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Dr. Barry Hoffman and Dr. Ron Wolk have been
making Calgarians smile for 30 years.
The orthodontists, who met in grad school at
the University of Minnesota and have worked together ever
since, have been practising the art of creating beautiful teeth
and well-aligned jaws since 1978.
Working so closely for so long would wear some friendships
thin, but Dr. Hoffman and Dr. Wolk say it’s just given
them “a deep respect for each other, both personally and professionally.”
“Generally, we’ve grown together and our lives have paralleled
over the course of the whole practice,” Dr. Wolk says.
“I have a great respect for what he’s able to do and I think
he respects what I’m able to do. It’s a mutual trust, also.”
Perhaps this is because the doctors share the same values
when it comes to their profession.
They both stress an emphasis on making patients happy,
giving back to the community, keeping a clean, professional
practice at the cutting edge of technology, and going above
and beyond expectations.
Dr.Barry
“What I love about this job is the excitement of moving
teeth that people didn’t know could be moved and accomplishing
things people didn’t know could be accomplished,”
Dr. Hoffman says.
“We generally exceed people’s expectations.”
Dr. Wolk adds, “There is nothing better than looking
at someone at the end of the treatment and seeing how it
changes their life.”
“At the end of a treatment, our patients don’t say ‘That’s
okay,’ ” he says.
“They say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know my teeth could look so
nice.’ ”
Their enthusiasm for their work is evident when they share
before and after photos of past patients.
In one set, a realignment of the jaw and teeth creates a
dramatic improvement that seems to affect a young woman’s
entire face.
“We call this one the ultimate makeover,” Dr. Wolk says
with a smile. “Look at the difference.”
The doctors have been busy outside the office, as well.
They’re both members of several professional societies,
including the Canadian Dental Association, the American
Association of Orthodontists, the Calgary and Area Dental
Society, the Alberta Society of Orthodontists, the Canadian
Association of Orthodontists, the World Federation of
Orthodontists, the American Board of Orthodontists and the
Canadian Foundation for the Advancement of Orthodontics,
among others, each having held executive positions in some
of the above.
Dr. Wolk is currently President of the Pacific Coast Society
of Orthodontists, the second-largest orthodontic society
in North America.
The two have lectured and mentored for local universities,
founded the Calgary alumni chapter of the Alpha Omega
Dental Fraternity, and helped to create the Burns Memorial
Fund to provide orthodontic work to children and families
in need.
They currently employ 18 people at their office, several of
whom have been with them for more than 20 years.
While their first priority is always improving dental health,
Dr. Wolk and Dr. Hoffman say one of the biggest thrills of
Hoffman
Dr.Ron Wolk
HOFFMAN & WOLK
ORTHODONTICS
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the job is giving someone the gift of a beautiful smile.
“There have been studies on the psychological effects of a
smile and personality disorders of people who can’t smile or
won’t smile because they feel they don’t look good smiling,”
Dr. Hoffman says.
“It changes the way they present themselves to the
world.”
Dr. Wolk jokes that he apologizes to his male patients for
making them “chick magnets.”
“I tell them they’re going to have to change their phone
numbers, they’ll have so many girls calling,” he says.
“When a mother comes to you and says her son never
used to smile and would cover up his mouth and now never
stops smiling, it feels nice.”
The doctors say they look at their work as an art, and are
as passionate about it today as they were when they began.
“Some of our colleagues are counting down the days until
they retire,” Dr. Wolk says.
“In our case, we’re just as fired up about it as ever. If anything,
when we look back on our careers, we feel like we’d
like to be starting over.”