Dr. Abernethy grew up in Concord, North Carolina, however, she has called Raleigh 'home' for the past 20 years. She came to Raleigh to attend college and graduated fromMeredith CollegeMagna Cum Laude in 2001 with a BS in biology and a minor in chemical physics.
Dr. Sonner was born and raised in Raleigh NC, and she attended both UNC Wilmington and North Carolina State University. She received her undergraduate degree from NCSU in 1999 with high honors, obtaining a BS in Biological Sciences. During college she supported research staff at NIEHS and performed an independent study focusing on Diabetes.
Dr. Wells is a North Carolina native who grew up in the Pinehurst area and has spent the past 10 years studying and practicing dentistry in Chapel Hill. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she completed both her Bachelor of Science in Biology and her Doctor of Dental Surgery, graduating with honors.
We each enjoy doing a broad range of procedures. This allows us to provide many services in-house rather than referring patients out as much as possible. From simple tooth colored fillings to surgical procedures, we enjoy offering a range of options for our patients.
We have all devoted many hours to advanced training under the direction of Frank Spear who is world renowned for cosmetic repair of the most worn or severely damaged teeth. We appreciate the impact a beautiful attractive smile has on ones self confidence and can deliver remarkable cosmetic results for people needing a various degrees of smile design.
We have each received our implant fellowship with the International Dental Implant Association under the direction of Oral Surgeon Dr. Garg and have been placing dental implants since 2005. Implants are a rehabilitative option for patients needing to replace missing teeth or anchor dentures.
Your smile may become damaged, decayed, or need cosmetic repair and jeopardizing your oral health. Dental crowns are the perfect solution for such patients. Restore your teeth back to a beautiful and healthy shine.
In todays world, white teeth are the norm and if yours are yellow or discolored it affects your self confidence. Something as simple as whitening can drastically change your appeal. In the past most of the whitening options caused tooth sensitivity. We offer an array of choices that are tailored to avoid sensitivity while giving you the best outcome.
We all hate those dreadful fever blisters. Did you know if you laser them when you feel that very first tingle they wont erupt? Suffer no more from unsightly sores, we offer this as quick and painless option.
Dr. Abernethy was always interested in the medical profession, but was unsure of the direction she wanted to take. The morning of the first day at Meredith College, the right side of her face swelled to the size of a baseball! She needed an emergency root canal and after talking with the endodontist about her professional goals, he helped her to start an externship program at Meredith.
A patient that had been in a terrible car accident came to the dentist to have their teeth rebuilt where they had been shattered on the steering wheel. Dr. Abernethy was amazed to see the transformation of the patient's self-image after her smile was completely restored! From that moment on, she knew that she wanted to become a dentist.
After completing college, Dr. Abernethy attended and graduated fromUNC-Chapel Hill Dental Schoolin 2005. While at UNC, she was the co-leader ofGive Kids a Smile Day, coordinator of the UNC Head Start Program, and the team captain of theSusan G. Komen Race for the Cure.
After graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill, she started working as an associate for another practice. She was fortunate enough to gain a wealth of information from both a business and clinical perspective working as an associate. She knew, however, that she wanted to create a different style of practice that allowed her to have more time with each patient and give them more options than what she was able to do while working for someone else.
She is also a graduate ofUNC Dental School. She continued her dental education following dental school by attending a residency program at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center. Here she gained skill in treating medically compromised and geriatric patients, as well as learned advanced surgery techniques and surgical implant placement.
Dr. Sonner recently obtained Fellowship withThe International Dental Implant Associationunder the direction of Dr. Arun Garg who is world renowned for his program. Dr Sonner as well as Dr. Abernethy and Wells completed a mission trip to the Dominica Republic with Dr. Garg where along with 40 other doctors donated the equivalent of 2 million dollars in dental implant surgeries. This provides teeth to natives that would otherwise never have the opportunity to gain chewing function again.
In addition to the practice of dentistry, Dr. Sonner devotes much of her time in service for dentistry. She has served on her local dental society board for 6 years, serving as the President in 2013. In addition, she served on the Eastern Community Advisory Board for Medical Security from 2009-2012. She was the PACE chairwoman for the Academy of General Dentistry from 2009-2012. She is passionate about organized dentistry and volunteers much of her time participating in legislative events promoting dentistry.
She is also passionate about the elderly and elder care. Both of Dr. Sonners parents have suffered from strokes an live with deficiencies since. She understands how much is involved when caring for aging parents and is compassionate about ensuring their dental needs are met in whatever capacity. Dr. Sonner strongly believes in helping our elderly keep their chewing function to protect their need for optimum nutrition and food choices as they age. She enjoys fabricating oral prosthetics when patients have lost their teeth and she also offers alternative options to help patients keep teeth as long as possible.
Her father who was a national championship swimmer resides in a local assisted living facility where Dr. Sonner frequents with her family and enjoys time spent with all the residents. Raleigh Swim Association, founded by her father William Sonner, recently named their new year round training facility after him.
Does your smile project your self-confidence? Is it as healthy as it could be? At Renaissance Dental Center, we combine personalized care with professionalism and expertise to make your dental experience a success in every way.
Think you have to be afraid of the dentist? Think again! Our unique approach to dental care ensures that you have a comfortableeven luxurious experience. From iPods and DVDs to massage chairs and a relaxing paraffin hand therapy we put the treat in treatment.
Dr. Wells has a true passion and devotion to excellence in her career. She spends countless hours attending specialty courses in cosmetics, implants, complex case management and advances in technology. She has extensive training from The Spear Institute for Dental Excellence, where she is part of the Spear Faculty Club, the Las Vegas Institute, The Dawson Institute and Cerec 3D.
Dr Wells is honored to be invited to serve on the Advisory Board at Spear Education in Scottsdale AZ. It is a privilege to aid in teaching some of the worlds most talented dentists and to have the opportunity to develop instructional content for the most prestigious dental education center in the country.
She is also involved in local, state, and regional societies maintaining membership with the American Dental Association, American Academy of General Dentistry, American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, American Society of Anesthesiology, American Association of Women Dentists, The North Carolina Dental Society, Raleigh Wake County Dental Society and was Past Vice President of the Orange County Dental Society.
In addition, Dr. Wells had the honor of being asked to join the faculty of the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry. She genuinely enjoyed her part-time position in the Prosthetic Department helping the dentists of tomorrow further their education.