Combs & White Family Dental opens

The new Combs & White Family Dental Office is open for business.

Dr. Chris Combs has had a dentist office in Bella Vista for 23 years. Dr. Cole White recently joined his practice. Together, they open the new clinic in Pea Ridge. Three of the four ladies who work in the Pea Ridge office also live in Pea Ridge.

Office manager Pam Easterling will work out of both offices. Manning the Pea Ridge office will be Jenny Wood and Brittany Wilson, dental assistants, and Julie Dinsmore, registered dental hygienist. The office will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 1 p.m. on Fridays.

"Where I live is just between here and the other office," Combs said. "I always thought Pea Ridge would be a great place for a clinic so when the opportunity came to have more help so we could do this, we knew it was time. I've had a lot of employees who have lived here through the years."

There are 13 employees of the dentist office.

"We're just as excited as can be. I think it's a great location and look forward to being here many years," Combs said, adding that dentistry has changed tremendously and is still changing rapidly thanks to new technology.

Dr. Combs, a graduate of Baylor University, is originally from Hot Springs. He and his wife, LaDonna, have been married 28 years and have four children. They live between Pea Ridge and Bella Vista.

Dr. Cole White, a native of Malvern, Ark., graduated from the University of Buffalo, New York, in 2009. He and his wife, Victoria, have been married for 12 years.

"It's just a good family practice ... providing individualized patient care," White said. He practiced for a while in Buffalo and then at a community clinic in Rogers. White joined Combs in 2010, left for a bit and then returned. He has been with the clinic for four years.

"I think it's going to be a good opportunity ... it will be good for the community and help a lot of patients," White said.

Jenny Wood, dental assistant, said having the clinic in Pea Ridge will benefit parents who previously had to take their children out of school for as much as half a day in order to take them to the dentist. With the clinic so close to the school, a child can be treated by the dentist and back to school without missing as many classes.

"We would love to see new patients and we will do everything we can to meet their needs," Combs said.

"We give individualized care," White said. "We will tailor treatment plans. We give them options."

Combs said the dentists will work at both clinics and will evaluate schedules as the need demands.

"As it gets busier, as emergencies are needed, we'll accommodate," Combs said.

"We both live close and will be able to come up here," White said.

"We're going to be convenient to the community," White said.

"We provide quality care -- what's best for the patient is what's best for me," Combs said. "I want what's best for them."

Dental hygienists Esther DeWitt, Jan Wildenborg and Katie Housh, dental assistant Eva Beck and front office staff Debi Chapman, Cheryl Tompkins and Mary Kortis, work in the Bella Vista office.

"We will file almost all insurance," Easterling said, explaining that the clinic is in network of Delta Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Cigna.