When Dr. LynAnn Mastaj, D.M.D., celebrates her 50th birthday in August by scaling 19,341-foot Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, she’ll be unquestionably overcome by intense feelings of accomplishment for a challenging job well done.
As the guiding force of Mastaj Orthodontics in Bryn Mawr, West Chester and Upper Darby for the past 21 years, Dr. Mastaj has experienced similar feelings of self-satisfaction each time a patient thanks her, or when a child tells her they won an award for having the “best smile in their class,” or when brides get giddy in telling her how much they love their smile and how great the wedding pictures turned out.
“Words and emotions like that are validation that I made the right career choice,” Dr. Mastaj says. “Doing this for people is a gift. One of the reasons I went into orthodontics is because of the changes it creates in a person’s life, not just in their smile. A great, healthy smile makes you look younger and more confident. When you meet someone, your teeth speak to people like your hair and eyes do.
“There’s nothing more gratifying for me than seeing the smiles and expressions on a patient’s face when their braces come off. For me, nothing can compare to that feeling of knowing you may have changed a person’s life.”
Dr. Mastaj knows all too well that life-changing feeling from both sides of the orthodontic chair.
“I had braces, and when I was older I had to wear them again,” she says. “My experience made me all the more determined to be an orthodontist. You can’t imagine all the hard work, financial sacrifices and sheer determination that it took to succeed as an orthodontist. It is like training to climb a mountain, learning to snowboard or flying a plane. There is not a day that I don't say that I love my job, and I look forward to going to work every day. My patients can tell I love what I am doing.”
Another challenge facing patients and their families of which Dr. Mastaj is cognizant is the ability of those families to deliver to their children a transformative smile. She understands the financial strain, as her parents were paying for braces for her and her two siblings at the same time.
“I’ve been committed from the start to doing the best I can to help families afford to give their children the best smile,” Dr. Mastaj says. “My parents were in the same situation as many of my patients today; I know what it’s like, and I’ve never forgotten what it’s like. You don’t have to break the bank.
“Our services are covered by a lot of insurance plans, and we participate in a lot of insurance plans. I have one parent who comes in every week and pays $10 a week to save their children’s teeth, and that’s OK. We’re in business, but it’s not all about money. I’m here to help people.”
Standing Apart
Visiting Dr. Mastaj and her staff is akin to visiting a favorite neighbor’s house or meeting up with friends on the soccer field. Parents and patients alike are reassured with every visit that Dr. Mastaj is professional and committed to doing the best work possible.
“I am genuinely concerned about parents and their children, and I always have time to answer their questions and follow up with their concerns,” she says. “Making the parent and child comfortable is a major part of the treatment. We want to do everything to make the kids and their parents feel at ease. We want them both to feel that they picked the right orthodontist, and that I can be their orthodontist for life, and that they’ll be proud to recommend me.
“When a child is in my chair, I want them to feel so satisfied that they’ll come back to see me when they’re in college.”
Dan Kerrigan of Broomall was that kid. Dr. Mastaj put braces on his teeth when he was in seventh grade. Years later, as his wedding date approached, he thought so much of his experience with her that he and his fiancée returned to her for Invisalign, which are clear, removable teeth aligners.
For Kerrigan, now 31 and married, the impact Dr. Mastaj had on him is perhaps nowhere more evident than in his graduation this spring from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine, also Dr. Mastaj’s alma mater.
“Dr. Mastaj is the reason I chose dentistry,” Kerrigan says. “In addition to being a fantastic orthodontist, she is a genuinely warm person who has a good heart. I can also speak as a clinician and tell you that she has such an artistic eye for dentistry, a trained eye for aesthetics. She absolutely knows what’s best for the best outcome for a patient.
“As an orthodontist and a human being, she simply stands apart. Going to see her as a patient is a joy.”
How committed is Dr. Mastaj to her patients’ oral health? In addition to treating them with the utmost care in the office for braces, expanders, retainers, laser surgery, implants, Invisalign or Zoom! Whitening, she also treats them even when they can’t visit her in the office with Virtual Orthodontics, a treatment option in which she can examine patients through Skype.
“I’ve always tried to stay on the cutting edge of technology, and this is one of the ways I do,” Dr. Mastaj says. “I have patients from Bermuda to Boston to Penn State that I see on Skype. I examine them visually and then we discuss the progress they’re making, how their braces fit, and I even show them how to make minor adjustments of their retainer.
“Patients can also reach me on my iPhone if they’re having a problem, and I can text patients to remind them of their appointments. I’ll do whatever I can to show them I’m committed to them.”
Much of Dr. Mastaj’s practice is preventive based, getting children to see her early in life to intercept problems before they become major concerns.
“I’m seeing children as early as seven years old for complimentary orthodontic screening, to give parents an idea of what their child might be facing down the road,” Dr. Mastaj says. “At these consultations I enjoy the one-on-one advice and guidance I give parents. I offer them my time and expertise, even for second opinions to help them make the right decision for themselves or their child. Choosing the right orthodontist is about options, fit and financial feasibility for every family.
“I want to have patients so satisfied—and not only with my work, but also how I treated them—that they’re going to want to see me long after their braces are gone. They do return to us because we treat patients the right way. And when they do, it makes me feel very satisfied.”
Sort of like how it feels to reach the top of a mountain.
Mastaj Orthodontics
Web: lynannmastaj.com
E-mail: greatorthodontist@gmail.com
Three Locations:
Bryn Mawr
976 Railroad Ave., Suite 100
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Phone: 610-525-2277
Fax: 610-525-1956
West Chester
1646 West Chester Pike
West Chester, PA 19382
Phone: 610-692-5590
Fax: 610-692-9454
Upper Darby
14 South State Road
Upper Darby, PA 19082
Phone: 610-789-2410
Phil Gianficaro is an award-winning writer based in Doylestown.
Rob Hall is a photographer based in Plumsteadville.
