Doctor Spotlight: Dr. Hedy Akhlaghi of Aarm Dental Group on Hornby
Dr. Hedy Akhlaghi graduated from the University of Manitoba Faculty of Dentistry with a DMD degree in 2010. Before joining the Aarm family in Jan 2018 she worked at Elgin Dental Group in Port Coquitlam for 6 years while also working part-time at UBC with Geriatrics Dental Group. She has also worked in a dental clinic in Mission for 3 years. Her focus is on the alignment of the teeth using Invisalign and then restoring them minimally. She is an active member of the Western Restorative Study Club and the American Academy of Clear Aligners Study Club which are two of the most prestigious dental professional groups in North America.
She has a passion for giving back to the community and has contributed many hours treating disadvantaged residents of Vancouver at the Eastside Dental Clinic as a volunteer dentist.
When not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 kids. Her mother is also a dentist and she had the privilege of spending time at her practice and observing her work since very young and it started her interest in dentistry. She loves nature and does yoga in her spare time.
Dr. Akhlaghi, lovely to sit down with you, I think as a young person, a career as a dentist may not be top of mind. What inspired you to become a dentist?
“My mom was a dentist. I always enjoyed watching her do dentistry when I was younger.”
That’s incredible, I love to hear that the introduction to dentistry was a familiar one. Wonderful to be able to see your mom practice dentistry and her positive impact to the health of her patients. What a wonderful role model. As a dentist now, what is your favourite part of practicing dentistry?
“Interacting with people from all different backgrounds besides delivering good dentistry!”
Dentistry for a lot of people, can be a nerve inducing thing; what’s a common misconception about dentistry?
“That some people will get cavities regardless of their efforts in keeping good oral health. If they didn’t have the same level of oral care it would be 10 times worse!”
Dr. Akhlaghi, you provide dentistry and oral health care in two languages: Farsi and English. What does it mean to you to be able to provide health care in different languages, and what is the role of language in terms of accessible care?
“It just makes it so much easier to satisfy patients needs when you can understand each other!”
Plain and simple. I couldn’t agree more. I know that accessibility of care is an important value to you, and that giving back to the community has been a consistent theme of your practice. Could you please expand on your volunteer work?
“I have provided volunteer work for the residents of the East Side Vancouver community and I have been a member of Geriatrics Dental Group at UBC. Both experiences were eye opening and rewarding. Giving back always feels good!”
Another theme of your practice is continued education and continued mastery of new technologies and processes. What skill or theory most excited you in term of your post-graduate education?
“I do alignment using Invisalign’s digital platform. It makes a lot of restorative cases more predictable when you first put the teeth into a better fitting position, then you fill them or crown them. It is a new level of dentistry that is truly outstanding.”
At Aarm we’re thrilled to support the new Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), and the increase in affordability and accessibility of dentistry. For you how does the CDCP impact your patients dental care and oral health?
“I have patients that due to financial constraints haven’t been able to address their oral health for a very long time and now they can finally get the care that they need with CDCP.”
A motto of Aarm Dental Group is the importance of “Patient-Centered Dental Care”, what does this mindset mean to you in terms of practicing?
“It means paying attention to patients’ needs when considering what the best treatment would be for them.”
Outside of dentistry, what inspires you?
“Nature, Yoga and Cosmos!”
