Dentists who focus on patient interaction are rare. Many practices double-book their patients and spend little face time explaining treatment options. At our Melbourne dental office, Dr. Chenet and our team possess a genuine concern for our patients overall health and well-being. While we feature advanced technology that will make your dental visit more comfortable and convenient, we never sacrifice quality or rush our patients through treatment. We look forward to establishing long-term relationships with our patients that result in exceptional dental health.
Notice: Digital recording by handheld devices such as smartphones is prohibited on the premises in order to protect the privacy of other patients and staff in compliance with deferral and state privacy laws.
After attending Averett College in Virginia for his bachelors of science degree, Dr. Chenet earned his DDS degree from Howard University in Washington, DC. He graduated in 1982, and that same year, he entered the US Air Force, serving as a dental officer. His assignments carried him across the nation and the world. He was deployed to such exotic locations as Japan, South Korea, Egypt, Honduras, Peru, El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Alaska, and Haiti. His hands-on, post-graduate training covered the full scope of general dentistry, including periodontics, endodontics, prosthodontics, and pediatric dentistry. In December 2002, Dr. Chenet honorably retired as a lieutenant Colonel, and started his Melbourne practice from scratch shortly after.
Dr. Chenet grew up in Port-au-Prince Haiti, speaks fluent French and Haitian Creole, and semi-fluent Spanish. He and his wife Katia have been married for 25 years, and they have three boys. Time with family and traveling (to visit family!) take top priority, leaving little time for hobbies. Unlike many of his peers, he doesnt golf, and hes not a fan of cold weather, so skiing is out of the picture. He has done some scuba diving and hunting (duck, dove, and quail). An interesting fact about Dr. Chenet: He was an animal rescue technician (AKA dog catcher) in New York City for a year before attending dental school. It was, in his words, 'The most interesting job Ive ever had.'
At his current practice, Dr. Chenet embraces new technologies to enhance patient comfort and treatment. The practice is a fully computerized, high-tech office with digital X-rays (including Panorex), computerized records, and CEREC CAD/CAM system. His mission statement is short and to the point: 'Where education, experience, and technology come together to provide excellence in dental health care.'
With this state-of-the-art-practice, Dr. Chenet loves that he is able to help friends and neighbors smile. He welcomes patients from Melbourne to Rockledge and everywhere in between. Dr. Chenet is especially proud that almost half of his patients live in 32940- many within walking distance of our practice.
Dr. Derek Chenet has always been exposed to dentistry ever since he was very little. If youre a regular patient, youve already met his father, Dr. Cedric C. Chenet and experienced his expertise. Today, Derek is excited to make Dental Excellence his new professional home and work alongside his mom and dad.
The dentists and team members are excited to present to you a more detailed picture of Derek with the hope that youll feel more inclined to start a conversation with him. After all, the patient experience is always better in the long-term when you have a strong foundational relationship with the doctor.
Having a father as a dentist allowed Derek many opportunities to learn about dentistry, unlike most people considering the profession. However, his initial schooling didnt have a medical focus. During his undergraduate education, he majored in Chemistry, so his interests werent exactly focused on the medical field.
It wasnt until he learned more about the available job positions and faced being trapped in a lab that he realized he wanted to have more freedom in his career. Additionally, he knew he wanted to work in a more social environment, and working one on one with the community was the perfect way to accomplish that.
After speaking with his dad on the subject, he quickly learned that dentistry had a lot to offer when it came to chemistry as well as engineering. Not only would he get to practice and exercise the scientist side of his mind, but hed get a chance to communicate and help the community directly with their dental concerns. To Derek, thats simply a win-win scenario.
After completing his undergraduate education at Duke University, Derek applied to Columbia University to pursue his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. He chose Columbia not just because he connected with the people who interviewed him, but because he wanted the experience of living in a big city before eventually moving back to Melbourne. Many of his college friends were going to be in New York, so it was also ideal to have a network of friends before moving to the big city himself.
Of course, Columbia has so much more to offer than just its location. During his time there, he was given a whole new patient perspective by one of his professors, Dr. Cloidt. To him, patients fell into three categories: the misinformed, the uniformed, and the properly informed. At the end of the day, Dr. Cloidt taught Derek the importance of the patient experience and making sure all of his patients fell into the properly informed category.
Soon after he would go on to complete his post-graduate training at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the Bronx, where he would be fully trained in the planning, placement and restoration of dental implants, fixed and removable prosthetics, and other restorative procedures.
After 10 years away from his hometown of Melbourne, Derek is already getting re-acclimated to Floridas weather and prepared to offer the community the same high-quality dentistry people come to expect.
During his time at Duke, Derek was actually a film projectionist for the schools in-house theater. There, he learned how to project 35 mm films and to this day still is an avid movie-goer. Some of his favorite films include Disneys Pixars Toy Story, Steven Spielbergs Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, and is always down to watch one of the Mission Impossible movies.
He also enjoys playing basketball and tennis with his fianc, reading and collecting comic books like Spider-man and Archie comics, spending time with his two younger siblings, and playing with his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Char. By the time September 2019 rolls around, hell be married to his fianc Veronica, who will also be working alongside him at the practice.
The next time your dentist in Melbourne, feel free to approach Derek and get to know him a bit better. Were so happy to have the whole family together to provide the community the dental care it deserves!
Dr. Yus path to dentistry wasnt exactly the most typical route you might hear from other dentists. However, that didnt stop her from leaving her previous field to find a career more in line with her passions. Today, Dr. Chenet and the team members at the practice are incredibly proud to have her expertise and knowledge available while serving the Melbourne community, as well as the surrounding areas.
Growing up, her father was a physician, so she always had a peek into the healthcare field and what it entailed. Oddly enough, Dr. Yu didnt intend always intend on pursuing a career in science or medicine. But seeing the enjoyment her father gained from working with his patients, as well as the creative potential dentistry had to offer, both made her reconsider the medical profession.
If youve already met Dr. Yu, you can probably tell that her favorite part of being a dentist is getting to know her patients and making them feel healthy and happy about their oral health. What you may not know is that Dr. Yu has quite the liberal arts side of her as well. As an artist, both in music and sketching, her hand-eye coordination only further proves why dentistry was the perfect career path for her to pursue.
Thanks to a post-baccalaureate program offered during her schooling, Dr. Yu was able to attend and complete the medical courses necessary to receive her dental degree. Her education at Brown University mainly focused on law, and before she decided to go back to school she worked as a paralegal at an anti-trust litigation law firm while preparing her law school applications. She quickly learned that working a desk job reviewing law briefs wasnt her passion: people was. After her father recommended dentistry as a potential path and learning that the field would give her a chance to be active creatively, she started her schooling soon after.
After graduating from Columbia University and earning her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree, she would go on to complete a Comprehensive Implantology Continuum, which expanded her knowledge on treatment planning, restorations and placement of implants.
During her General Practice Residency at North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital, shed receive further training on a wide variety of dental specialties. These included endodontics, pediatrics, oral surgery, prosthodontics, and the management of medical and dental emergencies. In 2016, she also became a Certified Invisalign Provider. To this day, shes thankful for the helpful insight bestowed by her professors, which she still carries with her as a dentist. Educators like her clinical professor Dr. Kaplan emphasized that dentistry is an ongoing learning experience, regardless of how many years you dedicate to the field. Clearly, Dr. Yu continues to prove that with her continued education and passion for expanding her dental knowledge.
Dr. Yu is originally from Madison, CT, but her father practices medicine in Portland, ME. Ever since Dr. Yu was young, tennis has been her number-one passion. Playing in the northeast proved to be difficult due to the harsh climate, but the Florida area has made continuing her love for tennis that much easier. During her time playing tennis, shed regularly attend USTA tournaments and make an effort to get autographs from some of the most well-known players, including the Big Four in mens tennis. Shes gotten three out of four of their signatures so far and hopes to meet the fourth member some day!
As previously mentioned, Dr. Yu has an extensive background in the arts. As a classically trained violinist since the age of 7, shes participated in many competitions throughout her adolescence. Dr. Yu also enjoys singing and playing guitar; she even got the chance to perform in some talent shows during dental school after years of exclusively playing in the orchestra pit. She believes practicing music helps keep her sharp, but that doesnt mean she wont cut loose with some friends and fire up her karaoke machine every once in a while!