Dr. Best was born and raised in snowy Buffalo, NY (if youve been there, we dare you to ask her about Wegmans, the grocery store she will talk for hours). After graduating valedictorian from her high school, she attended Princeton University, where she spent a semester studying abroad in Madrid, Spain and ultimately earned her Bachelor of the Arts in Spanish Language and Culture. (In other words, she speaks Spanish!) Upon graduation, she was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society, an honor reserved for the top 10% of the graduating class. Dr. Best then received her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree (D.M.D.) from the University of Florida, graduating first in her class and earning membership in the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Society. Finally, her educational career brought her to Virginia Commonwealth University, one of the most sought after residencies in the country, where she received her Master of Science in Dentistry and Certificate in Orthodontics.
Dr. Best decided to become an orthodontist (and an astronaut/music teacher on the weekends) when she was in first grade and damaged her front teeth jumping on the bed, necessitating her extensive journey with braces and Invisalign. The confidence boost she felt when she was finally proud of her smile solidified her desire to bring the same positive changes to others.
Dr. Best married her college sweetheart, Brendan, between dental school and residency. Dr. Best and Brendan brought home their first child, their cat Tiger, a few weeks later, and they welcomed their first human child, Arabella Evelyn Mahon, in April 2020! Outside of the office, Dr. Best enjoys running, cycling, skiing, trivia, traveling, and eating at new restaurants. Shes completed about 20 half and full marathons, and a few triathlons too. Shes also completed many gallons of ice cream, because thats her favorite food.
Marie is our office manager extraordinaire. She is the queen of organization and nothing gets left undone at the end of a workday or she wont sleep that night. Marie has 3 gorgeous children, and if she had her way, she and her husband would happily live off the grid on a farm. But first shed have to meet Dave Ramsey and have the ability to shop online daily. Marie is always hustling, but youll never see her without a smile or missing a day of work. Dr. Best will have to kick her out to take a vacation day.
Tennille is the most fabulous treatment coordinator in town. She has the best head of hair south of the Mason-Dixon! Tennille has two gorgeous daughters and will take on a good challenge any day. If you need someone to keep your kids tamed while in the office, Tennille is your girl! When shes not on the golf course, at the gym or traveling, she spends her days helping people start their smile journeys!
Susan brings over 23 years of orthodontic knowledge and experience to us. Shes a hometown girl and a social butterfly who has never met a stranger. While in her chair she may find out she knows someone in your family or youre someone she went to school with (we have a lot of patients who did). She and her husband Chris have 3 outgoing children Shelby, Emma Rae, and Tucker. In her free time, you can find her on their boat on the lake, at a cheer or dance competition, or at the football field. She has an amazing lab Buck who is her fourth child. If Michael McDonald or Doobie Brothers are in town, she will be the first in line!!
Stacey is a stellar orthodontic assistant with almost 10 years of experience. She and her husband Joe have two awesome kids, Tabby and Jesse, 3 grandkids (with one on the way), a ferret, and a billion cats- literally. If you are ever in need of a cat, Stacey is your girl- she will get you one. Dont be offended if she pronounces your name wrong because she likely will. Also, she may yell for Dr. Best really loudly when Dr. Best is right behind her, and you may catch her dancing by herself waiting for Dr. Best to come to your chair. In other words, shes always up for a good time!
Amy comes to Best Orthodontics with 22 years of dental experience. She and her husband Chris have 2 daughters, Caylie and Taylor. When not in the office with her work family, you can find her and her family on the softball field, the beach, or doing chores on the farm where they have horses, a dog, cows, and a miniature donkey. We vote that she has the most country accent around!
Megan has been an orthodontic assistant for 11 years. When not working on patients, she is organizing and cleaning around the office. She and her husband Vincent have one daughter, Madison, and a new baby boy named Carver! If you have an emergency after hours, she will be to your rescue. You can find her on the weekends camping, on the lake, or enjoying her goats, dog, and cat. The only vegetable she will eat is green beans!
Hoda, pronounced just like soda (which you shouldnt really be drinking but it is so good!), is the person responsible for taking your photos/x-rays and making you feel less nervous than you were before arriving. Shes very kind-hearted and loves to help her fellow team members. Right before someone can clean their station, she sneaks in just like Sir Emilio in Mr. Deeds and helps them out. Now thats sneaky!
Whitney is the scheduling coordinator (or front desk receptionist or whatever my official role is titled). She is new to the orthodontic field and is excited for the career change! When shes not at work, you can almost always find her with her nose in a book and a cup of coffee in hand. She loves to hike, hang out with her nieces and nephews, and will nerd out about basically anything (especially Harry Potter!).
She is one of our amazing orthodontic assistants with 15 years of experience. Heather is married to her high school sweetheartawwwwand has one beautiful daughter, Albree. Heather is a go with the flow kind of gal and the best bargain shopper on the planetliterally. She is always willing to help ANYONE, and we are beyond thankful to have her on our team. Fun Fact: Heathers hair is naturally blonde and has never had a drop of dyeing it. Thatis kind of rare these days!!!
Brendan is Dr. Bests fun-loving, genius husband who programs our awesome website, fixes the IT stuff Dr. Best has no patience for, gives business advice, and provides fun games around the office. He is a Jeopardy pro (hes gotten call-backs for the show twice!), obsessed with chess, loves a good cat video, and really wants to get good at surfing. When hes not working his full time job at Dimensional Fund Advisors, you may see him bouncing around the office helping out.
Arabella (aka Bella) is the Best Orthodontics mascot. She is Dr. Bests and Brendans daughter, and just the cutest, funniest, most tenacious little girl youve ever met. Arabella loves traveling, exploring, walking, peek-a-boo, touching everything shes not supposed to, and eating. Shes learning English and Spanish right now, so if you have a Spanish vocab test coming up, feel free to practice with her! Shes also training to be an orthodontist; she just doesnt know it yet