Happy Teeth
By Mitch Hurst
By Mitch Hurst
Dr. Sumit Chawla will tell you what he does is about more than just fixing crooked teeth.
An orthodontist with Chawla Orthodontics in Westmont and Villa Park, Dr. Chawla views his offices as family and community centers that create happiness.
“Most people leave our offices happy. That’s what drew me to the profession,” Dr. Chawla says. “We’re creating a brand of happiness. If we can impact one person a day throughout the year that’s really big for us.”
Growing up in Oak Brook and Villa Park, Dr. Chawla’s interest in orthodontics was sparked by his father, who is also a doctor in the practice. Together, they work with a team of specialists serving the Western Suburbs.
“My father had practices in Oak Brook and Glen Ellyn,” Dr. Chawla says. “I loved that I got to see what he did.”
After attending Loyola University, studying dentistry at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts—and then completing a residency in orthodontics at Roseman University in Henderson, Nevada—Dr. Chawla decided to return home to the community he loved.
“I wanted to come back to the same community I grew up in,” he says. “I had a desire to come back to where I was from.”
One aspect Dr. Chawla especially loves about his work is how family is at the center.
“Our patients range in age from 1 to 101 and we see patients from when they’re babies to when they get married and beyond,” says Dr. Chawla. “I love seeing my patients grow up, when they come back to see me and they’re taller than me or they have a beard.”
Many of his patients are children being fitted with braces and Dr. Chawla gets a special spark from spending time with them.
“In orthodontics you get to work and interact a lot with kids,” says Dr. Chawla. “You get to see kids at their peak of growth and watch them go from introverts to extroverts. I learn a lot from them about all the new technology they’re using.”
Commitment to community runs in Chawla Orthodontics’ DNA, including offering summer internships at the practice to high school students during which they can learn more about orthodontics and consider potential career choices.
“I keep an open door policy to the community,” he says. “I want people from the community to come in and see what their options are. It’s very important to us.”
Chawla Orthodontics contributes to the community in other ways as well by offering local sports teams mouth guards and providing free education to elementary school children about how to take better care of their teeth. The company plans a back-to-school pool party for children in Villa Park to provide them with dental products.
Dr. Chawla remains aware that some potential patients might feel like they can’t afford orthodontic services, but his doors remain open to all.
“We want to provide access to care, to provide the highest level of care to everybody,” he says. “We can work with you if you’re on a budget.”
The company also provides scholarships to low-income families whose children need orthodontic treatments.
“The most important thing is building relationships, building up the community,” says Dr. Chawla. “We want to give back as much as we can.”
Chawla Orthodontics is located at 519 N. Cass Avenue, Suite 401, in Westmont, and 101 E. St. Charles Road, Suite 101, in Villa Park, 630-914-6060, chawlaortho.com.
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