Earlier this month, Dr. Markarian received an award from Smiles Change Lives for his contributions to the charity. During the last 3 years, Dr. Markarian helped to organize SCL in the St. Louis Region, has donated his time to screen patients for the program, has represented SCL in discussions with the American Association of Orthodontists, and provided over $100,000 in Pro-Bono orthodontic care. Congratulations Dr. M!

For the second consecutive year, we have been named a Premier Provider with Invisalign!

We are open today!  It looks like they only got half of the forecast correct.  Please drive carefully if you come in, and if you are not comfortable driving today call us and reschedule for next week.

Markarian Orthodontics in now an Invisalign Premier provider! This designation is given to about the top 5% of offices that provide Invisalign treatment for their patients and recognizes the dedication of our office to strive to master the Invisalign technique.

A national non-profit charity, Smiles Change Lives, provides orthodontic treatments for children who otherwise would not receive orthodontic care, has set up a chapter in the Greater St. Louis area.  Dr. Markarian is serving on the board of the charity to help organize its efforts to get low income children the orthodontic treatments that they need but cannot afford. So far, Drs. Markarian and Hood-Olson have started treatment on 9 Smiles Change Lives patients and are trying to get the word out to organizations and individuals to help increase awareness for this program and encourage people to donate their time and resources to help expand the number of children who will receive treatment. Go to Smiles Change Lives to learn more and donate.

On February 25th in Dallas, Texas, Dr. Randall Markarian successfully presented six cases that he treated to maintain his American Board of Orthodontics certification. Dr. Markarian’s initial certification (5 year certification) was granted by passing a rigorous 6 hour written examination and completion of his orthodontic residency in 1994. The recertification is the most difficult part of the certification process that all orthodontists must do prior to gaining recertification for 10 years. The cases presented must be among the most challenging that an orthodontist will face, and they must be treated to a very high standard as judged by some of the finest orthodontists in the country. Board certification allows the public to know that their orthodontist can provide the highest quality care for even the most difficult cases. When asked about the experience, Dr. Markarian commented that, “I learned much more from scrutinizing my treatments in the light of trying to acheiving perfection than I would have thought and realizing that no matter how great they look, there is always room to improve. It has certainly reinforced the idea that you must always continue to strive to attain better results.” Dr. Markarian spent countless hours over a period of months preparing for the examination that was over in a matter of hours. “It was one of the most stressful days of my life, along with the weeks before while preparing and the month afterwards waiting for the results,” he said. Well, congratulations Dr. Markarian and keep up the great orthodontics you provide.

It is February again and Dr. Markarian and Dr. Hood-Olson are going out to visit grade schools to talk to children about taking care of their teeth. On February 5th, Dr. Markarian returned to his home town of Granite City to talk to the kids at Neidringhaus School and his own grade school, Frohardt School. “I was really excited to get to go back to my elementary school! It has been 32 years since I walked the halls of Frohardt School and it somehow seems smaller than I remember,” Dr. Markarian said. “I hope to go back next year and visit them again!”

Thanks to the Granite City School District for letting Dr. Markarian return! More schools coming every week. Is yours one of them?

June 18th will be the 15 year anniversary for Dr. Markarian.  On that fateful day, Dr. Markarian and his receptionist (his wife Annette), and their office entertainer (their 2 year old daughter Grace) embarked on a journey that led to where the office is today….

When I look back over all that has happened during those years and all of the patients that I have watched grow up during treatment, I am proud of what I have done and yet humbled by the experience.  It has given me great joy to be involved in so many patient’s lives and gotten to know many of them very well. In that respect, the mission that the office had on that first day, which was to provide the best orthodontic care and to respect each and every individual during their time in the office, has not changed.  I find that I enjoy what I do mostly because of the interesting and unique interactions that I have with patients, their parents, and my staff.  I would like to thank all of my patients throughout all the years, and for those still come to see us from the early years, it is truly a pleasure to see you.  The office is much different now, more staff, more locations, but the spirit is hopefully the same. The future is bright indeed!  Thanks,

Randall Markarian D.M.D, M.S.

February was National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) and Drs. Markarian and Hood-Olson visited several of the local elementary schools to educate 3rd and 4th grade children about the importance of taking care of the teeth.  Along with a very fun and educational presentation, featuring a horse puppet with human teeth that the kids got a chance to brush, Drs. Markarian and Hood-Olson gave the students “goodie bags” filled with all of the things needed to to care for their teeth.  After over 10 years visiting schools, it is still one of the highlights of the year for the doctors and we look forward to to returning next year and hopefully visiting some new schools!