Dr. Barry Applegate joked that he ended up on Greenup Street because he is from Greenup County.
His dentist’s office has been a fixture in Covington since his practice opened in 1993. As his business evolved, so too did the needs of the space it was operating in.
After nearly 30 years, the Applegate is renovating the space next door — decking it out with state-of-the-art dental technology he hopes can take his practice to the next level. The address, 322 Greenup St., is the former home of CoCo’s, a shuttered Covington bar. Applegate’s practice currently operates out of 324 Greenup.
“What I didn’t know is that the foundation was bad, the walls were bad, the roof was bad,” Applegate said about the building his practice is moving into. “Almost the whole thing had to go.”
Applegate Dentistry’s new space will be filled with technologies that can meet the sensibilities of a modern dentist. The construction company in charge of the project is North Shore Construction & Development Services out of Cincinnati.
“Everything in this new building is good,” Applegate said. “I’ve been in that building where everything was bad for so long, it’s great to be surrounded by new.”
Upon entrance into the new office, patients will be greeted with a coffee bar and assortment of other drinks. Aesthetic elements of the old building, such as the long hallway which was previously an outside alleyway, were preserved.
The brick façade formerly featured slots for windows and doors that are now sections for offices and screening areas. On the other side of the long hall are multiple bays with brand new dental chairs and equipment.
“With the dental equipment, we really have state-of-the-art equipment,” Applegate said. “It’s all new. I worked with some older stuff for a while and it worked great and we do great work. But when it comes down to it, this is a great patient experience. The employees are going to love being here too.”
Each bay includes an x-ray machine so patients won’t have be transported away from their initial treatment room. Applegate’s practice has upgraded from a 2D x-ray machine to a 3D x-ray machine, something Applegate refers to as “a big deal in dentistry.”
Applegate said the office will have a diverse array of lasers — some used for medical purposes and others for cosmetic purposes.
“It’s so new I don’t have it on my website yet, but I have a laser that is amazing for treating snoring,” Applegate said.
Next door, Applegate plans on transforming his former office space into a med-spa which feature amenities such as chemical peels, facials and platelet-rich plasma treatments.
“We have this really amazing doctor who is going to partner with us to do some of the med-spa stuff too,” Applegate said. “Looking forward, we want to incorporate a lot of aesthetic things that go along with dentistry.”
Upstairs, the practice will have a “family room” that will feature a fully stocked drink fridge and large televisions. Patients will be treated to a second-story view of downtown Covington.
“I figured in a building like this, we should have to have some fun space for the staff and patients who are waiting,” Applegate said.
Once Applegate moves into the renovated space, he plans to maintain his current number of staff as they acclimate. After the acclimation period, Applegate plans to add to his staff.
