Meet the Team
Dr. John D. Laughlin III, DDS
After graduating in 1972 from Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, Dr. Laughlin joined the U.S. Air Force. He served as a captain in the dental division of Scott Air Force base, moving with his wife and newborn son near St. Louis, Missouri. After serving in the Air Force his family of four, soon to be five, moved to Pierce County in Wisconsin, where he still resides. Shortly after moving to the area, Dr. Laughlin’s dental practice gradually evolved from traditional dentistry into a more holistic philosophy. During his first five years of private practice in Ellsworth, WI, he came to believe that there was more to dentistry than what he had been taught.
Dr. Laughlin began a path of continuing education that has taken him through advanced training in TMJ therapy, orthopedic orthodontics, cranial sacral therapy, bodywork / massage, nutrition, pain management, safe amalgam removal, biological /environmental dentistry, and more. He is still on that path of continuing education and learns more all the time, spending 200 – 300 hours in class every year. Dr. Laughlin has published original material in article and textbook formats, as well as created education materials for doctors and patients. Caring for his patients and helping them reach their health goals is what drives Dr. Laughlin every day.
Dr. Angie Barsness, DDS
Dr. Angie Barsness grew up in River Falls and earned a degree in Biology and Chemistry from UW-River Falls in 2007. After graduating from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 2011, she passionately committed herself to public health, providing oral healthcare and education to underserved children in the Twin Cities area. She went on to practice in a group setting for several years, gaining experience and ultimately realizing that she can provide more for patients with a holistic, patient-centered approach. She understands how intimately the mouth is connected to the rest of the body and enjoys helping patients get to the root cause of their symptoms. She is a lifelong learner and nature/health/movement enthusiast.
Dr. Barsness has a special focus on identifying soft tissue dysfunction as early as possible and guiding growth through conservative measures such as diet/lifestyle modification, myofunctional/postural therapy, and gentle lightwire therapy, thereby optimizing airway health. Aside from dentistry, Dr. Barsness enjoys country-living with her husband, two children, miniature donkeys and chickens. She is very grateful to be part of a team at Health Centered Dentistry who shares her philosophy of care in a community close to her heart and roots.
Jarica - Dental Hygienist
Jarica graduated from Lake Superior College-Duluth with an Associate in Applied Science-Dental Hygiene. She moved back home to Western Wisconsin where she started her career and a family. She is married with two energetic boys, two dogs and two cats. When she isn’t at work she enjoys gardening, camping, skiing, spending time with family and watching her two boys play baseball, football and basketball.
Jarica has a passion to continue learning through patients, her children, and her coworkers. She has learned through her own children’s experiences how important airway health can be and this fueled her passion for learning. She completed her Myofunctional Therapy certification in January 2023. Jarica brings over 10 years of hygiene experience with her and will also be working with patients in myofunctional therapy.
Haily - Dental Hygienist
Haily is originally from North Central Wisconsin and graduated with an associate’s degree in applied science from the Great Falls Dental Hygiene Program in Great Falls, Montana. In and out of high school, she did some dental assisting and knew the dental field was meant for her.
She and her husband enjoy learning about holistic health and how their health is affected with the whole-body approach. An exciting aspect to Haily is knowing education in holistic health never ends, whether that is ongoing education and research or all there is to learn from our amazing patients.
