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MAHEC Dental Health Center at Biltmore
123 Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 252-4290

MAHEC Dental Health Center at Columbus
130 Forest Glen Road
Columbus, NC 28722
(828) 722-0003

Hey there!! I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky…the land of great college basketball and thoroughbred horse racing! It was there, at the University of Kentucky, that I earned my Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Dental Medicine degrees. Following my formal dental education, I completed a two-year general practice residency in dentistry at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine / North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC.

Immediately after residency, I entered private practice in Newport News, VA, and also taught at the Medical College of Virginia’s School of Dentistry in Richmond, VA. After a few years, I returned as faculty at Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s department of dentistry.

My next career move was to open my own dental practice, near my hometown, in Richmond, Kentucky. I spent fifteen years there as a solo business owner and practitioner. I was very active in the community and my church.

I have always loved the mountains and great scenery with fun things to do so in 2015 my family moved to Asheville. The area matches my desires in more ways than one. I joined MAHEC dental faculty in 2015, and enjoy a balance of patient care and teaching, where I can share my knowledge and experiences with younger dentists.

I am married and have three boys. I enjoy gardening, photography, hiking, outdoor grilling, working out, and my hot tub!!

Dr. Denton was born in Colorado Springs, CO. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California, where he was a member of the men’s swim team. He went on to obtain a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) from the University of Michigan. After dental school, Dr. Denton completed post-doctoral training at UNC Chapel Hill, UCSF, The Veterans Administration Medical Center Sepulveda/UCLA, and John Peter Smith Hospital in Texas. He has worked in private practice in both California and North Carolina and most recently owned his own practice in Hendersonville, where he has worked for the last 17 years. Dr. Denton is married and has three children. He enjoys being outdoors and spending time with his family.

MAHEC Dental Health Center at Columbus
130 Forest Glen Road
Columbus, NC 28722
(828) 722-0003

Hello! I am so proud to be the program director of this amazing residency and work with such an incredible team. I grew up in the Lake Norman area in Mooresville, NC, and I completed my undergraduate education at UNCW, majoring in Biology. I then went on to complete my dental education at LECOM School of Dental Medicine in Bradenton, FL. Following graduation, I completed a General Practice Residency at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, CT. I had the opportunity to treat a wide variety of patients including non-ambulatory, in the OR, medically complex, and in the Emergency Department. My career has allowed me to provide patient care in private practices both in Florida and North Carolina before joining MAHEC. I’m so privileged to practice amongst such experienced colleagues in a collaborative environment while expanding access to dental care in Western North Carolina. I am passionate about educating and encouraging the professional development of students and residents. I love spending time outdoors, hiking and exploring, traveling, and love being able to call Asheville home.

MAHEC Dental Health Center at Biltmore
123 Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 252-4290

I am excited to be a Community Faculty member for the incredible staff of the MAHEC team.

I was born in Asheville (rare these days), went to Asheville High School before enrolling at UNC - Chapel Hill for my undergraduate course work. During my last college years I worked part time at the research lab in Vascular Surgery. In 1975 I started Dental School at the UNC School of Dentistry and finished in 1979. I began practice in Asheville as an associate dentist and four years later started my own practice here eventually ending up with a staff of eighteen with three dentists. I was and am extremely proud of what we accomplished. The practice is as strong now as it ever was.

After more than twenty years in practice I fulfilled a dream and began teaching in the AEGD Residency at the UNC School of Dentistry. I covered clinic and taught the practice management curriculum to all of the residents. Fifteen years later I retired as we were starting to have grandchildren. This was a blessing I wasn’t going to miss.

My lifetime travel path has been: Asheville, Chapel Hill, Asheville, Chapel Hill and then back to Asheville. As you can tell I love to branch out! I have two incredible daughters with four grandchildren (soon to be five). I have been married to my wife Mary for forty six years after meeting and dating in high school. So here we are. Now I can do what I thoroughly enjoy without leaving town. I was elated when the opportunity came along.

In my spare time I enjoy being with my family, keeping my grandkids, playing golf, fishing with lifetime friends and enjoying all life has to offer.

MAHEC Dental Health Center at Biltmore
123 Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 252-4290

MAHEC Dental Health Center at Columbus
130 Forest Glen Road
Columbus, NC 28722
(828) 722-0003

Dr. Johnson grew up in the mountains of Colorado and earned her undergraduate degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado Boulder. She then attended the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine to complete her dental training. After dental school, Dr. Johnson pursued a hospital-based general practice residency and advanced specialty training in oral medicine at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. Her expertise spans the diagnosis and treatment of various orofacial conditions, including oral lesions, manifestations of systemic diseases, orofacial pain related to temporomandibular disorders, and neuropathic head and neck conditions. She also focuses on oral pre-cancer and cancer surveillance, managing oral complications from cancer therapies like radiation and chemotherapy, and treating salivary gland disorders, including Sjögren’s disease. Dr. Johnson is excited to call Asheville home and looks forward to providing oral medicine and dental services to WNC.

MAHEC Dental Health Center at Biltmore
123 Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 252-4290

MAHEC Dental Health Center at Columbus
130 Forest Glen Road
Columbus, NC 28722
(828) 722-0003

Welcome to our faculty bio page! I am the Chair of Dentistry and Oral Health here at MAHEC and the first UNC-appointed professor to run this department. It’s an exciting position that allows me to create and improve how we provide care for folks in Western North Carolina and how we educate future dental practitioners for this region.

I am an honors graduate of UNC Adams School of Dentistry. After graduation, I completed a residency and fellowship that gave me a deeper knowledge of surgical and hospital care as well as an appreciation for what it takes to care for underserved North Carolinians. I spent the next two decades with Mission Hospitals developing an OR referral practice and a mobile dental practice that provided care to the far-flung communities of WNC. Creating such an unusual approach to care required working with the communities, schools, hospitals, and other agencies—even the State of North Carolina—to make things happen. Our practice covered a 2.5-hour radius throughout the region and the work was a constantly creative process of developing ways to support WNC.

Next, I was recruited to East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine. I held a directorship at one of their community Learning Centers, teaching ECU dental students and residents in Spruce Pine, NC. Similar to my previous position, I enjoyed providing care for this region, administrating a facility, and supporting others as they grew to do the same.

From there, I moved to this position at MAHEC and am now fully appreciating how the strength and vision of this organization can enable good new ideas to become realities as we create new and better ways to bring people and the care they need together. My professional passions are operating room full-mouth rehabilitation, care for IDD folks, and collaborating to create and improve oral healthcare in new and better ways.

When not working at MAHEC, I travel (60+ countries and counting), cook, sing, and enjoy my dog, my fire pit, and the great restaurants, hikes, and the great scene WNC and Asheville have to offer!

MAHEC Dental Health Center at Columbus
130 Forest Glen Road
Columbus, NC 28722
(828) 722-0003

Dr. Peter Mehr grew up in the Detroit, Michigan area and began his career in dentistry after earning a degree in Dental Laboratory Technology from Ferris State University. Following this achievement, Dr. Mehr worked as a dental lab technician for a year, creating prostheses for local dentists. One of those dentists, a University of Michigan professor, recognized his potential and encouraged him to pursue a career in dentistry.

Dr. Mehr completed his undergraduate studies in Biology at the University of Michigan before earning his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Georgetown University School of Dentistry. After dental school, Dr. Mehr dedicated himself to his own private practice for 23 years in upstate New York. During his time there, Dr. Mehr participated in community outreach programs for young children, including Head Start and preschool and elementary school screenings. He also served as the attending dentist for several nursing homes in the Adirondack region. During his tenure in private practice, Dr. Mehr completed his fellowship training with the Academy of General Dentistry.

After selling his private practice, Dr. Mehr moved to South Carolina, where he served for five years as the Dental Director for BMW. Throughout his career, Dr. Mehr frequently heard from colleagues and patients alike, "You should be a teacher," which inspired him to transition to academia. Dr. Mehr became an associate professor at the Medical University of South Carolina in the Department of Prosthodontics, where he trained future dentists in restorative dentistry.

When two of his three adult children moved to upstate South Carolina, Dr. Mehr saw an opportunity to be closer to family while continuing his passion for teaching and patient care. He joined the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Asheville, North Carolina, in a teaching capacity for the General Practice Residency program. In this role, Dr. Mehr teaches alongside residents and UNC dental students while providing comprehensive care to adult patients. He is proud to be affiliated with the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry and the MAHEC Dental Center, where he combines his expertise in dental care with his dedication to improving oral health in the community.

MAHEC Dental Health Center at Biltmore
123 Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 252-4290

MAHEC Dental Health Center at Columbus
130 Forest Glen Road
Columbus, NC 28722
(828) 722-0003

I am a North Carolinian through and through! I was born and raised in Raleigh and attended college and dental school at UNC-Chapel Hill. I was fortunate enough to do my General Practice Residency at MAHEC in 2011-2012….and to get married to my husband Chris who is also a dentist and MAHEC graduate. We moved away for a few years after residency but missed the mountains and soon returned to western North Carolina to stay.

I truly enjoy all aspects of general dentistry and my heart is in helping people and treating patients like family. My work in private practice, dental education, and public health is a unique blend and has made me a better dentist, educator, and person. I am very active in continuing education and hold leadership positions in the Buncombe County Dental Society and the North Carolina Academy of General Dentistry. When I am not working I am soaking up quality time with our young daughter and our labradoodle Flossy who is more human than dog!

MAHEC Dental Health Center at Biltmore
123 Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 252-4290

MAHEC Dental Health Center at Columbus
130 Forest Glen Road
Columbus, NC 28722
(828) 722-0003

I received my Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in 1983. Previous to that, I graduated from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids with a Bachelor’s degree in history and Spanish, and elementary teaching certification. I served in the US Navy for four years during the Vietnam War and then taught middle school science and Spanish prior to entering dental school.

I established my dental practice in 1983 in a small town in southwest Michigan, not too far from where I grew up. Over the course of 32 years, the practice grew to seven operatories with two full-time dentists and three hygienists. In preparation for a transition to a new dentist-owner, we embarked on a major facility upgrade and expansion about eight years beforehand, incorporating many technological features to better serve our patients. Our planning paid off, and we were abundantly blessed with the addition of a talented young associate who “overlapped” for a couple of years before purchasing our practice in 2015.

Over my years in private practice, I attended to the dental needs of the many physically and mentally impaired citizens in our rural county, and provided access to dental care for children in the Healthy Kids program. I was able to use my proficiency in Spanish to serve the local Spanish-speaking community. We provided preventive dental education to children in the local schools and offered dental screenings for kids coming into kindergarten. In 2007 and 2010, Pat and I and our hygienists brought week-long dental clinics to a small village in El Salvador, as part of the sister parish initiative through our church.

Pat and I love living here in the mountains with our two pooches who love hiking with us. The weather is better than Michigan’s and we get to enjoy the outdoors so much more! Additionally, I enjoy improving my skills in watercolor painting, reading, and travel. Serving as part-time faculty in the MAHEC Dental Health Center and Center for Advanced Training, and sharing my expertise from my many years as a solo practitioner, is a perfect post-retirement career!

MAHEC Dental Health Center at Biltmore
123 Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 252-4290

MAHEC Dental Health Center at Columbus
130 Forest Glen Road
Columbus, NC 28722
(828) 722-0003

Hello and welcome! The Department of Dentistry here at MAHEC is a wonderful team of people providing not only great care but an exceptional educational experience. I consider it an honor and privilege to serve alongside this group.

I grew up in Georgia and am humbled to be a third generation Dentist in our family. Dentistry has certainly changed through the years! I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Furman University before pursuing a master’s degree in Biochemistry from Colorado State University. From there, I completed my dental training at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, receiving a DDS degree. Depending on professional goals and program specifics, I tend to highly advocate for post-graduate Dental residency training. So, I completed a two-year General Practice Residency at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. After residency, I established and grew an independent, solo dental practice in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I maintained this practice for the next 14 years or so all the while continuing to serve as faculty in the Department of Dentistry at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Desiring to increase my teaching activity, I then joined the full-time faculty in the Department of Dentistry at MAHEC and have found that this decision has proven to be a highly rewarding one, mixing continued patient care and a very active balance of teaching.

Professionally, my interests are in comprehensive treatment planning including those of medically complex patients, surgery, and anesthesia. I also have a passion for practice management such that the dental team can be the most efficient and productive in allowing our patients access to the full breadth of care we can provide. Helping learners find and grow in what they are passionate about in dentistry definitely increases my energy!

I am married, have three children, and am active in our local church. When I am not doing dentistry or teaching, I can most often be found somewhere outside in these wonderful Appalachian Mountains usually climbing, biking, or hiking. We are blessed in Dentistry and to be able to not only practice it in this region but to also teach it here in such an exceptional program is truly a gift!