When youre looking for a new dentist, you may think you cant have it all. Perhaps you think youll have to sacrifice a little bit of quality for convenience. Or youll have to settle for an unfriendly staff so that you can get the best care. Bayou Dental Group is the Monroe, LA dentist office that doesnt require any compromise!
From our warm, gentle staff to our world-class doctors, we give our patients the best in every aspect. We also employ the very best in dental technology and make sure our atmosphere is always low stress. Were also a one-stop shop, offering comprehensive dental care that includes:
Since 1985, weve been treating every patient like a member of our own family. We serve the communities of Monroe, West Monroe, Ouachita Parish, Union Parish, Brownsville-Bawcomville, Claiborne, and surrounding areas.
Dr. Finley is among the 6 percent of dentists in the United States with a fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry. He also is a fellow of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). His expertise is rarefewer than 30 dentists in the entire world have achieved both fellowships. Dr. Finley is also a five-time winner of the annual AACD Smile Gallery.
What these awards mean for you is a proven record of excellent dental care. No matter what type of treatment plan you receive, youre sure to enjoy beautiful results that look and feel like your natural teeth.
Dr. Finley was born into a family of educators. His mother was a second-grade teacher, and his father was a math professor. When Dr. Finley was in the fourth grade, the family moved to Monroe, where his father accepted a faculty position at Northeast Louisiana University (now the University of Louisiana at Monroe).
Dr. Finleys desire to become a dentist was influenced by his uncle, who was a dentist in Missouri and enjoyed his work a lot. His uncle noticed that from a young age, Dr. Finley was particularly skilled with his hands. After attending ULM, where he played baseball as a freshman and received his bachelor of science degree, Dr. Finley decided to pursue a career in dentistry. He knew it would be fulfilling because dentistry would allow him to work with his hands, use his artistic abilities, and help people. He obtained his degree as a doctor of dental surgery from LSU New Orleans School of Dentistry.
Dr. Finley feels that each lost tooth is a step closer to not having any teeth at all, so his focus is on prevention and saving teeth whenever possible. Early in his career, he studied endodontics so he could provide root canal treatments and save teeth.
Dr. Finley has a vivid childhood memory of a horrible dental experience. The dentists injection was so painful that he says, I swear it felt like the dentist was hammering a hot nail into my head. That experience continues to fuel Dr. Finleys commitment to practice painless dentistry. He has developed the art of delivering pain-free injections, comfortable root canal treatments, and painless dental care overall. Many of his patients are surprised when a procedure is complete, but they didnt feel anything at all.
Dr. Finley is one of only 60 dentists in the world who have earned Accredited Fellow status in cosmetic dentistry. Still, he feels that the priority for all of his patients is function. In his words, You cant have long-term aesthetics without proper function and occlusion that protect against damage. Prevention is the key to the longevity of the dentistry we do.
I also love being able to give a patient a shot and have them tell me that they didnt feel it. Or doing a root canal and hearing a patient ask, Is that all there is to it? I love it when a patient says that they hate dentists but not me, or that the only reason they come to the dentist is me. I love helping children not be fearful of the dental visit. I love the true complexity of dentistry and solving the puzzle. And of course, I love cosmetics and helping patients smile. Creating smiles lets me use my artistic eye, my hands, my knowledge, and my heart to help a patient.
One of the things in my dental career that Im most proud of is the fact that I went through an extremely difficult and long accreditation process to be one of the best cosmetic dentists around. I knew that if I did that, if I followed through and became accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, that it would make all my other dentistry better because what it did is it created this eye where I look at things differently than I used to.
Whether its a filling in the back or a root canal or taking out a wisdom tooth or doing gum surgery or creating a beautiful smile or placing implants, that accreditation process created a fire in me to try to be perfect. My eye for accuracy, my eye for quality improved dramatically over time, and I try to put every effort into every aspect of dentistry as I would into a new smile. And so we expanded our offerings to patients where now, we place implants. We do implants under dentures. We do All-on-4 implants, where you can have a denture made, it snaps onto four or six implants, or they actually are held in place by screws so that the patient cant take them out. So theres no worry about, I sneezed and my denture jumped out of my mouth.
You know, theyre anchored in the mouth, just like teeth. We like to create invisible smiles, and thats the whole thing. I can walk out in the mall and I can spot a denture a mile away and I can spot ugly crowns a mile away, but I cant spot my smiles a mile away, and neither can other people. And thats the key: is to create that invisible smile that people it just looks like they had their teeth all these years, and thats the way theyve been. Its so pretty.
In his leisure time, Dr. Finley enjoys shing, target shooting, working in the yard, and completing Valeries honey-do list. For 15 years, he coached boys youth leagues. Read our community involvement page to see how Dr. Finley and his team give back to Monroe.
Becoming a dentist was an easy choice for Dr. Henderson. As a youth, science classes were always his favorite. He adds, And Im a good artist. Plug those factors into an equation, and you get a dentist.
Dr. Henderson is a Monroe native and the third of five children in his family. Among his favorite childhood memories are epic front yard football games with uncles and cousins on holidays, Sunday spaghetti at Gammys, and Bayou DeSiard fishing. From youth teams through high school, he played baseball, football, and most often, soccer.
After graduating from St. Frederick High School, he attained his undergraduate degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. His education continued at the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry where he earned his DDS degree.
His goal is to preserve teeth whenever possible. Dr. Henderson says, In an ideal world, I would never have to extract a tooth. He enjoys all aspects of dentistry. But he finds it particularly satisfying to relieve a patients pain, restore or maintain their ability to eat, or help them regain lost confidence by restoring their smile.
Cooking is one of Dr. Hendersons greatest talents. He confidently makes the challenge, Bring it on, Gordon Ramsay. Gunsmithing and working on old trucks are also his pastimes. He enjoys animals, the outdoors, and roughhousing with his niece and nephew.
Each member of our staff is a highly trained professional and genuinely committed to compassionate care for our patients. We work hard to make sure your visits at our Monroe, LA dentist office run smoothly and that you receive the best care possible.
Ashley is one of our hygienists. She joined our team in February 2013. Ashley is a long-time resident of West Monroe, where she still resides with her partner, Nathan, and their two Aussies Lucy and Lilly.
She graduated from West Monroe High School in 2004 with honors. She is a 2010 graduate of ULM with a bachelor of science degree in dental hygiene. While at ULM, Ashley was awarded Whos Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.
Ashley loves getting to know her patients and providing quality care and education so they can have a healthy mouth. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and dogs. Ashleys other hobbies include photography, running, and cooking.
Rachel joined our team in 2014. She graduated from Ouachita Christian School. Rachel attended ULM and graduated with a bachelor of business administration degree in 2009. She has a daughter, Livi, and a son, Asa. Rachel loves spending time with her family and playing with her children.
When I brought my child, hes six, he had some cavities, which as the assistant, you do not want to hear. But I was so nervous for him because I did not want him to feel anything. Everyone made him comfortable, of course, and I keep peeking on him, but he did not feel a thing. He got a shot. He didnt even know he had a shot. Dr. Finley is that good at giving shots, when you cant even feel them.
I know hes going to do good work. My child comes here, my husband. Everyone that I know just about comes here. I would never go probably to another dentist if I didnt work here, either, because hes that good.
Jennifer joined our team in 2000. She graduated from Neville High School and is one of our expanded-duty dental assistants. She and her husband, David, have a son, Krew. Jennifer enjoys working with our patients and training new staff members. Jennifers hobbies include going to LSU games and mud riding.
Dawn joined our team in 1995. She graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 1993 with a bachelor of physical education degree. Dawn takes care of all aspects of the dental practice and loves visiting and getting to know the patients. She has held various positions at Bayou Dental Group over the years, including certified dental assistant.
Holly joined Bayou Dental in 2018. She is a 2005 graduate of Ouachita High School. She attended ULM where she became a member of Delta Omicron and later graduated in general studies with an emphasis in music in 2013. Holly has been in dentistry since 2013, and she loves interacting with patients. Holly finds it very uplifting to see a person regain their smile and confidence through dentistry. She is now one of our insurance claims specialists and looks forward to learning and growing in all realms of dentistry. Holly believes everyone deserves to smile and that a smile can turn anyones day around.
She is very strong in her faith and love for God. On the weekends, Holly loves to spend time with her husband, two boys, and her family. Believe it or not, she is also an avid hunter and archer. Most importantly, Holly loves to sing whenever she can.
