The UF College of Dentistry is proud to have four Gator Dentists recognized on the 2023 UF Alumni Association’s Gator100 list, the Alumni Association’s annual celebration honoring the world’s fastest-growing Gator businesses.
Congratulations to triple Gators – and husband-and-wife OrthoGators – Melissa Alfonso Sedeño, D.M.D., M.S., and Eddy Sedeño III, D.M.D., M.S., and their Miami Lakes Orthodontics practice Specialty Smiles for being honored on this year’s Gator100 tally. Mitch Zientz, D.M.D., Phillip Claassen, D.M.D., and Wellspring Dental are making their second-straight appearance on the Gator100 list after checking in at No. 33 in 2022 for their NYC-based family and cosmetic dentistry practice.
This year’s Gator100 honorees were recognized at a special celebration on the University of Florida campus Friday, April 21, where the full order of the 2023 top 100 Gator-owned businesses was revealed. Specialty Smiles checked in at No. 35, while Wellspring Dental was the No. 47 fastest-growing Gator business this year.
SPECIALTY SMILES
For the Sedeños, Specialty Smiles was established in 2017 and offers braces and aligner treatment with the goal of guiding patients to a beautiful smile by providing quality, innovative, evidence-based and affordable customized treatment to patients of all ages. Specialty Smiles’ goal is an inviting patient experience in a family-oriented environment that accepts all insurances and provides excellent care to give patients a smile they’ll love for a lifetime.
Sedeño, DMD Class of 2014 and OrthoGator in 2017, is a board-certified specialist in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, with a strong interest in technology and clear aligner treatment. During his time as a resident in UFCD’s orthodontics program, his master’s thesis focused on treatment with Invisalign. He continues to give back to the college as courtesy faculty at our Hialeah Dental Center and in Gainesville.
Alfonso Sedeño, DMD Class of 2013 and OrthoGator in 2016, is a board-certified orthodontist and was Chief Resident in the orthodontics program at UFCD. During her residency, Sedeño’s research focused on accelerating orthodontic tooth movement, for which she won the American Academy of Orthodontics Charley Schultz Resident Scholar Award. She is in the Leadership Program for the Southern Association of Orthodontics, is an Editor for the American Association of Orthodontists Practice Management Bulletin and is on the Board of the South Florida Academy of Orthodontists.
WELLSPRING DENTAL
Zientz, DMD Class of 2014, and Claassen, DMD Class of 2015, roommates while they attended the UF College of Dentistry, founded Wellspring Dental in Brooklyn, New York, in 2016 as visionary dentistry that started with a dream in the Big Apple. Wellspring has grown exponentially since then, with locations in Midtown, East Harlem, Brooklyn and Murray Hill now. Wellspring is committed to providing boutique, high-quality dental care in a convenient and accessible setting. Creating a warm and hospitable experience for every patient the moment they walk through the door is their priority. Their top priority is to work with patients to create attainable goals and expectations, keep their smiles healthy and make visits to the dentist something to look forward to.
Zientz graduated Magna Cum Laude from Oral Roberts University before becoming a Gator Dentist for his dental degree at UFCD. He then completed a general practice residency at Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, gaining essential knowledge pertaining to dental implants, comprehensive multidisciplinary care and emergency care.
With a love of music and dentistry, Claassen attended the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music before earning his dental degree at the UF College of Dentistry. He then completed his residency in Bangor, Maine, serving those less fortunate with necessary dental care. In addition to providing high-quality dental care at Wellspring, his goal is to build strong, meaningful relationships with patients to ensure that everyone who comes through their doors is respected, heard and cared for.
About Gator100
Visit the UF Alumni Association’s Gator100 website to see all 100 of the 2023 Gator 100 honorees. Alumni from the University of Florida have created and guided some of the fastest-growing businesses in the world and the Alumni Association is proud to recognize these amazing business owners and entrepreneurs through the Gator100 program each year.
The UFAA honors their achievements with a special awards event that creates opportunities to increase networks with current and past honorees, inspire fellow Gators in the pursuit of Going Greater, and receive visibility via national, local and industry media outlets.