By LISA WARREN

Staff Writer

For nearly four decades, Dr. Joe Henley has worked faithfully to put crooked teeth on the straight and narrow path.

Earlier this summer, however, the long-time Greeneville orthodontist set aside his dental instruments and "braced" for a new realm in his life - retirement.

The move, he said, is a bit bittersweet. While he is definitely enjoying additional time with his family, especially his grandchildren, Dr. Henley said he will greatly miss his young patients and staff.

"Actually, I miss them already," he said during an interview last week with The Greeneville Sun.

"When I made this decision to retire, I overlooked the fact how much I love my patients and how much they, and my staff, mean to me," he said.

"I've had one person who has worked for me for 35 years, another for 25 years, and another for 15 years. They are like family to me," he said.

During his long practice in Greeneville, the orthodontist has seen thousands of patients, possibly up to 10,000, he said.

"I never kept track of the total number of patients," he said. "But in 38 years in Greeneville, I have seen a lot."

In some cases, the orthodontist has treated not just one or two generations from a single family - but three.

"I've had patients where I've also treated their parents and, a few times, even their grandparents," he said.

"I haven't seen any of my patients' great-grandchildren yet, though," he added with a laugh.

In addition to Greene County patients, Dr. Henley said he also regularly saw patients from Washington, Cocke and Hamblen counties at his practice.

His work, he said, is something that he enjoyed thoroughly. "I can't imagine doing anything other than what I have done," he said.

"Every case is different," the orthodontist explained. "It's like a puzzle, and you figure out how to do it. It's fun."

Dr. Henley was a freshman at Greeneville High School when he decided that he wanted to become a dentist.

He had an uncle who was a dentist and another who was a physician. However, it was the encouragement from the late Dr. Clyde McGuffin, a long-time Greeneville dentist and civic leader, who greatly pointed him toward a dental career.

"He was a big influence on me," Dr. Henley said. "I think he would be proud."

After being graduated from Greeneville High School in 1960, Dr. Henley received his D.D.S. degree from the University of Tennessee's College of Dentistry in 1966.

Immediately following graduation, he served two years with the U.S. Air Force, and then returned UT's College of Dentisty to obtain his master's degree in orthodontics.

Upon finishing graduate school in 1970, Dr. Henley joined a private dental practice in Kingsport, which also had a satellite office in his hometown of Greeneville.

Two years later, he opened his own private orthodontics practice in Greeneville - where he remained until his retirement on June 30 of this year.

During his career, Dr. Henley served as president of the Tennessee Dental Association (TDA) in 2004-05. He had previously served on the TDA board of trustees for six years as the representative of the First District Dental Society.

In addition to his service with the TDA, Dr. Henley has also served as president of the First District Dental Society, president of the Tennessee Association of Orthodontists, and president of the Greene County Dental Society.

Locally, he is also a former chairman of the board of directors of the Laughlin Health Care Foundation, the philathropic arm of Laughlin Memorial Hospital.

On Aug. 2, around 70 of Dr. Henley's dental colleagues, friends and relatives gathered at Link Hills Country Club to honor him and his many career achievements.

While he certainly expressed his appreciation in being honored at the event, this humble dentist said he didn't understand all of the fuss.

"I didn't need all of that," he said.

He was especially grateful to the work by Lisa Covington, a dental hygienist with Dr. Kevin Hartman's practice, who helped to organize the event, as well as to the Food City Floral Department for the beautiful flower arrangement in memory of his late daughter, Wynne Henley, who died expectedly in 2000 from a heart condition.

Wynne was the eldest of Dr. Henley's four children.

His son, Todd, lives in Asheville.

His daughter, Kendall Stinnett, and her husband, Bart, live in Seymour with their baby, Nash, age nine months.

His daughter, Erin Campbell, and her husband, Josh, live in Mt. Pleasant, Tenn., with their two children, Kyle and Reece.

Dr. Henley praised the dentist, Dr. Ben Haws, who purchased his orthodontic practice, calling him "a very smart guy."

Dr. Haws joined Dr. Henley's practice earlier this year and began seeing patients on Jan. 2.

A native of Jonesborough, Dr. Haws is a third generation dentist. His father, Dr. Mike Haws, is a general dentist in Jonesborough. His grandfather is the late Dr. Opie Haws, who practiced dentistry in Jonesborough from 1952 until he retired in 1986.

Dr. Haws is a graduate of University High School in Johnson City. He received his undergraduate degree in 2001 from East Tennessee State University.

His dental school training was completed in 2005 at the University of Tennessee Dental School in Memphis.

Dr. Haws completed his dental residency at Louisiana State University.