Page 112 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2022

DENTISTRY
LOCATION
13179 Three Rivers Rd., Gulfport 228.832.1000 www.healthysmilesgulfport.com
Kinyatta Bennett, D.M.D.
A Gulf Coast native who has been practicing on the Coast for 12 years, Dr. Kinyatta Bennett is changing family dental care for the better, right here in South Mississippi. After receiving her Doctorate of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 2010, Bennett opened Healthy Smiles Family Dentistry in 2015. With waiting areas for both adults and children, their state-of- the-art facility is a parent’s best friend.
The Healthy Smiles team is a family, and treats their patients with the same kindness and care as they would their own family members. “We truly care about doing what’s in our patients’ best interests,” says Bennett. “We put ourselves in the places of the parents and do everything we can to make family dental care as easy as possible, including scheduling multiple children at the same time to make things more convenient.”
Healthy Smiles is equally committed to giving back to the community. Carrying on the dream shared by her late husband and partner, Dr. Christopher Bennett, Bennett hosts a yearly backpack giveaway for local children, providing them with the supplies they’ll need for the upcoming school year. She also hosts an annual breakfast with Santa, where children can take photos with Santa, enjoy a pancake breakfast, and make Christmas crafts.
Jean-Paul Assad, D.M.D.
Jean-Paul Assad, D.M.D. was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. Being the youngest of two boys, Assad followed behind his brother and father in developing a love for sports such as soccer, swimming, and basketball early on in life. Upon graduating high school, Assad hung up his soccer cleats and completed his undergraduate studies at the prestigious Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans. It was during this time where he began to develop an interest in dentistry.
Due to a newfound sense of confidence after finishing orthodontic treatment, he made it his goal to be able to instill that same joy in people through restoring smiles. Assad graduated Cum Laude in 2016 with a B.S. in Biology Pre-Med and a minor in Chemistry. From there, he returned home for dental school at University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) School of Dentistry in Jackson. After graduating in 2020, he remained at UMMC and completed the Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency training program.
Assad chose to begin this new chapter in Gulfport because of the great location and variety of activities offered on the Coast, as well as the wonderful, friendly, and supportive staff at Healthy Smiles.
112 | June 2022
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living