Dr. Zhengyan (Maria) Wang is a board certified pediatric dentist. Treating children and educating them on good long-term oral health habits gives her a sense of pride and accomplishment. She believes it to be a very fulfilling and rewarding profession. Originally from China, Dr. Wang graduated from West China University of Medical Sciences in 1996 with DDS and MS degrees. She continued her education at UNC-Chapel Hill, completing a PhD in Oral Biology combined with a three-year residency program in Pediatric Dentistry Specialty at UNC Dental School. As part of her academic accomplishments, she actively participated in teaching and scientific research, receiving postdoctoral fellowships in Clinical Dental Research and Tissue Engineering and Regeneration. She also served as a full-time faculty member at both UNC and later at University of Michigan.
Dr. Wang cherishes her unique experiences, which helped her to approach clinical situations from a much broader perspective and to practice evidence-based dentistry for the very best interest of patients. Moving back to North Carolina, she obtained her DDS from UNC in 2013 for the NC licensure requirement. Currently, Dr. Wang is a collaborator with faculty at UNC for an NIH-funded research project. Dr. Wang and her husband, who is also a dentist, have two daughters, with whom they enjoy spending time together reading, walking, and traveling.
Li SM, Zou J, Wang Z, Wright JT, Zhang Y. Quantitative assessment of enamel hypomineralization by KaVo DIAGNOdent at different sites on first permanent molars of children in China. Pediatric Dentistry. 2003;25(5):485-90. PMID: 14649613
Wang Z., Leisner-Wilson T. M. and Parise L.V.: Properties of Platelet alpha2beta1 Integrin Activation; Contribution of Ligand internalization and the alpha2 Cytoplasmic Domain. Blood. 2003;102(4):1307-15 PMID: 12738679
Yuan W, Leisner TM, McFadden AW, Wang Z, Larson MK, Clark S, Boudignon-Proudhon C, Lam SC, Parise LV. CIB1 is an endogenous inhibitor of agonist-induced integrin IIb3 activation. Journal of Cell Biology. 2006 Jan 16;172(2):169-75. PMID: 1641853
Wang Z, Heffernan M and Vann WF Jr.. Management of Complicated Crown-Root Fracture of a Young Permanent Incisor Using Intentional Replantation. Journal of Dental Traumatology, , 2008 Feb;24(1):100-3 PMID: 18173676
Wang Z, SP Holly, MK Larson, J Liu, W Yuan, M Chrzanowska-Wodnicka, GC White 2nd, LV Parise. Rap1b is critical for glycoprotein VI-mediated but not ADP receptor-mediated 21 activation. J Thromb Haemost. 2009 Apr;7(4):693-700. PMID: 19192113
Wang Z, Pan J, Wright JT, Bencharit S, Zhang S, Everett ET, Teixeira FB, Preisser JS. Putative stem cells in human dental pulp with irreversible pulpitis: an exploratory study. J Endod. 2010 May;36(5):820-5 PMID: 18173676
Our office uses the most advanced technology to treat your child in the most effective way. We use the award-winning i-CAT 3D FLX Cone Beam Computer Assembled Tomography (CBCT) imagining system to acquire the most diagnostic image with less radiation than the average panoramic or traditional x-ray. The dose from this imaging system is 80-95% less than a medical CT. With an extremely short scan, typically within five seconds, Dr. Wang can obtain enough data for a comprehensive diagnosis for your child with increased comfort.
The type of radiation produced by the i-CAT is no different than that produced by any other x-ray machine. Before the i-CAT was introduced, the typical orthodontic diagnostic workup consisted of a panoramic x-ray, a lateral cephalogram (head film) and various periapical x-rays. One i-CAT scan replaces all of these x-rays with LESS radiation.
There have been many patients who have been made aware of medical issues (not just dental issues) as a result of their children having received a 3D scan: issues that would not have been discovered with traditional x-rays; as you would expect in these cases, the parents were very grateful for this technology.
