As MCHD Dentistry continues to expand, at Monongalia County Health Department and with the Smile Express mobile unit, a second dentist, Dr. Youseph Kassar, has been hired.
A Morgantown native, Kassar just graduated from the West Virginia School of Dentistry. He also is a graduate of Morgantown High School.
“I’m really excited to have this opportunity to work in my hometown and serve the community that I love,” Kassar said.
Kassar will join Dr. Dan Carrier, MCHD Dentistry’s program manager, who has expanded the practice since coming on board 10 years ago.
“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Kassar to MCHD Dentistry,” Carrier said. “As a Morgantown native, he has made a commitment to practicing dentistry in his hometown. I know our patients at MCHD Dentistry will enjoy his kind demeanor and great sense of humor.”
Kassar also has an undergraduate degree in biology from WVU. A fan of working with his hands to fix things, he said his career came down to a choice between engineering and dentistry.
“I realized dentistry is a lot of things I like,” he said. “It combines helping people, using my hands to fix stuff and being a meaningful, positive change in people’s lives.”
An aunt who is a dentist in California also helped him make his decision.
“I went to shadow her at her clinic,” Kassar said. “I saw her interactions with her patients and I was impressed.”
Kassar will work at MCHD Dentistry as well as on board MCHD Smile Express, the mobile unit launched in 2018 that takes dentistry on the road, mostly to schools in six counties: Monongalia, Wetzel, Marion, Harrison, Lewis and Braxton.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with kids,” Kassar said. “It’s very rewarding. It’s good to get in there early and give kids positive experiences with the dentist. A lot of people have anxiety because of a lack of knowledge of what it’s like to go to a dentist. My purpose is to educate and have fun. My professors always said I was like a large kid and I couldn’t disagree.”
Smile Express is outfitted with two fully equipped dental chairs and an X-ray machine, as well as the software to transmit the images back to MCHD Dentistry to be seen while a patient is still there.
“That will give me the opportunity to see other areas of West Virginia,” Kassar added. “Growing up, a lot of friends wanted to leave West Virginia and go to bigger places, but I love this state. It’s something I’m excited to do.”
As part of his dental education, Kassar also spent a six-week rural rotation in New Martinsville.
“I worked in a private clinic, getting a feel for other aspects of the state,” he said. “You might think Morgantown is in a bubble because it’s a university town, but the state as a whole, people are nice and welcoming. They were interested in learning about me and I grew to appreciate West Virginia more.”
A third dental assistant, Taylor Decker, has been hired to work with Kassar. A recent graduate of Clay-Battelle High School, Decker completed the dental assistant program at Monongalia County Technical Education Center.
“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Kassar to MCHD Dentistry,” Carrier said. “His addition will allow us to continue to grow and provide quality dental care to all our patients.”
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