Dr. Vurnakes joined BlueWave in 2018, excited to return to his hometown of Wilmington, NC. After graduating from NC State University, David worked as a dental assistant to confirm his interest in dentistry as a profession before going on to attend East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine. One of his most rewarding experiences during dental school was serving in the NC Missions of Mercy dental clinics throughout NC. After graduating dental school, David chose to move to the coastal community of Morehead City where he worked in a solo dental practice for several years.
Dentistry is Davids passion as it fuses health, science, and art. Davids goal in dentistry is to promote his patients overall health while also helping them achieve a beautiful smile. Like Dr. Biggerstaff, Dr. Vurnakes is committed to quality continuing education completing over 100 hours a year of dental CE since graduating dental school. He has participated in some of the same prestigious programs such as the Pankey Institute, Spear Education, Triangle Dental Institute Dental Implant continuum, and the Seattle Study Club. David also sees dentistry as a pathway for service and giving back to the community. Since his time as a dental assistant, he has spent years volunteering with the NC Missions of Mercy dental clinics, NC Baptist Mens Dental Bus and other local organizations. Davids core values of faith, honesty, integrity and treating every patient with respect as if they were a member of his own family reflect those of BlueWave.
Outside of dentistry, David loves being near the water from fishing, paddle boarding, and boating to just relaxing. He also enjoys golf and music and grew up playing the piano, learning several other instruments as well. Davids latest adventure is his new Golden Retriever puppy, Jerry. He has hopes of training him to be a therapy dog but will be happy just playing fetch on the beach.