Gather in for the picture and say cheese!
For 35 years, Dr. Hubbert has helped his patients have the picture perfect smiles that they wanted; however, he has now decided that it is time for him to retire.
Although he loves his job, his health has declined, and he knows that retiring is what would be best for the patients he loves so much.
“I’ve had a severe heart problem, and it’s taken a turn for the worse. I’m going to have to have a heart transplant and probably a kidney transplant at the same time. I need to be close to New Orleans. My wife lives in Covington, LA, so I’m going there so I can be close to the hospital. I have to have a phone with me 24 hours a day because if they call and say they have a heart, I have to get there,” explained Dr. Hubbert. “I get symptoms of weakness and have some problems with my vision, so it’s not a good idea to be trying to treat people; it’s not fair to them. We want to make sure we do our best work. It just started in January where I couldn’t do this anymore.”
Dr. Hubbert cherishes all of the patients he has had the pleasure of working with since he bought the practice, and he can’t help but remember his time in the building.
“I feel so close to my patients because I’ve been here since 1986,” stated Dr. Hubbert. “It was Dr. Traxler’s building until he went in with Dr. Cochran in 1986 to purchase and split the building in town. He treated me fairly. He sold me all of his equipment, and he sold it at a really good price.”
Although he is leaving, Dr. Hubbert has made sure that there is someone else to take over the practice so that his patients aren’t left searching for another dentist. He did his best to find someone that he felt confident in and knew would provide all his patients in Clarke County with excellent service. He found everything he was looking for in Dr. Reagan McNerney, who will be taking over the practice fully once he officially retires on May 31.
“She’s really good. I’ve been praying because it’s really hard to get people to come to a small town, and she’s been wonderful,” declared Dr. Hubbert. “She’s very good with patients and is patient with them and very skilled and compassionate. She doesn’t get flustered easily when things don’t go right. She and the staff work very well together and get along great. Her work is great. She’s very meticulous. I’m just so pleased for me and my patients and the town.”
Dr. McNerney has already started at the practice, and Dr. Hubbert has gladly allowed her to be the primary one who takes care of the patients while he only does small things to assist her.
“I’m really doing minor things lately,” said Dr. Hubbert. “Dr. McNerney has taken over, and I just help her with our procedures and computer and introduce her to patients and make sure she feels comfortable.”
Dr. Reagan McNerney is excited to start her career in Quitman and already loves working with her patients. She is familiar with a small town atmosphere since she grew up in New Hebron, MS. Once she graduated from high school, she attended Mississippi State University and later attended UMC, where she graduated this past May. Although she recently graduated, she does have prior experience in a dental office.
“I worked in Magee my first year, and when all the Covid stuff happened, they just didn’t need an extra person,” stated Dr. McNerney. “I feel like this is the best fit for me.”
She is very optimistic and does her best to make her patients feel relaxed when they come to see her. She is able to take care of patients of all ages, and her goal is to provide such a positive experience—no matter what procedure that she is having to do—that people leave with a more positive view of going to the dentist.
“I can work on everybody. If anyone’s medical history is a little too complicated, I usually send them to an oral surgeon. Other than that, I can do anybody,” stated Dr. McNerney. “I love doing kids dentistry. That’s one of my favorite parts. We don’t currently have gas installed, so I’m going to do gas for them and put that in once we transition between the two. I had a great experience when I was a kid, and it made all the difference. I get people all the time who are terrified because they had the worst experience when they were a kid. I just want to give the kids a great experience and change their perspective a bit.”
Although she will be the new owner of the practice, Dr. McNerney doesn’t intend to make any major changes; instead, she intends to mainly focus on doing small things such as doing small updates little by little.
“I’m going to keep most things the same. There are just a few things I’ll change, such as upgrades. I’m revamping it a little bit and doing more advertising and maybe a website and some new signs. It’s just little things that I’m changing,” explained Dr. McNerney. “I’m going to do upgrades little by little so that I don’t have to change any prices for my customers.”
She is currently working with the state for the name of the new practice.
“We plan to call it Archusa Family Dentistry,” declared Dr. McNerney. “We’re in the process of trying to get it approved.”
Although there will be slight changes and Dr. Hubbert is leaving, he has done everything he could to make sure that all of his patients will be left in the best care possible. Dr. McNerney is young and has already shown that she is more than capable of doing an amazing job in the county.
