Deirdre Maull
Deirdre Maull Orthodontics
Practicing in: Fairfax
Number of years practicing: 20
Education: Doctorate of Dental Medicine, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine; M.S., University of Alabama at Birmingham; surgical orthodontic fellowship at the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery at the NYU Medical Center
Professional Extracurriculars: “I am a member of the Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Craniofacial Program, which is a multi-specialty team dedicated to treating children born with facial differences. As a part of the team, I perform nasoalveolar molding (NAM) on infants born with cleft lip and palate before their first surgery at 3 months of age.”
Favorite memory of helping a patient?
“I have many great memories. I recently had one of my babies (I provided NAM when he was an infant) go off to college. I remember holding him as a newborn and it doesn’t seem all that long ago. I tried to be stoic but it was hard fighting back tears when he left. You would never know how much he has been through with all of his surgeries. He is an amazing kid and I am so incredibly proud of the young man he has grown into.”
This post originally appeared in our November 2019 issue. Want similar content? Subscribe to our e-newsletters.
Snehal R. Patel
Lorton Springfield Dental Implant & Oral Surgery
Practicing in: Lorton and Springfield
Number of years practicing: 12
Education: Doctorate of Dental Surgery, Columbia Dental School; M.D. (oral and maxillofacial surgery), Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center
Professional Extracurriculars: During his medical training, Dr. Patel participated with Healing the Children, an organization that treats children with cleft lips and palates, in countries including Colombia and Ecuador.
Favorite memory of helping a patient?
“We performed a full mouth rehabilitation with dental implants and hybrid denture. It completely changed the patient’s appearance and restored their function and personality, and was the most rewarding experience in my professional life.”
Top tip for healthy teeth?
“Practice basic dental care of brushing teeth and flossing, and see a dentist regularly.”
Melanie Wilson Hartman
Gyuricza & Hartman Family and Cosmetic Dentistry
Practicing in: Burke
Number of years practicing: 18
Education: Doctorate of Dental Surgery, University of Alabama School of Dentistry
Professional Extracurriculars: “My membership in the American Dental Association and Virginia Dental Association led me to service with our local component, the Northern Virginia Dental Society, where I’m about to conclude my year-long term as its president. Prior to this year, I also enjoyed serving on the Society’s Patient Relations and Peer Review Committees, and I’ve recently been elected to the board of the Virginia Dental Services Corporation.”
What do you love about being a dentist?
“I truly enjoy helping people and consider it an honor that our patients and their families entrust me with their dental care. I and my entire team work hard to create a family atmosphere in our practice, and it’s not at all uncommon for us to have multigenerational relationships with our patients.”
Top tip for healthy teeth?
“The most important thing patients can do at home is to follow a good, consistent daily oral hygiene routine. We recommend using an electric toothbrush twice a day for two-minute sessions, using a fluoride toothpaste, and flossing once a day.”
A. Garrett Gouldin
Northern Virginia Periodontics
Practicing in: Falls Church
Number of years practicing: 25
Education: Doctorate of Dental Surgery, Medical College of Virginia Dental School (Richmond); Periodontal certification and M.S., University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Professional Extracurriculars: “We strive to stay at the cutting edge of the research and technology in periodontics and dental implantology, and we lead three separate study clubs out of our Northern Virginia Periodontics Center for Education in downtown Falls Church to share knowledge and to learn from our fellow dentists and their dental hygienists and other team members.”
What does a periodontist do?
“A periodontist treats the diseases that affect the supporting structures of the teeth—the gums, jawbone and the ligament that connects the teeth roots to the jawbone. We also are the most highly trained dental specialists in the placement and upkeep of dental implants.”
What do you love about being a periodontist?
“Far and away, my favorite aspect of dentistry is the opportunity to meet, and to get to intimately know, literally tens of thousands of fascinating human beings—our patients. To have access to the wisdom and life experience of so many wonderful people, from so many walks of life, is without a doubt the blessing of this vocation.”
Top tip for healthy teeth?
“Without plaque, the sticky film that builds up on your teeth and contains millions of bacteria, there would be no tooth decay and no periodontal disease. Therefore, the most important thing patients can do for their dental health is to become gold medal Olympians of daily, mechanical plaque removal.”
Lynda Dean-Duru
Ashburn Children’s Dentistry
Location: Ashburn
Number of years practicing: more than 20
Education: Doctorate of Dental Surgery, University of Benin (Nigeria); General Practice Residency Certificate, Howard University Hospital; Pediatric Dentistry Specialty Training, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC
Professional Extracurriculars: As the first pediatric dental practice in NoVA to use laser dentistry for all dental procedures, Dr. Dean-Duru has completed levels one and two of the Advance Light Force (ALF) therapy through the ALF InterFACE Academy.
What sets your practice apart?
“We practice integrative functional holistic pediatric dentistry, or IFHP, which is the concept of whole body and total wellness. In layman’s terms, we look to see why a child has dental problems, by looking at how their jaws, tongue and orofacial muscles affect their speech, sleep, concentration, behavior, bed-wetting and other health problems related to the nervous system, brain and whole body health.”
What do you love about being a pediatric dentist?
“The honor and privilege of helping a child grow healthier is my chief motivator. Their oral health affects their self-esteem and how they interact with others more than people realize.”
Top tip for healthy teeth?
“Have tongue-tie, lip-tie and sleep and airways examined properly, but, by far, the most important is to see your dentist every three to six months.”
