Hi! I’m Doc Ak and I love being an orthodontist.
Smile-Enhancer, Physics nerd, Puzzle solver, Game changer: Some of the many hats that my profession enables me to wear on a daily basis. My love for orthodontics stems from the idea that I get to help my patients on an individual and often life-changing level. The transformation that I am privileged to witness in my patients is absolutely incredible: from their first visit where we get to talk about all their smile-related what ifs, through each visit where I get to view their confidence grow, to the day when the braces come off and I get to see my patients look at their ‘new’ smiles in the mirror for the first time, often with tears in their eyes. And I get to do that each and every single day, multiple times a day. Lucky doesn’t begin to describe what I feel.It means a whole lot to me that my patients trust me with their smiles and I take great pride in offering the highest quality of care using cutting-edge techniques while building strong, personal relationships. It’s a responsibility I take very seriously. It’s where the dedicated, hard working, professional in me meets the kind, caring, down-to-earth, all around do-gooder. It’s where I am my best and the happiest. And it’s why I wake up every morning feeling honored and privileged to have the opportunity to help create a beautiful smile for each of my patients.
How I became an orthodontist:
It was a long and hard process. But, I wouldn’t change it for anything. My first experience with orthodontics was at the age of 11 when I started treatment with Dr. Stewart in Bowie, MD, who would later become my first boss out of graduate school. That’s right! I ended up being an orthodontist in the very practice in which I got my braces! How cool is that? But, before that happened, I completed my Bachelors of Science in Neurobiology and Physiology at the University of Maryland in 1998. While in college, I was an orthodontic assistant and that experience solidified my decision to go to dental school and then specialize in Orthodontics. I obtained my Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the University of Maryland in 2003 and continued my post-doctorate dental education there with an additional three-year residency in the Department of Orthodontics where I earned a Master of Science degree in Orthodontics in 2006, graduating at the top of my class. My momma was proud! Between 2006 and today, I have had the privilege of working with some amazing people and the honor of helping thousands of people in Maryland, Virginia, California and Texas obtain their dream smiles.Being an affiliate of the American Association of Orthodontics, American Dental Association, Southwest Society of Orthodontics and the Texas Dental Association, I am regularly in contact with some of the greatest living minds of Orthodontics and Dentistry. Several times a year, our team, the SmileOntourage and I attend national orthodontic meetings and continuing education courses to hear the top speakers teach the latest technologies, treatment methods, and ways to improve each patient’s experience. When you win, we win! When you smile, we smile!
What I do outside of the office:
When I am not enhancing smiles, nerding over physics, solving teeth puzzles or changing the game for my patients, I’m a husband to my love, Sej, and a daddy to my super fun kids, Shehnai and Jahaan and dog, BlackJack. On occasion, you might bump into me in 1890 Ranch or HEB running errands with my family, jogging on one of Cedar Park’s gorgeous trails, hiking off of FM620, eating an Independent taco at Torchy’s or perhaps paddleboarding near Zilker. We love being out and about and we love meeting new people!