the 80s, he said, they didn’t wear masks or gloves, which quickly changed due to the AIDS epidemic. As for technology, by the early 2000s, the office converted to the digital age through a robust dental software which contains all of a patient’s information, x-rays, and treatment, all at the “click of a mouse.”
In order to stay on top of those changes, Bonnot made sure to enhance his skills by completing more than the required amount of continuing education courses.
“The world now has become further digitized, no communication per se as far as talking to somebody. It’s usually a text here, an email there. We’ve lost the personality and the personableness of communication, and that’s not been a good thing,” he said. “Most people don’t like snail mail, but when we sold the practice, we sent a letter out to our patients. Whether they read it or not, most people don’t, but I felt it was the proper way to inform my patients.”
When it came time to think of retiring, Bonnot found the right moment for him. While still in good health, he found himself ready to spend more time with his family, especially his grandkids, and enjoy as many years as he can.
“The biggest moment is that I’ve served the patients well, and I don’t want to decrease my quality of work, and the older you get, that’s definitely something that can happen,” he said. “I felt I haven’t done that, so it felt like it was a good time to get out.”
Aside from his patients, Bonnot wanted to thank his employees, which are better known to him as friends. In the clinical area, Haley Stehno and Faye Bassham were interacting with Pearson during her treatment, revealing the ‘hometown’ atmosphere of the practice.
Stehno has worked for Bonnot for three and a half years, while Bassham has worked at the office for over 25 years.
Loretta Coleman, who’s worked the front office for Bonnot since last March, said it’s like family. “Dr. B and Sharon both went to Industrial like I did, and there’s only so many of us so we take care of each other.”
Bonnot said it’s important to surround oneself with good, honest, hardworking individuals who can help provide the best experience for their patients.
“We’ve had many team members through the years that fit that description. They’ve treated me and our patients well. Doing that and being in the same place for all these years…well, our patients have rewarded us for that by staying loyal,” he said. “That’s the key, is being found trustworthy and treating them right.”
Regina Alvarez, one who’s worked the front office at Bonnot’s for two years, said it’s been great. “He would ask me if I wanted to work for him because of my ‘smile and personality.’ My aunt was one of his dental assistants for a few years, I used to come and bring my kids as well, so it felt right,” she said. “Working with him and Sharon has taught me so much, I knew nothing about the dental world and Sharon taught me everything I know now.”
Bonnot sold his practice to a company called Smilepoint Dental Group out of Houston. The new dentist, Dr. Jaya Mangal, Bonnot said is very cordial and has good credentials. She will be seeing patients Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at the same office under a new name, Ganado Family Dental.
“The community has been supportive of me for 44 years and vice versa, my family and I have supported our community, Sharon and I raised our kids here, so we want to make sure the community thrives and we want to be a part of seeing Jackson county continue to grow,” Bonnot said.
