Hayes Family Dentistry Expands to Four Dentists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hayes Family Dentistry Expands to Four Dentists and 13 Treatment Chairs to Meet Growing Demand Across the Upper Cumberland

Cookeville practice owner Dr. Kevin Hayes, DMD, has added three operatories, additional dental assistants and a fourth dentist to the clinical team and expanded appointment availability for families throughout Tennessee’s Upper Cumberland region.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — Sept. 20, 2026 — Hayes Family Dentistry has completed an expansion that takes the Cookeville practice from 10 treatment chairs to 13 and from three dentists to four. The practice is owned and led by Dr. Kevin Hayes, DMD, who shared the following:

“When hiring young new doctors or even experienced doctors, a patient might think, ‘Oh, I wonder if Dr. Hayes is cutting back or even retiring?’ Nothing could be further from the truth. I imagine I will be practicing full time for many years to come. Dr. DiFusco is my senior by 5 years and runs circles around us all! I hope to follow in his footsteps some day and practice well into my 70s! I just don’t think I’ll be riding motorcycles on the weekends in the meantime like he does!”

Hayes Family Dentistry’s associate dentists are Dr. Sandy Hayes, DMD; Dr. Gerard DiFusco, DMD, who has practiced at Hayes Family Dentistry for nearly two years; and Dr. Justin Ellis, DDS, who joined the practice this year.

Capacity, Not Just Headcount

Adding dentists only helps if there is enough space and staff to support them. Hayes Family Dentistry is adding both space and team members to support our additional dentists, Dr. DiFusco and Dr. Ellis. Three new operatories will bring the office to 13, and newly hired dental assistants will work alongside our growing team. As this expansion comes online, it will open up more clinical hours and more appointment availability, allowing us to serve even more people in our community.

The goal is simple: more availability for patients. With more rooms and team members, we can offer more appointment times, making it easier for families to find a time that works and for patients to get the care they need.

Sedation Available From All of Our Dentists

Dr. Kevin Hayes, Dr. Sandy Hayes, Dr. Justin Ellis and Dr. Gerard DiFusco all provide sedation dentistry at the practice. This matters most to patients who have delayed care because of anxiety, a sensitive gag reflex, or difficulty sitting through longer appointments. Having four dentists means that a sedation appointment does not depend on a single provider’s calendar.

A Team Patients Already Know

Hayes Family Dentistry has built its local reputation on continuity: patients seeing the same faces year after year in an office where staff know families by name. The expansion was designed around that so that the front-desk and clinical staff patients have seen for years remain in place.

“Nothing about how I care for my patients has changed, and that’s true for our whole team,” said Dr. Sandy Hayes. “What has changed is this: we now have the room to welcome more families into this practice, and to get people the care they need sooner, whether that’s easing a toothache or simply providing patients the treatment they deserve in a timely manner. That’s something I’m truly excited about.”

Serving the Upper Cumberland

From its office on East 10th Street in Cookeville, Hayes Family Dentistry serves families across Putnam County and the wider Upper Cumberland, a 14-county region of Middle Tennessee where patients often travel some distance for dental care. The added capacity is intended to shorten that wait for the surrounding communities as much as for Cookeville itself.

Dr. DiFusco brings more than 40 years of general and restorative dentistry experience. A 1980 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, he founded and led a dental practice in Webster, New York, for four decades before joining Hayes Family Dentistry. He is a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry and a Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.

We’re excited to welcome Dr. Ellis, a familiar face that many of you already know, to our expanding practice. He is actually beginning his ninth year serving the dental needs of our community. He earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in Memphis, holds a master’s degree in pharmacology from Tulane University and a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

“I’ve spent many years taking care of families in the area, and I’ve always thought of it as home,” said Dr. Ellis. “Coming back to a practice like this one is the best of both worlds, a place I know and a team I am glad to be part of. My wife and I are looking forward to raising our children here and getting back to being involved in this great community that we call home.”

How to Schedule

Hayes Family Dentistry treats patients of all ages, from young children through senior adults. The office is at 620 E 10th Street in Cookeville, Tennessee, and appointments can be made by calling or texting us at (931) 526-1614.

About Hayes Family Dentistry

Hayes Family Dentistry is a general and family dental practice located at 620 E 10th Street in Cookeville, Tennessee, providing comprehensive, patient-centered care in a welcoming environment. The practice is owned and led by Dr. Kevin Hayes, DMD, with associate dentists Dr. Sandy Hayes, DMD, Dr. Gerard DiFusco, DMD, and Dr. Justin Ellis, DDS. Hayes Family Dentistry serves families throughout Putnam County and the Upper Cumberland region of Middle Tennessee. More information is available at hayesdentistry.com.

Media Contact

Nicole Hayes
Hayes Family Dentistry
620 E 10th Street, Cookeville, TN 38501
(931) 526-1614

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Or call (931) 526-1614.