Our Practice

Our practice, now celebrating its 24th year, has its origins in the 20-year career of Dr. Kenneth E. Hornowski. Over that period of time, Dr. Hornowski built a reputation for excellence in clinical dentistry, practice management and customer service. It was the relentless pursuit of excellence in these areas that lead Drs. Hornowski and Gillespie to merge their private practices together in 1996. Dr. Bart Martin joined our practice in 1998 and as the progression of a degenerative neck condition lead to Dr. Hornowski’s eventual departure, our practice evolved into Drs. Gillespie & Martin.

In 2006, Drs. Gillespie and Martin decided to amicably end their partnership and now practice separately.

Many of the original staff remain with the practice and the majority of our employees have been here for over five years. The tradition of care and expertise developed by longterm staff serves as our standard as we continually improve our attention to detail, and attention to you.

Our Department

Hygiene Department:

We are fortunate to have four of the area’s most experienced and dedicated hygienists in our office. Colene, Barbara, Donna and Belinda have almost 100 years of combined experience! However, they stay abreast of the latest techniques and advances in oral hygiene. Taking care of and helping you to keep your smile healthy is their top priority, each of them, in their own gentle and caring way.

Barbara Earle, RDH, has been with our office for 20 years. Born in Anderson, Indiana, Barbara went to Asheville High School, then went on to graduate from UNC-CH in 1970 with an A.S. in Dental Hygiene. Barbara has one son, Daniel. She enjoys walking, yoga, photography, traveling, and has a repertoire of jokes which rivals that of Rodney Dangerfield.

Colene House, RDH, is an Asheville native. She has 35 years of experience in dental hygiene, including periodontal office experience, and has designed Soft Tissue Management programs for several offices. Colene is a graduate of CPCC in Charlotte and is a past member of the Accreditation Board of Dental Hygiene at AB Tech. Riding Harleys with her husband, Johnny, is one of her favorite pastimes, but she also enjoys gardening and projects around the house. Colene is active in the local theatre scene and sings in the well known Buddy K Big Band! Doo-wop-doo-wop!

Donna Singleton, RDH, was born and raised in Asheville. After graduating from Enka High School, she worked in our office as a dental assistant for 3 years until entering AB Tech, where she obtained her degree in Dental Hygiene. Donna is engaged to Chris, and they are planning a wedding in June, 2007! Donna enjoys watching sports with Chris and is becoming a big Yankees fan!! She enjoys babysitting, traveling and spending time with family, friends and Sydney, her dog.

Belinda Region, RDH, was born and raised in NJ. She attended Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Dentistry where she received her degree in dental hygiene. Before moving to the Asheville area 11 years ago, Belinda lived and worked in Charlotte, NC, for 5 years and Frankfurt, Germany for 6 years. She and her husband Steve have 2 very active girls, Krista and Jamie. Belinda enjoys spending time with her family camping, boating and watching various sporting events and band concerts that her girls are involved in. In her spare time, Belinda volunteers for several community groups.

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Assisting Department

Dr. Gillespie's assistants are an invaluable asset to our practice! Yvette and Rebecca have been with Dr. Gillespie for many years and assist with all the many procedures performed throughout the day. Wendy is the newest addition to our practice. Each of the assistants is thoroughly trained and certified, and takes continuing education on a yearly basis.

Darlene is our office assistant and you are likely to see her anywhere in the office! She helps out in each of our departments, helping keep things running smoothly!

Yvette Manny, CDA, was born in NJ, but has spent most of her life in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Her bilingual status changed to trilingual after a year in Montreal. Yvette earned her degree at Kaiser College for Dental Assisting and has been assisting for 21 years; she has been with us since 1996. She has been very happily married to Marc for 22 years and has two children, Brentton and Krista. In addition to being a sports fan, Yvette enjoys dancing and singing (she seems to know every song ever written!). She has also been busy remodeling her home and watching their children grow up.

Rebecca Allen, CDA, is a North Carolina native. She graduated from North Buncombe High School, then obtained her Dental Assisting Certificate from AB Tech. Rebecca stays busy enough trying to keep up with her two sons, 3-year old Nash and 13-year old Hunter. Rebecca is married to Billy, who is a Tennessee Titans fan, and they enjoy going to all of the games they can! Rebecca and Billy’s new hobby has been painting and working their new home. Always quick with a smile, Rebecca also enjoys making other people smile. Beware: there’s a mischievous streak behind that innocent face! Big Tarheel basketball fan, too!

Wendy Long, CDA , is a recent graduate of A-B Tech with a Certificate in Dental Assisting. Wendy moved to the Asheville area in 1991 from Florida, where she enjoyed going to the beach (no beaches here, Wendy!). She is married to Kenny, and they enjoy driving their motorcycles, being outdoors, and going to NASCAR races.

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Office Staff

Michelle and Darlene are usually the first contacts you will have with our office, whether it is with the first phone call or your first visit in our office. Our business office includes Cindy (who has been with Dr. Gillespie since he started practice). She has extensive training and experience in dealing with insurance and financial arrangements.

Michelle Baber, one of our Office Coordinators, has been with our office since 1992. She has 28 years experience in dentistry, from assisting to working in the front office. Known for her creativity, Michelle enjoys painting and crafts, reading, and spending time with her husband, Jack, and their three cats. A new arrival to Michelle’s life is Chloe, her beautiful, precious, perfect granddaughter! She has plenty of pictures of her, as well as her grand-dogs, Ella, Tucker and Beans!

Darlene Brinson, has the dubious honor of being one of our dental assistants and working up front at the same time! She received her Dental Assisting training in Atlanta, GA. She was born in Detroit, but grew up in Miami, Florida. Darlene has lived in Asheville since 1982 and has three daughters, Amy, Mandy, and Kaitlin. She has been married to Russ for 12 years and enjoys boating at Lake Keowee with her family. She also spends time sewing, gardening, and hanging out with her daughters and Russ. She has worked in the dental field since 1971 except for a brief career change to O.R. Tech from 1979 – 1982.

Cindy Chapman, is a native of Balsam. Our other Office Coordinator, she has an A.S. in Business Administration and is also a Certified Dental Assistant. She has been in the dental field for 20 years. Cindy is an animal lover and gets pleasure out of caring for her three dogs. She attends Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Brevard. Cindy is married to Richard, whom she loves to spend time enjoying the great outdoors and working on unlimited projects around their scenic home.

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