Three Generations, One Chair: Wiggins' Stone Dental Clinic Marks More Than Five Decades of Family-Rooted Care

WIGGINS, MS — In a small Mississippi town where a dentist's reputation is built one neighbor at a time, Stone Dental Clinic has spent more than fifty years earning exactly that kind of trust. Founded in 1972 by Dr. Ray Cooley and now guided alongside his daughter, Dr. Rebecca Courtney, the Critz Street practice holds a 97 Dental.me Score and a 4.7-star average across 70 reviews — a reflection of a family dental practice that has never stopped treating Wiggins and Stone County as its own.

A Family Legacy Spanning Three Generations

The Stone Dental story begins not in Wiggins, but in Lucedale, Mississippi, where a young Dr. Ray Cooley trained alongside his own father and mentor, general dentist Dr. La Troy Cooley. After earning his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Emory University in Atlanta in 1969, Dr. Cooley practiced briefly with his father before moving to Wiggins in 1971 and founding Stone Dental the following year. He raised two daughters in the community, including Dr. Rebecca Cooley Courtney, who joined her father's practice in 2004 — bringing the clinic to its third generation of family dentistry. It is a rare lineage in modern dental care: a practice that has been shaped by the same family's hands since Richard Nixon's first term, still seeing patients whose grandparents may have once sat in the same chairs.

Training Built for Breadth and Depth

Dr. Cooley's path through Perkinston Junior College, the University of Southern Mississippi, and Emory University gave him a grounding in general dentistry that he has practiced in Wiggins for more than five decades, all while remaining an active member of the Mississippi Dental Association, the American Dental Association, and the Wiggins Rotary Club, and serving his country as a Captain in the Mississippi National Guard. Dr. Courtney, a Stone High School graduate and Wiggins native, followed a similarly rigorous route: a Bachelor of Science from the University of Southern Mississippi, a Doctor of Dental Medicine from the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry in 2002, and — notably — a postgraduate Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency and a fellowship in Hospital Dentistry at UMMC before she returned home in 2004. That additional hospital-based training, uncommon among general dentists in smaller communities, equips her to manage more complex cases without sending patients far from home. She now serves on the Board of Trustees for the Mississippi Dental Association and is active in the Academy of General Dentistry and the Mississippi Association of Women Dentists.

Comprehensive Care, From Baby Teeth to Botox

Stone Dental's service list reads like a full-spectrum practice built for every stage of life: general dentistry, root canal therapy, composite fillings, digital radiographs, and oral cancer screening sit alongside cosmetic work including porcelain veneers placed with minimal preparation, porcelain crowns, smile makeovers, and in-office whitening. For patients needing to rebuild or replace teeth, the practice offers crown and bridge work, implant restoration, and both removable partial and complete dentures. Children are given particular attention, with a philosophy built around creating a relaxed, fun environment meant to set young patients up for a lifetime of positive dental visits. The practice has also expanded into Invisalign clear aligners and, notably, is the only local provider of JUVÉDERM and Botox treatments in the Wiggins area — a distinction that lets patients address both oral health and facial aesthetics without traveling outside Stone County.

The Patient Experience

Walk into Stone Dental and the comfort is deliberate: a waiting area stocked with a complimentary snack bar, coffee, and water, and seven operatories each equipped with a television, full entertainment choices, weighted blankets, and soothing aromatherapy. It's a set of details that speaks to a broader philosophy the team holds closely. "We have a strong belief in providing state of the art, relationship-based, comprehensive care that is tailored to fit your life and your budget," the practice says — a line that patients' own reviews seem to echo, with accounts of staff who take time with every detail and children who, remarkably, look forward to their next visit. That blend of modern technique and genuine warmth is precisely what a 4.7-star average built on 70 reviews tends to reflect.

Access, Hours, and Community Roots

Stone Dental Clinic keeps a dependable weekday schedule designed for consistent access: Monday through Thursday from 8AM to 5PM, with a shorter Friday session from 9AM to 12PM, and the office closed on weekends so the team can focus fully on the patients it sees during the week. The practice welcomes new patients and accepts most insurance plans, including Medicaid and CHIP, and offers a walk-in consult service for dental emergencies. For a practice rooted in Stone County since 1972, that accessibility is part of the mission — affordable, modern dental care that doesn't require leaving town to find it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Stone Dental Clinic accepting new patients?
Yes. The practice welcomes new patients and provides new patient forms to help streamline the first visit.

What insurance does Stone Dental Clinic accept?
The practice accepts most insurance plans, including Medicaid and CHIP, making care accessible to a wide range of families in Wiggins and Stone County.

What are Stone Dental Clinic's hours?
The office is open Monday through Thursday from 8AM to 5PM and Friday from 9AM to 12PM, and is closed Saturday and Sunday.

What should I do if I have a dental emergency?
Stone Dental Clinic offers a walk-in consult service for emergencies, allowing patients to be seen without a scheduled appointment.

Does Stone Dental Clinic treat children?
Yes. The practice provides dedicated children's dentistry in a relaxed, fun environment designed to build positive dental habits from an early age.

What makes Stone Dental Clinic different from other practices in the area?
It is the only local provider of JUVÉDERM and Botox treatments in the Wiggins area, in addition to offering a full range of general, cosmetic, and restorative dental services.

About Stone Dental Clinic

Stone Dental Clinic has served Wiggins, Mississippi, and Stone County since 1972, when Dr. Ray Cooley founded the practice after training alongside his own father in Lucedale. Today the clinic is carried forward by Dr. Cooley and his daughter, Dr. Rebecca Courtney, a third-generation dentist whose postgraduate training includes an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency and a fellowship in Hospital Dentistry. Holding a 97 Dental.me Score and a 4.7-star average across 70 reviews, Stone Dental Clinic continues to offer general, cosmetic, restorative, and children's dentistry alongside JUVÉDERM and Botox, Wiggins' only local source for those treatments.

For more information about Stone Dental Clinic, visit stonedentalclinic.com.

Verified Dental.me profile: https://dental.me/ms/wiggins/practices/stone-dental-clinic-wiggins-ms/
Wiggins dentists on Dental.me: https://dental.me/ms/wiggins/
Dental.me: https://dental.me/