(Over the course of the next few weeks, the Lincoln Parish Journal is republishing some of its most memorable stories from the past year … some of our readers favorites).
by Malcolm Butler
Kelsey Stanley remembers the first time she heard her new boss, Trey Hanna, had a military background.
Stanley, who has worked for two decades as a dental assistant at Ruston Smiles – formerly John L Ward, D.D.S. –, jokes now about her reaction.
“I thought ‘Oh man. He is going to make us drop down and give him 20 pushups when things go bad,’” said Stanley.
Fortunately for Stanley and her colleagues, Trey didn’t and hasn’t.
In fact, the faith-driven, compassionate culture that the employees and clients were accustomed to under their former longtime boss, John Ward, has continued under Trey since he bought the practice in 2022.
And it should be no surprise.
Trey’s entire journey to Ruston and to the present day is filled with what he calls “God things.”
Trey, now 34 and the father of three girls, grew up in the small town of Meraux – population around 7,000 – in St. Bernard Parish, just a stone’s throw from the Superdome. And like so many south Louisiana residents, Mother Nature played a hand in his life path.
“The whole fact I’m even in Lincoln Parish is because of Hurricane Katrina,” said Trey, who began the journey north in August of 2005. “I moved here when I was in high school. I wouldn’t be married to the woman I am if not for a crazy event like that. I wouldn’t be here practicing dentistry. I would have never met Dr. (John) Ward.”
Trey remembers the beginning of what he now calls his life.
“I was old enough to remember evacuating at least 12 times for different storms,” said Trey. “I knew (Katrina) was different.
“I remember peeking out of my bedroom two nights before the storm hit, and I could see the way he was looking at the TV. My dad is a guy who never gets rattled or upset. But I could tell by his demeanor and the look on his face … he was shaking his head as he watched. I just knew it was going to be different.”
So, the Hanna’s loaded up the family RV and headed up I-55, originally landing in Vidalia for a week before then traveling further north and to the North Louisiana Exhibition Center for a short stay and eventually Lincoln Parish Park.
Memories are still fresh in his mind.
“I will never forget that apocalyptic image,” said Trey. “We were on the interstate, and everyone was going one direction. People were running out of gas. They were getting so fed up with sitting there.
“They would have to drive off road on the interstate if they wanted to turn around and go back. Once you got on there, everything was going in one direction. I will never forget that.”
As information about the damage in south Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast began to make its way to those who had left before the storm, it soon became evident that going home wasn’t an option.
“First responders we talked to were like, ‘Hey. Ya’ll aren’t coming back,’” said Trey. “People had seen our house, and it had like 30 feet of water. They were like, ‘There is nothing to come back to.’ So, Dad was like, ‘Okay. We will figure it out.’”
Trey’s father worked for State Farm as an insurance adjuster and, fortunately for the family, had the opportunity to continue to work in the same capacity in the Ruston/Monroe area.
Thus, Ruston became home.
After graduating from Ruston High School in 2009, Trey attended Louisiana Tech University where he earned his degree in chemistry. That’s when he met John Ward.
“When I was at Tech, that’s when I shadowed Dr. Ward and figured out dentistry is what I wanted to do,” said Trey.
John Ward remembers the college-age version of Trey Hanna.
“He was very inquisitive,” said Ward. “Most of the college students shadowing me did not stick around for an entire week. That’s one thing I remember about Trey. When he asked, I anticipated him staying a day, maybe two tops. He was there all week. That said something to me.”
As Trey was making the decision to pursue dental school, he also decided to fulfill another dream he had by joining the Army Reserves.
“I knew I wanted to serve and almost joined after high school,” said Trey. “My mom and my grandmother were like,” Trey, you can’t do it (now).’ So, I decided I had time and would do the whole college thing. I knew I would do it after college.
“I went into the military as a reservist. There wasn’t too much required from me while I was in dentistry school. I was in the reserves in dental school and then went active (military) after I graduated. I always wanted to serve.”
The military will pay for dental school (year-for-year) for active service. And with the cost of dental school approaching $300,000, Trey knew it made sense to make the decision that would allow him to fulfill multiple goals.
Upon completion of dental school from LSU-New Orleans in 2017, he enrolled in the Army and began a five-year run in what he calls “the coolest job.”
“Nobody had a cooler job than me in the Army,” said Trey.
He spent his first year with a residency program and then in year No. 2, Trey went to Ft. Bragg in North Carolina where he served as the dentist for the 82nd Airborne Division.
“The unit I was a part of was literally referred to as the 911 number for the President of the United States,” said Trey. “That unit is the first to go into any operation. We trained to be able to deploy on 18-hour notice.”
Twice during his four years in service he received a “Green Corvette” text message, alerting him he would be deploying immediately.
In 2020, he deployed to Bagdad after the United State’s Embassy was overrun and then in 2021 to Afghanistan to assist with the withdrawal of troops.
“When you saw the stuff on the TV with people hanging on the planes … that’s what happens,” said Trey. “When the S hits the fan, you call the 82nd Airborne Division.”
Trey also worked with the Green Beret medics during his time, instructing them on dentistry for their roles in the field.
“When special operations teams deploy, usually it’s a group of a dozen or so guys and each one have a specially designed skillset,” said Trey, whose grandfather served as a medic. “And there are usually one or two guys that are medics, and they do everything (when it comes to healthcare, including dentistry).
“When they go out, they have to take care of themselves and their buddies.”
During his five years in the military, Trey kept in close touch with John Ward. The two had become more than just acquaintances.
So as the timestamp on his service in the Army began coming to a close, Trey had to think about what was next for him, his wife Ashley, and their three daughters: Mara, Lena, and Wren.
He knew he wanted to come back to north Louisiana to be closer to family, both his and his in-laws.
It was during this time and during one of his dinners with John Ward when he broached the subject of returning to Ruston.
“I asked him what he wanted to do when he was finished with his obligation to the military,” said Ward. “He said he wanted to come back to Ruston. I remember telling him I would be happy to help him get started and mentor him through some of the potholes that I stepped in as a young dentist in 1984.
“He said, ‘No sir. You misunderstand. I don’t want you to help me get started. I want to take over your practice.’ To this day, Trey laughs when I tell that story and says, ‘Doc, did I really say that?’”
Trey has a similar version of the story.
“I was deployed until 2020,” said Trey. “When I got back into Ruston, I had dinner with Dr. Ward. I told him that if he ever thought about selling his practice to please holler at me. I knew I was a year or two away from exiting the service.”
Enter, “it really was a God thing.”
Just four months after this meeting, John Ward – who said he had zero plans of selling his practice anytime soon – received a phone all out of the blue.
“He got a call from LSU Dental School asking him to come teach down there,” said Trey. “Even Dr. Ward was scratching his head. It was just a God thing. His timing.”
“That’s when I thought, ‘Wow, this is lining up more God-like than I had anticipated,’” said Ward.
Fast forward to 2025.
John Ward is in his fourth year at the LSU School of Dentistry in New Orleans. Trey Hanna is in his fourth year running Ruston Smiles in Ruston.
“I am so very proud of him,” said Ward. “It’s been an interesting transformation to watch a young man go from a military dentist to a really fine clinician who has a lot to offer a small town like Ruston.”
And most of the staff that worked for Dr. Ward remain at Ruston Smiles working for Trey.
“Trey is very caring,” said Kelsey who worked for both men. “He cares about our patients, and he cares about his employees, and treats us all with respect. He listens to our opinions on different topics.
“He is very understanding when it comes to things involving everyday life. A lot of us have young children, and he is always understanding when life throws us a curve ball.”
And just as importantly, the atmosphere within the practice has remained one that is faith-based. Every morning prior to the workday, the staff at Ruston Smiles gather for prayer.
“That was something we did with Dr. Ward, and Trey has continued that with us,” said Kelsey.
The similarities aren’t by coincidence.
“John (Ward) never met a stranger,” said Trey. “He’s one of those types of guys. His practice reflected that. I have worked hard to maintain that personal experience for our patients.”
Mission accomplished.
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Trey Hanna is a man of many talents.
Dentist by day … chef, musician, competitor by night.
Trey regular plays the drums during the contemporary worship service at Temple Baptist Church, and he even has his own YouTube channel where he – occasionally – will post some of his talents.
“I was inspired to get into music from my mom’s dad, my pappy,” said Trey. “My pappy played drums, and I probably spent as much time at their house in the summers than I did at my own house. Every time I would go over there, he had a drum room. He had an old record player and all these old Elvis Presley records. Rolling Stones. Things like that.
“He would put records on and crank it up and play drums to it. I thought that was the coolest things, so I started doing it. I was probably around 9 or 10. I have never stopped since then. I learned from my pappy. I took lessons, but he was the one who really got me into it.”
He is also pretty talented in the kitchen, where he says his favorite thing to make is gumbo.
“That comes from my grandmother,” said Trey. “I started playing drums because of my pappy and started cooking because of my grandma. When you are a kid, you remember smelling and seeing things. I remember once a week we would go to the seafood shop and pick up some shrimp, sitting there peeling shrimp with my grandma. I remember getting things ready for dinner.
“I always found myself in the kitchen. My brother would go play video games and I would go in the kitchen with Mimi and start cooking. She taught me how to make all the New Orleans style stuff, like red beans and rice. All the Cajun cuisine. I still love it. Honestly the best part of my week is on the weekend when I’m cooking … I will get some headphones in, and I’ve got all my stuff in the kitchen. I’m at peace.”
And somehow, Trey finds the time to stay in shape.
“I spent so much time running in the Army,” said Trey, who is a member at Crossfit Ruston. “You must be able to run to be a paratrooper. You must be light. You must have some strong knees.
“I wasn’t that big of a workout guy until I got into the military community. In special operations, CrossFit is a big thing. A lot of barbell stuff, stripped down-type of workouts.”
He is scheduled to participate in a Hyrox competition in Dallas in November.
“Hyrox started in Europe,” said Trey. “Essentially, the people who started it geared it towards the CrossFit community. It’s not just a race, it’s a method of training. It’s half running and half functional movements. A lot of body weight stuff. It’s meant to be for anyone.
“You can do it by yourself and do the full thing or you can do it with a partner and split up the reps and exercises. You can even do a relay, where four people split up the entire race. That way everyone is doing a quarter of it.”
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Ruston Smiles is located at 106 East Mississippi Avenue in Ruston. Call 318-251-9600 for appointments. Ruston Smiles offers some of the following services:
3D Printed Dentures
3D Printed Night guards
Dental Implants
3D X-rays
Root canals
Cosmetic Bonding
Sedation Dentistry
“We utilize platelet rich plasma (PRP) and platelet rich fibrin (PRF) for some of the basic dental procedures like removing a tooth. We are taking blood from the patients’ arms, we are centrifuging it, separating the white blood cells from the red blood cells. So, if someone has a tooth removed, we will actually take the blood cells and add it into the site. It speeds up healing and fights off infection.” — Trey Hanna
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