Dr. Daher's "Fresh Smile" Expand
December 23rd, 2010 06:36 AM
With a passion to create beauty and improve function, Dr. Sam Daher, 40, has found his calling in Orthodontics. His dedication to excellence shows in both his personal life and the results he achieves for his patients. After working mostly with adult patients in his downtown Vancouver practice, he has recently opened another office in Ambleside, where he's looking forward to creating fresh smiles for families in that area. Working with him is Dr. Frank Lo.
“There are several very good and skilled orthodontists on the North Shore,” Dr. Daher notes. “We think another practice will help serve this area, especially since we are an Invisalign provider.” An alternative to metal braces, Invisalign uses a series of clear plastic aligners or "trays" to gradually straighten teeth. The aligners are virtually invisible, giving the teeth a subtle shine, and are changed every two to three weeks. Fresh Smile Orthodontics has become one of only two Elite premier providers of this patented technology in Canada and North America.
Originally from Montréal, Dr. Daher along with his wife Nadia and children Adam and Maya chose to live in Vancouver after traveling through the city on their way to visit friends and family in Seattle and Portland. With his home in West Vancouver and Adam and Maya attending North Shore schools, Dr. Daher has chosen to expand his practice and establish this North Shore office.
After overcoming a fear of dentists as a youth, Dr. Daher chose a career as an orthodontist. Orthodontics is a specialty of dentistry focusing on the prevention and treatment of malocclusion (when the jaws and/or the teeth are misaligned or too big or small).
The new office in Ambleside combines form and function beautifully. Not only is the décor as avant-garde and cutting edge as the techniques used, it’s also a completely paperless office. All records are computerized and even the x-ray machine takes digital pictures and gives off 80% less radiation than the old film-based units. “For esthetic results,” he says, “it just makes sense to use esthetic means.”
Dr. Daher also works closely with a range of dental professionals, and hosts a study club for local dentists to present topics and discuss difficult cases. “Dentists and their team want to understand how specialists can help serve their patients’ needs and how orthodontists fit within the full range of dental treatment. For example, many patients may benefit from veneers, but their teeth need to be straightened first, and before straightening, any cavities should be filled.”
Orthodontists must attend university and complete a four-year graduate program at an accredited dental school, then complete an additional three-year residency training program for advanced educations and specialty in orthodontics. While some general (family) dentists perform simple orthodontics in their practice, orthodontists are certified specialists in the field and limit their practice to this discipline, similar to the specialists in any field in medicine. After studying dentistry at McGill University, Dr. Daher completed his specialty training at the French-language Université de Montreal, where he was on the Dean’s honor list and where he went on to teach as a faculty scholar. “I wrote my thesis (on major congenital malocclusion such as cleft palette) in English, but defended it in French.”
Most of Dr. Daher’s adult patients are eager to let him know how their improved smiles have helped give them an increased zest for life. “There’s a domino effect,” he says. “When you’re more confident because of your new smile, other people reflect that back to you, which makes you even more confident. Younger patients don’t usually tell me about how the improvements have helped them, but their parents often inform us of the positive impact their new smile as made. Their kids are smiling more, and are more socially active.”
For Dr. Daher, it’s a happy business. “We meet so many people of all ages, and see them every six to eight weeks over a couple of years, so I get involved and get to know my patients.” He’s also involved in the community, with Fresh Smile Orthodontics funding a number of scholarships for high schools on the North Shore. As this magazine goes to press, Dr. Daher and his family are expecting a third child with hopes to contribute more to the community in the upcoming years.
Copyright North Shore Magazine Issue Oct - Nov 07
“There are several very good and skilled orthodontists on the North Shore,” Dr. Daher notes. “We think another practice will help serve this area, especially since we are an Invisalign provider.” An alternative to metal braces, Invisalign uses a series of clear plastic aligners or "trays" to gradually straighten teeth. The aligners are virtually invisible, giving the teeth a subtle shine, and are changed every two to three weeks. Fresh Smile Orthodontics has become one of only two Elite premier providers of this patented technology in Canada and North America.
Originally from Montréal, Dr. Daher along with his wife Nadia and children Adam and Maya chose to live in Vancouver after traveling through the city on their way to visit friends and family in Seattle and Portland. With his home in West Vancouver and Adam and Maya attending North Shore schools, Dr. Daher has chosen to expand his practice and establish this North Shore office.
After overcoming a fear of dentists as a youth, Dr. Daher chose a career as an orthodontist. Orthodontics is a specialty of dentistry focusing on the prevention and treatment of malocclusion (when the jaws and/or the teeth are misaligned or too big or small).
The new office in Ambleside combines form and function beautifully. Not only is the décor as avant-garde and cutting edge as the techniques used, it’s also a completely paperless office. All records are computerized and even the x-ray machine takes digital pictures and gives off 80% less radiation than the old film-based units. “For esthetic results,” he says, “it just makes sense to use esthetic means.”
Dr. Daher also works closely with a range of dental professionals, and hosts a study club for local dentists to present topics and discuss difficult cases. “Dentists and their team want to understand how specialists can help serve their patients’ needs and how orthodontists fit within the full range of dental treatment. For example, many patients may benefit from veneers, but their teeth need to be straightened first, and before straightening, any cavities should be filled.”
Orthodontists must attend university and complete a four-year graduate program at an accredited dental school, then complete an additional three-year residency training program for advanced educations and specialty in orthodontics. While some general (family) dentists perform simple orthodontics in their practice, orthodontists are certified specialists in the field and limit their practice to this discipline, similar to the specialists in any field in medicine. After studying dentistry at McGill University, Dr. Daher completed his specialty training at the French-language Université de Montreal, where he was on the Dean’s honor list and where he went on to teach as a faculty scholar. “I wrote my thesis (on major congenital malocclusion such as cleft palette) in English, but defended it in French.”
Most of Dr. Daher’s adult patients are eager to let him know how their improved smiles have helped give them an increased zest for life. “There’s a domino effect,” he says. “When you’re more confident because of your new smile, other people reflect that back to you, which makes you even more confident. Younger patients don’t usually tell me about how the improvements have helped them, but their parents often inform us of the positive impact their new smile as made. Their kids are smiling more, and are more socially active.”
For Dr. Daher, it’s a happy business. “We meet so many people of all ages, and see them every six to eight weeks over a couple of years, so I get involved and get to know my patients.” He’s also involved in the community, with Fresh Smile Orthodontics funding a number of scholarships for high schools on the North Shore. As this magazine goes to press, Dr. Daher and his family are expecting a third child with hopes to contribute more to the community in the upcoming years.
Copyright North Shore Magazine Issue Oct - Nov 07
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