After years without a practitioner, the Sainte-Croix-Volvestre health center will welcome two dental surgeons from January 5, 2026, a major step forward for access to dental care in rural areas.
This is long-awaited news for the residents of Sainte-Croix-Volvestre and surrounding communities. From January 5, 2026, two dental surgeons will work at the village health center, which until now had no dentist. An arrival which marks an important step for access to care in this rural area. The practitioners, Dr. Marine Bareilles and Dr. Rudy Arné, both graduated from the faculty of dental surgery in Toulouse in 2022 and until now worked in a private practice.
Their installation in Sainte-Croix-Volvestre is not the result of chance. “We both come from the countryside,” emphasizes Dr. Arné, originally from the Hautes-Pyrénées. The two practitioners live nearby and previously practiced further away. “It was an opportunity to get closer to home,” he adds. Dr Bareilles, for her part, knows the sector well: “I have always lived around Cazères and Mondavezan and I have family in Sainte-Croix-Volvestre. »
“A complete care pathway”
The two dentists chose to practice within the health center rather than in a traditional private practice. “Here, we are a multidisciplinary team,” explains Dr. Bareilles. “We can rely on doctors and nurses to offer patients a complete care pathway. » A point of view shared by Dr Arné: “It’s always nicer to practice with others! »
Patients will be able to benefit from a wide range of dental care: routine care such as scaling and cavities, fixed or removable prostheses, dental implants, devitalization, periodontics and even pedodontics. Dr Arné specifies that he is oriented towards surgery and implantology.
The office will also be equipped with all the latest equipment. “In particular, we have a scanner, which will save patients from having to travel to the radiology center, and an operating microscope for complex procedures,” specifies Dr. Arné.
“All patients are welcome”
To make an appointment with the two new dental surgeons, an email address is provided for patients. “An answering machine will explain to patients what to do,” explains Dr. Bareilles. The office will be open alternately four and five days a week, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a break between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. There will be no walk-in consultations, including for emergencies. “But we block two slots every day for emergencies,” reassures Dr. Arné. “The patient will send us an email and receive a quick response. »
Agreed, the two dental surgeons will apply the Complementary Health Solidarity rates for the patients concerned. In a department which has only around a hundred dental surgeons, the needs are significant. “There is a high proportion of elderly people, but the needs are mainly general,” underlines Dr Arné, recalling the shortage of professionals in Ariège.
Both practitioners want to be realistic about the challenges ahead. “Treat as many people as possible”, summarizes Dr Bareilles. Their objective is clear: “That everything goes well, that patients are satisfied and that we can practice peacefully and qualitatively,” concludes Dr. Arné. A simple message to conclude, addressed to the inhabitants of Sainte-Croix-Volvestre and the surrounding areas: “All patients are welcome. »
