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Dr. Patricia Hong is the orthodontist at Vizcaya Dental Arts, which she and Dr. Flavio Kottar opened together in 2021. She treats children, teenagers and adults with Invisalign and with clear and metal braces. She trained at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and completed her orthodontic specialty training at the University of Pennsylvania, both Ivy League schools, and she is certified by the American Board of Orthodontics. Her first step with every patient is the diagnosis, and she recommends waiting when treatment is not needed yet.
Training
Dr. Hong earned her dental degree at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and completed a general practice residency at New York Methodist Hospital. She then trained as a specialist in the orthodontic residency at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, with an emphasis on comprehensive treatment planning for patients of all ages: growth and development in children and adolescents, and complex, interdisciplinary treatment for adults.
Shortly after her residency she became board-certified by the American Board of Orthodontics. Certification is voluntary and goes beyond the specialty training itself: it means passing the board’s written and clinical examinations and renewing the certification every ten years, and not every orthodontist takes it. More on what board certification means.
How she practices
Diagnosis first. The result of orthodontic treatment depends on reading the bite correctly and choosing the right appliance for it. Dr. Hong evaluates whether clear aligners can move a particular set of teeth predictably or whether braces or a combination would serve better, and she explains the reasoning.
Results that last. Her planning looks past the day the braces come off, to a bite that functions and a smile that stays where it was put. Retention is planned as part of every case.
The right time. Children can be seen for a first orthodontic evaluation from around age six or seven. Often the right answer is to monitor growth and wait. Sometimes a short early phase prevents a bigger problem later. She tells parents which it is.
One office, two doctors. Dr. Hong practices alongside her husband, Dr. Flavio Kottar, a cosmetic, restorative and implant dentist. When adult orthodontics has to be coordinated with crowns, veneers or implants, the two plan the case together.
Treatment she provides
- Invisalign clear aligners for adults, teens and selected children
- Clear and metal braces, from simple crowding to complex bite problems
- Early evaluation and growth monitoring for children
- Adult orthodontics, including treatment coordinated with restorative and cosmetic work
- Retainers after treatment, removable and fixed
Each has its own page: Invisalign, braces, adult orthodontics, children and teens and retainers.
Why orthodontics
Dr. Hong had orthodontic treatment when she was young. It changed her smile and the way she felt about it, and from then on she knew she wanted to be an orthodontist. Today she gives her patients what treatment once gave her: a smile they are happy to show.
Languages and family
Dr. Hong speaks Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese as well as English. She and Dr. Kottar have young children and spend their time away from the office as a family: traveling, eating well and collecting trivia.
Treatments Dr. Hong provides
Each one has its own page: who it suits, what it involves and what the alternatives are.
