Dr. Christine Saad’s face will probably be familiar to a lot of Lake Orion residents, even if her new dental practice at 1202 S. Lapeer Road isn’t.
Saad opened her own practice earlier this fall after practicing dentistry for two and a half years at a different Lake Orion location, sharing office space with another dentist. Saad also practices in Royal Oak.
“I was just tired of working for other people,” Saad said of her decision to open her own office. “I like (Lake Orion), and I knew a lot of what it had to offer. It’s a growing area.”
Saad is a Rochester Hills native and still lives there. She graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy Dental School in 1999, and will celebrate her fifth year of practicing dentistry in May.
“I always wanted to do something in the medical profession, and someone mentioned dentistry to me,” said Saad. “The hours are better and you can still have your own life.”
Saad has treated patients from 2 and a half years old to 90 years old, and also treats many special needs patients such as pregnant women, handicapped people, and those with debilitating diseases. She also promotes preventive dentistry.
“We focus on prevention,” she said. “We’re also a fee-for-service dental practice, we’re non-HMO. It’s cash only or traditional insurance…I don’t want to work for the insurance company, I want to work for the patient.”
Saad uses a lot of cutting edge technology in her office, including several “toys” she picked up for her new practice.
“I didn’t just choose what I had to get to be able to open,” she said. “We have top-of-the-line equipment, including an inner-oral camera to show the patient why we’re recommending something. It shows up on a screen right in front of them.”
Saad, who married her husband David Romanski in June, hopes to become more involved in the community now that she has her own practice.
“I work with Dental Donated Services, where each dentist is asked to treat two patients picked from this organization,” she said.
Saad is currently at her Lake Orion office two and a half days a week, with her staff there the rest of the week to answer phones and questions.
“Debbie is my dental assistant and Sandy works at the front desk. My mother Viviane also fills in,” Saad said. “We’re friendly and pleasant.”
Dr. Saad’s office is located in the Buffalo Wild Wings plaza on Lapeer Road, near H&R Block. The phone number is 693-5844.
Saad’s office hours are: Mondays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; and alternating Fridays and Saturdays, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. The office is open with staff on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.