30 | business
“We’re big on keeping an open door for the parents of our patients to come in, at any time and talk with us.” | Dr. Derek Bock
Dr. Derek Bock and his wife, Dr. Anokhi Bock, work together at Forest Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry.
photography by joel lerner
It’s not like pulling teeth Bocks’ practice looks to put patients at ease ■ by bill mclean Derek Bock was 12 years old and in an orthodontist’s chair when it hit him. He could see himself fitting braces to patients’ teeth one day. The career choice made perfect sense to the Massachusetts native as he opened wide for the installation of brackets and wire. “I’d always liked math and science, and I had an artistic side,” Bock recalled. “I liked to sketch, with charcoal. I enjoyed painting. “I thought being an orthodontist would be an ideal blend of my interests. I’d be able to use both sides of my brain.” Two Bocks work at Forest Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry in Lake Forest. Dr. Derek Bock and his wife, Dr. Anokhi Bock, have been straightening teeth and
cleaning teeth at their “boutique style” practice since late 2008. Derek affixes braces to his patients at the 11-chair office at 840 S. Waukegan Road; Anokhi aims to ease anxieties of kids — braced for fear, usually — who must get a cavity filled for the first time. “We’ve always strived to provide an elite level of customer service and to make a visit to our office as easy and as comfortable possible,” Derek said. “That atmosphere here is not busy, never hectic. “We’re big on keeping an open door for the parents of our patients to come in, at any time and talk with us. Face time with parents is very important to us.” Derek and Anokhi Dalia, a Lake Forest native and Lake Forest Academy graduate, met as freshmen at the Tufts University’s
School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Mass. The year was 1999. The setting was a dental lab. Antiseptic was in the air. Love, too. “We sat a row apart,” Derek recalled. “The students in that lab drilled plastic teeth. That was what we did to practice cavity preparation.” They got married in 2005 and have three daughters: Bela, 5; Asha, 3; and Lila, 1. They live in Lake Forest. “It was interesting, the first year we worked together,” Derek said. “We talked dentistry outside of work at times. But we eventually found a balance. When we’re home now, we’re home. We don’t discuss work there.” Derek completed his post-graduate
training in orthodontics at the University of Illinois at Chicago. During his fellowship in craniofacial orthodontics, he received training in treating children with craniofacial syndromes, especially cleft lip/palate. Among the research projects he has tackled was the width of a smile as its relates to facial harmony. His patients benefit from new technologies like The Damon System and Invisalign. Traditional braces are tied with elastics; Damon braces feature a slide mechanism that holds wire. “It functions like a garage door,” Derek said. “Teeth move and straighten faster and more comfortably.” Invisalign is an anti-metal-mouth option. Custom-made aligner trays are made of practically invisible plastic. They fit snugly over a patient’s teeth. “Wearing the aligners will gradually and gently shift your teeth into place, based on the exact movements your dentist or orthodontist plans out for you,” notes Invisalign’s website, www.invisalign.com. Patients replace their trays with new ones approximately every two weeks, until the treatment schedule is complete. “Orthodontics will be completely digital,” Derek said, looking ahead five to 10 years. “It will reach the point where patients won’t have to take impressions.” Translation: No more biting into goop, no more gagging. Anokhi specializes in pediatric dentistry. She moved to Indianapolis after her Tufts years and continued her studies at Riley Children’s Hospital through Indiana University’s School of Dentistry. She formed a study club with other local pediatric dentists after returning to Lake Forest. Derek is an avid and steady golfer (9 handicap) away from the chair. His top strength in the game is iron play. But breaking par doesn’t come close to generating the joy he gets from seeing one of his patients crack a new smile after a series of treatments. “Helping someone transform a smile is rewarding, especially if the patient came to us as a shy child who lacked confidence or was embarrassed about his or her teeth. It’s been said that people notice your smile first, then your eyes. “For a child to get a new smile, that’s a foundation and a reason to feel confident,” he added. “What’s also great is watching that same child grow confident in other areas of life.” ■