Appalachia Family Dentistry opens spacious new $1M clinic
The all-new, $1 million-plus Appalachia Family Dentistry clinic on Andersonville Highway opened Monday (Aug. 10), bringing a state-of-the-art dental facility to The Shops at Clinton Square.
That’s a few months past the original planned opening date, which was pushed back by heavy rains in February and complications caused by the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns.
“But we’re up and ready to see patients now,” said Knoxville lawyer Ameesh Kherani, who along with his wife, dentist Sonia Kherani, owns the dental practice.
Previously, the practice operated in a converted house further east on Andersonville Highway next to the Museum of Appalachia.
The new clinic sits along Andersonville Highway next to the small strip business center that includes the Norris Animal Hospital.
It has a total of about 4,800 square feet of interior space, with about 3,000 of that reserved for Appalachia Family Dentistry, Ameesh Kherani said.
“We have about 1,800 square feet of extra space that perhaps we can lease to a pediatric dentist or an orthodontist,” Sonia Kherani said.
There are now three general dentists practicing at the clinic. Dr. Kherani and Dr. Gary Fox, both of whom practiced at the previous location, have been joined at the new clinic by Dr. Mark Wegzyn, D.D.S., a Michigan native who has been practicing for the past 11 years at the DentaCare facility in Knoxville, he said.
The new clinic for now is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The hours and days may expand as the practice grows, Dr. Kherani said.
Appalachia Family Dentistry also has an office in Jacksboro. That clinic sees patients on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Dr. Kherani has practiced dentistry in the current location for about two-and-a-half years, since purchasing the facility from Dr. Trish Sullivan, who retired.
Before Sullivan practiced there, the building housed the dental practice of Dr. Michael Beeler, who moved out after building a new clinic nearby on Bethel Road.
At the new facility, there are five “operatories” for patients, and all-new, state-of-the-art dental equipment, Ameesh Kherani said.
More than $1 million has been invested in the facility, including the building and equipment, as well as the parking lot and furnishings, he said.
“We’re adding capacity,” Ameesh Kherani said. “We’re accepting new patients and can take them at either location.”
Most insurance plans are accepted, he said.
Four more office staff members have been hired for the new clinic.
The Kheranis still own their previous Norris building, an old house that was converted to commercial use. It has served as a dental clinic for more than 10 years.
“We’ve got some plans we will explore for that building, but not as a dental office,” Ameesh Kherani said.
Dr. Kherani earned an undergraduate degree from Georgia State University, then went to dental school at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, graduating in 2008. Since completing her residency at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, she has been in private practice for the past 11 years. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family – including a 15-month-old son -- and loves nature.
Dr. Fox grew up in Oak Ridge and graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1971. He went to the University of Tennessee for his undergraduate degree, then went to dental school at UT. He has been practicing dentistry for more than 38 years.
Dr. Wegzyn, a native of Michigan, is a graduate of the University of Michigan Dental School. He moved to the Knoxville area 11 years ago, he said.
Dr. Fox said the practice is set up to do “all types of restorations, including implants, as well as root canals, partial dentures and crowns,” in addition to general family dentistry “in a comfortable, comprehensive, caring environment.”