COOKEVILLE – For Dr. David Owsley, Cookeville was the package deal. A great spot for raising a family, a plethora of outdoor activities, affordable housing. Plus, a dental practice that offered him the best of the best professionally.
Owsley recently joined Dr. Bob Brooksbank at Regional Oral Surgery Center, a Cookeville office founded in 1986 that offers oral pathology, dental implant surgery, dental extractions, impacted canines, wisdom teeth management, anesthesia administration, bone and soft tissue grafting and pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgery for patients from its 33 W. Third St. location.
Originally from South Carolina, Owsley attended Clemson to initially study electrical engineering but spent the summer volunteering at veterinarians’ offices. He considered attending vet school after Clemson but started thinking about dentistry late in his sophomore year. Luckily, his pre-veterinary degree satisfied dental school prerequisites, and he started dental school at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Owsley practiced general dentistry for two years in Maine before to returning to complete his four-year residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery at New York Medical College. Upon completion of his residency in 2011, Owsley joined a group practice near Tampa, Fla. He made the move to Cookeville in May.
He says he considered many options for relocating but Cookeville offered many advantages.
“Cookeville felt like a great place for raising a family. It’s a good-sized town with a small town feel. Members of the community are welcoming,” he said. “The Upper Cumberland offers amazing outdoor opportunities. We found housing affordable with reasonable taxes. My practice location near Cookeville Regional Medical Center positions (me) near the health care hub of the Upper Cumberland.”
While Owlsey sees patients of all kinds, he says his years of experience as a general dentist offers a unique benefit.
“I understand where general dentists are coming from with their treatment plan,” he said. “I can relate to what the dentist wants done for the patient and can use my previous experience to give them a streamlined approach. Dentistry has continued to evolve rapidly, allowing many new treatment opportunities that were not available in the past.”
Of all the advancements made over the years, Owsley said three in particular have revolutionized patient care and are offered at Regional Oral Surgery. The first, 3-D cone beam imaging, is a digital X-ray that offers a view of the bones, teeth and other details from virtually any angle. The imaging allows 3-D views of bone and soft tissue and has changed how oral surgical procedures like wisdom tooth removal, oral pathology treatment, dental implant placement, and bone and soft tissue grafting are performed. The scans offer reduced radiation and in-office imaging.
Owsley also has extensive training in dental implant therapy. Dental implants are now available for both the upper and lower jaws, a benefit for patients whose only option in the past was a removable denture. The third advancement is in anesthesia. Patients now have the opportunity for local anesthesia, and all forms of sedation and general anesthesia are offered to make for a more comfortable dental experience.
Outside of work, Owsley enjoys spending time with family, which includes his wife Jessica and their four kids, ages 2, 4, 6 and 8, as well as fishing, hiking and boating.
“I’m planning on being here a long time,” he said. “It’s important for me to develop good working relationships with my colleagues, not only because I rely on these colleagues for patient referrals, but also because we are continually learning about new approaches that we can share, and in turn, put to use for our patients.”
Dr. David M. Owsley is an oral surgeon at Regional Oral surgery Center in Cookeville, 33 W. Third St. For more information, visit www.regionaloralsurgery.com or call (931) 528-6252.
