Orthodontic graduate meets his patients at their level

Born and raised in Montreal, Dr. Anthony Rossi arrived at the University of Alberta's Master's of Orthodontics program with what he calls, "This romantic idea of living somewhere else for a little while. Living on my own here was definitely an experience that helped me grow as a person. Luckily, Edmonton was a great city to be a student in."

He completed his Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) at McGill University in Montreal and chose to continue on to an orthodontic specialty because he likes that you can make a significant change beyond the mouth and interact with patients differently than those in other specialties.

Rossi says. "Now that I'm graduating, I'm going to miss the people here. All the clinical support staff, the assistants, the patients, my classmates, the instructors... I'm looking forward to finding that camaraderie in my own practice, coming into my clinic every day, knowing that I will have fun and make jokes and laugh."

Dr. Carlos Flores-Mir, Orthodontic Graduate Program Director, says, "This was a very special group of students. They were really close, did a lot of social activities together including travelling everywhere together."

Rossi is thankful for the instructors in the program, calling them incredible role models with each bringing something interesting and unique to the orthodontics practice. He says, "As students, we could take bits and pieces from every instructor and develop our own philosophies, our own styles of practice."

Rossi is very excited to be going home soon. He was able to book September's licencing exams in Ottawa, and his fiancée has already completed her Master's degree in Nursing. "So we're both ready to go home," he says. "We've missed our friends and family. It's been tough to be away from home for so long. Especially over the past few months." Rossi's long-term goal is practice ownership in Montreal.

Reflecting on what one needs to be an orthodontist, Rossi says attention to detail is significant. He says, "Orthodontics is a game of millimetres and half-millimetres, and it's our responsibility to catch those little issues. And of course, you have to be approachable as a clinician so our patients can feel like we're at the same level and not some kind of doctor talking down to them. That's not the type of clinician that I want to be."

Flores-Mir agrees, "Anthony will be successful as a leader because he's a good listener, and he puts thought into any feedback he provides. He was able to balance the other two students' personalities and meet them both in the middle."

For Rossi, the most satisfying feeling is completing a treatment from planning to execution. He says, "Seeing the final result of all our work, sometimes two or three years worth, is powerful. Patients react differently as well, some of them very emotionally. And if my patients are emotional, then it makes me emotional!"