Words by Jenny Lynn Davis | Images by Al Blanton
Bivona Family Dental has welcomed a new face with familiar ties to Jasper. Dr. Haley Burgess, who officially joined the practice in July, is beginning her career in dentistry in the city where her life began.
“I lived in Jasper for the first four years of my life,” she says. “I have a twin sister, Lauren, and we were known as the little babies around town. My dad was a basketball coach, so a lot of people here remembered us.”
Though her family moved to Georgia when she was young, Haley says the small-town atmosphere of Dawsonville, where she graduated high school in 2016, always reminded her of Jasper. She went on to study biological science at the University of Georgia and earned her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree at the Dental College of Georgia in spring 2025.
After being waitlisted for her first dental school application cycle, she began working as a dental assistant and quickly realized how much she still had to learn. “I was Googling words and watching YouTube videos just to keep up,” she recalls. Then, during her lunch break one day, she got the call: she was off the waitlist. “Less than a month later, I started dental school. Looking back, I can see how everything happened for a reason.”
Haley credits her fiancé, Brody, with helping her through the intensity of dental school. “It’s 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, with multiple tests, quizzes, and practicals each week. It was hard to step away from school mentally, but having him there gave me balance.”
She also leaned on her siblings for inspiration. Shadowing her older sister, Dr. Brittany Westerman, opened her eyes to what dentistry could mean for patients. “I’d never had cavities, only cleanings, so my first day with her was eye-opening. She did a full mouth extraction, and I almost fainted. But seeing her capability, knowledge, and the patient’s gratitude was amazing. Dentistry often gives patients immediate results, and that’s what I love most.”
When Haley and Brody moved back to Jasper in May, she spent two months working on their new house while waiting for her license and credentials before officially starting at Bivona Family Dental on July 21. “It was a huge adjustment,” she says. “In dental school, you might see four patients in a whole day, but here you could walk into six rooms in one hour. It was overwhelming at first, but I’m much more comfortable with the pacing now.”
The transition has been made easier by the mentorship of her colleagues. “The most rewarding part is having Brittany (Westerman) and Jacob (Bivona) as mentors. Ansley (Allen), too, since I work at Once Upon a Smile Pediatrics on Wednesdays. Having three mentors is such a blessing. Their perspectives have helped me grow and find my own style.”
While Haley enjoys the variety of general dentistry, she admits she’s especially drawn to root canals. “I’m a clean freak, so I love the process of going into a tooth and cleaning it out. It’s straightforward and satisfying. I’d like to pursue continuing education courses and maybe even specialize in endodontics one day.”
In the long term, she hopes to establish herself as a trusted professional in her own right. “Family connections are wonderful, but I want to be recognized as Dr. Burgess, not just Dr. Westerman’s little sister,” she says. “I’d love to use this mentorship as a foundation to grow my own practice one day.” WL
