The surgeons at Oral & Facial Surgery of Northeast Texas offer up-to-date services and technology with the utmost care and compassion

by Lindsey McMillan

The surgeons at Oral & Facial Surgery of Northeast Texas are actively involved and eager to assist their patients with the utmost care and compassion. Each of the five oral surgeons, along with their office staff, are prepared to provide the highest level of care available. Their services range from simple to complex tooth extractions and dental implants to reconstructive surgery, cosmetic procedures, and treatment of a variety of mouth and facial disorders. With comfortable in-office IV sedation most oral surgery is performed in their office. The practice prides itself on providing the most up-to-date services and technology to best serve each patient.

Oral and maxillofacial surgery involves a variety of techniques and care. Each oral surgeon is board certified in oral and maxillofacial surgery with a minimum of four years’ training and specialization after dental school. Some practitioners may also have medical degrees and fellowship training. General dentists and other specialists refer to their office when a higher level of care is necessary, often in the instance of complex cases and involving anesthesia and/or hospital admission. The dentists at OMS NE Texas are capable of accommodating patients comfortably in their office and have privileges at both area hospitals and outpatient surgery centers. The practice also serves the larger Texarkana area, Paris, as well as Southeast Oklahoma and Southwest Arkansas. The only oral surgeons in this area, the practice has served the ArkLaTex for several decades.

Dr. Kirby Bunel has lived and practiced in Texarkana since 1993. A graduate of Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, he received his post-graduate training at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Dr. Bunel is the past-president, first district of the Texas Dental Association, past-president of the Texarkana Dental Society, and past-president of the Texas Component, American Dental Society of Anesthesiology. He is also a board certified fellow of the same organization. In addition, he served for four years on the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners. Dr. Bunel serves as the group’s longest-practicing partner and is readily available for consultation with colleagues and serves as a mentor to others in the practice. He has long been involved in the Texarkana community in a variety of ways and assists his practice in serving those in need. The group takes part in the Texas Mission of Mercy, sponsored by the Texas Dental Association, which provides free dental care at day clinics hosted around the state. Over the past 10 years, Texarkana has hosted several of these events, and although the pandemic has slowed this effort down a bit, on average $100-150,000 worth of care is provided free of charge to those who otherwise could not afford such dental services. Dentists and oral surgeons travel across the state to participate in these events, and it’s a great source of pride in taking part in this worthwhile cause. Dr. Bunel and his wife, Diana, have two grown children.

Dr. Jacob Duke joined the practice in 2009. A native of Searcy, Arkansas, Dr. Duke is a third generation dentist as both his grandfather and father were general dentists, and his mother and sister are dental hygienists. A graduate of Harding University, Dr. Duke then attended the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in Memphis, and after graduation completed four years of oral surgery training at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. While growing up, he witnessed his father’s practice and limitations with complex cases and anesthesia, so he naturally gravitated toward oral surgery. Retired group partner, Dr. Joe James, and the late Dr. Dan Moore were part of OMS NE TX when he joined. He was able to practice for four years with Dr. Moore and became really close to him and viewed him as a mentor/second dad. He explains, “If someone ever needed help, Dr. Moore would take time to assist anyone in need, and those who knew him tried to emulate this.” The unique legacy he left was an important one, and in regard to the practice’s growth and development he states that Dr. Moore would be very proud. For example, Dr. Duke states that back then, on average their practice would perform 350 dental implants per year. Now that yearly figure is approximately 1,200. In addition, they have the capacity to perform larger scale reconstructive surgery versus general oral surgery and more complicated procedures. Dr. Duke is most proud of the fact that patients often remark about their staff and their high level of care and compassion. Many patients enter their office apprehensive, and right away the staff establishes a level of trust which continues throughout the visit. Dr. Duke does several office-based procedures and is very comfortable with major facial trauma for which he had much experience early in his career. He appreciates the input and referral from local dentists which gives their practice the autonomy to help their patients. He and his wife, Christie, have been married 16 years, and they have two boys, Levi and Wyatt, aged 9 and 11, and a daughter, Margaret, who is 3. Outside of work, his hobbies include church and school activities, and his family likes to gather at their property in Magnolia, Arkansas.

Dr. Zachary Legan joined the practice in June 2017. He grew up in Franklin, Tennessee, with one younger sister where his dad is an orthodontist and chairman of the orthodontic department at Vanderbilt University and his mom a nurse. He loved growing up on a farm and after high school attended Vanderbilt University. Then he moved on to the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in Memphis. He completed his oral surgery residency in Shreveport at LSU. He was excited to move to Texarkana which was more like his hometown. His wife, Dr. Jessie Liang, is a urologist with Collom & Carney Clinic, and they have three dogs. Dr. Legan likes to travel, fix up old cars and bikes, and is a dirt bike enthusiast. Along with routine dental procedures, he likes to specialize in facial cosmetics, having had more training in head and neck cancers, including facial trauma. Like his colleagues, Dr. Legan finds that first and foremost is patient satisfaction: “I strive to provide patient-centered care. Although most patients come to me with a specific problem and desiring a specific procedure, I like to step back and develop a comprehensive treatment plan for them.”

Dr. Mary Laura Hastings came into the practice in 2018. Growing up in Mobile, Alabama, she too was very familiar with the dental field. Her dad is an orthodontist and her mother a general dentist. She graduated from Auburn University having studied the pre-med/dental track and continued to the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. After graduation, she was not sure if she wanted to specialize so she entered a general dentistry residency in New Orleans. In the hospital setting, she gained experience treating those with complex conditions, aiding special needs patients, etc. She had a one-month rotation in oral surgery and really got into it. She knew that would be four-six more years of training, but really enjoyed the oral surgery residency at LSU in Shreveport. She met her husband, Dr. Wesley Carlisle, there as he is an oral surgeon as well. He is originally from Shreveport, and Mary Laura’s sister also practices there as a general dentist. They wanted to stay in the area and she knew Dr. Legan in residency so he encouraged her to come apply in Texarkana. She really likes working with other colleagues and enjoys the solid dynamic of their practice. She finds the commute to and from Shreveport a time for her to regroup for the work day. Along with her partners, Dr. Hastings shares the importance of moving forward after the Covid pandemic. Early on when their office was closed, they were only able to aid patients on an emergency basis. During those six weeks, the practice treated approximately 150 people. She is glad to be operating normally after the pandemic while taking universal precautions: “We feel that it’s prudent to be safe and take care of our patients.” Dr. Hastings treats routine oral surgeries and has had specific training in jaw surgery and facial trauma. When not busy in her practice her hobbies include cooking, travel, and spending time with her family on the Gulf fishing and enjoying coastal life.

Dr. Matthew Burks joined the group in 2019 and since then has spent the majority of his time here dealing with the pandemic. He too is glad to be moving on with the return of normal patient volume and performing a variety of oral surgeries and procedures. When he came to Texarkana after his residency, he was able to have eight months of normal practice prior to the onset of the Covid crisis. Dr. Burks is a Hot Springs native and was familiar with the Texarkana area having traveled here for sporting events while in high school. He attended Baylor University and after college moved to Dallas to attend Baylor College of Dentistry. After graduation, he began his six-year oral surgery residency at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Dr. Burks is happy to share about the practice’s progression within the last two years with advanced technology to assist them with treatment plans. For example, their practice has the same capabilities of any academic surgery center which includes a digital oral scanner which can create a 3D model of the jaw and teeth. This, in addition to a CT scan of the face, allows biomedical engineers to create custom metal plates which allows the oral surgeons to make precise cuts in the jaws to correct and reposition the joints. Dr. Burks says this has been a huge leap in temporal mandibular joint surgery making it less traumatic to the jaw and mouth with less recovery time. Dr. Burks loves what he does and like his partners wants to ensure proper care: “I really enjoy taking the time to listen to each patient’s questions and concerns to help insure they are comfortable with the treatment recommended and what to expect during the treatment process. Every patient and situation is different, and I work very hard to insure I provide my patients with the information they need to make an informed decision about their care.” Dr. Burks and his wife, Valeria, have two children, Catherine who is 3 and Thomas, 2 years old. Valeria is also a dentist, and they met while both were in dental school. His hobbies include occasional hunting and fishing, enjoying the outdoors with his family and two dogs, and dirt biking.

Proudly serving the ArkLaTex region, Dr. Kirby Bunel, Dr. Jacob Duke, Dr. Zachary Legan, Dr. Mary Laura Hastings and Dr. Matthew Burks, are dedicated surgeons who assist their patients in obtaining a beautiful, healthy smile that they are proud to show off.

Feature Stories

Healthy Smiles Create Happy Patients