MINT32 - Key Persons
Ashley Gonzalez is our hygiene coordinator. She has been in the dental field and with our practice for a year now. She enjoys interacting and building relationships with each one of our patients. She is a biology major and enjoys traveling, shopping, and trying new foods.
Dr. Silverman is the family and cosmetic dentist at Advanced Cosmetic & Family Dentistry. He attended Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI from 1988-1991. After that, he received early admission to dental school , in which he received his degree from University of Detroit, Mercy Dental School (DDS) from 1991-1995.
Dr. Silverman is fully experienced in the dental field. After high school, he worked in a dental laboratory for over 2 years. Dr. Silverman has been in private practice since 1995, where he enjoys performing general, sports , and cosmetic dentistry with emphasis in full mouth reconstruction cases.
He enjoys being involved with professional affiliations to further his education and training .
You can learn a lot more about Dr. Silverman's personal interests and what he loves doing when he isn't practicing dentistry by visiting his personal website.
Dianna graduated Dental Hygiene School from Dekalb Community College in 1986 and is very passionate about her profession. She specializes in periodontal care and loves helping her patients obtain and maintain optimum oral health. She looks forward to building lasting relationships with all her patients. Dianna is a native Georgian and has two beautiful daughters she is very proud of. She also enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, her "sweet smiler!"
Dr. Morton graduated from Augusta State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. Dr. Morton attended the Medical College of Georgia, where he earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in 2003. In 2008 he earned an MBA through the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University.
Dr. Morton, DMD, MBA, FAGD takes pride in continually seeking education in his field. To ensure patients have access to the most current and effective treatments available, he takes more than 200 hours of continuing education each year. This far exceeds the level of ongoing training required for dentists in the state of Georgia (40 hours every two years). Investing in this level of continuing education and traveling to the country's best training institutes requires a high level of commitment.
Through this dedication to education and passing an extensive examination process covering all areas of dentistry, Dr. Morton, DMD, MBA, FAGD was awarded as a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry. He is also an accredited candidate with the American Academy of Implant Dentistry and a sustaining member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry after passing extensive examinations.
Dr. Morton's, DMD, MBA, FAGD past research involvement gives him a unique understanding of the biocompatibility of dental materials. It was this experience that led Dr. Morton to pursue dentistry as a profession. This knowledge plays a role in his everyday practice as he offers patients the safest and most durable materials for their smile restorations.
Throughout his career, Dr. Morton, DMD, MBA, FAGD has been privileged to practice alongside and receive ongoing education from some of the leading dental authorities in the world. These mentors have played an irreplaceable role in his advancement and training in fields such as dental implants and cosmetic dentistry.
Dr. Morton's, DMD, MBA, FAGD success as a widely recognized and highly skilled dentist is a tribute to the dedication and generosity of these private practice clinicians. As an adjunct clinical professor at the Medical College of Georgia, Dr. Morton, DMD, MBA, FAGD enjoys sharing his knowledge with the next generation of dentists.
Dr. Morton, DMD, MBA, FAGD is supported in all of his aspirations as a dentist by his sweet and beautiful wife, Paola, and their two sons. They also have a 13 year old Yorkie named Tony. When not at our office, he enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants with his wife, and enjoying nature, with a special passion for hiking.
Job Titles:
- Member of the American Dental Association
Dr. Katie Plaisance attended college at the University of Georgia, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, graduating Magna Cum Laude. After college, she attended the Dental College of Georgia in Augusta where she received her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree.
Dr. Plaisance completed additional training at the Dental College of Georgia in the General Practice Residency Program. While in Residency, she provided treatment for, and managed complex dental cases, including the treatment of medically complex patients. She received advanced multi-disciplinary training in surgical techniques for implant placement, bone grafting, surgical dental extractions, IV sedation and endodontics. Her Residency allowed her to further develop her ability to provide comprehensive dental care to all her patients. Her areas of dental treatment expertise include general restorative dentistry, surgical extractions, implant placement and restorations, oral and IV sedation and root canal therapy.
Dr. Plaisance is a member of the American Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, Georgia Dental Association, Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Kappa Upsilon.
Liz has been employed at Advanced Cosmetic & Family Dentistry since 2000 as the office manager. Her touch is found in nearly all aspects of the office; whether it's assisting patients, planning office events or sharing dental awareness in the community, she enjoys the ongoing opportunities to learn, grow and fulfill a variety of essential needs in our ever-growing practice.
Liz is originally from Columbus, Ohio, but has lived in Atlanta for over 25 years now. She holds a degree in English from Georgia State University. Liz is married and has one daughter.
Shay is an expanded function dental assistant with over 9 years of experience. She likes to take continuing education courses to expand her dental knowledge, but mostly, she loves being the reason for a smile on our patient's faces!
A native of Atlanta, Shay loves spending time with her wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters. She also enjoys traveling and photography.
I am a licensed and practicing neuromuscular massage therapist, practicing for more than 10 years, and specializing in TMJ massage therapy. My career has been greatly influenced by my father, Dr. Roger Melkonian. He was a leader in the field of cranio-mandibular disorders, TMJ orthopedics and achieved international recognition as an expert in pain management. It always amazed me how his work positively affected so many of his patients by exponentially decreasing and/or eliminating their chronic pain.
My field of work includes the nerves (neuro) and muscles (muscular) and is rehabilitative (to get you better). I started my schooling with the intention of specializing in the jaw specifically - the Temporal Mandibular Joint. I am still fascinated as I continue to learn more about this joint and its surrounding muscles, as well as its effect on the rest of the body. For example, when we get stressed, the first thing most of us do, consciously or not, is clench our jaw. The muscles that clenching activates can cause a domino effect of structural and muscular misalignment which in turn can cause pain that can occur anywhere in the body. I always say, "The elbow is connected to the knee bone." What I mean by that is that you may be having pain in your hip, but during our sessions we will find the origin of that pain, and often it will be somewhere other than the hip. Very often, it is found in the jaw. Like I said- Fascinating!
I always work on a pain scale of 1-10 (10 being the worst), and never want you to experience anything past a 4. Pain causes us to tense up, and that is exactly what we are trying to remedy. The beginning of each session is spent helping you settle into a good headspace- I call it "connecting mind to muscle". The better your headspace, the more we can accomplish. I will educate you on what is happening with your muscles, and give you stretches you can do at home to continue your progress.