Yan Kalika, DMD, MS ’01 : Master of beautiful smiles for children

But he was a professional chess master, had strong math and science skills, and was motivated to be successful. At that time, the Bay Area was still recovering from the Loma Prieta earthquake, so Kalika quickly found a construction job reinforcing damaged building foundations. He also started taking English classes at City College and planning for his future. 

Soon he was attending UC Berkeley, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and then Harvard, where he earned a DMD. Hoping to practice orthodontics in San Francisco, he headed back west to UCSF for orthodontic specialty training and a master’s degree in oral biology. 

Orthodontics is almost like a chess game for me. I look at the beginning and end of the game, count the moves, and figure it all out in my head.

Now, after travels and training around the world, he practices at Image Orthodontics, which he founded in 2002. 

“I love putting beautiful smiles on kids’ faces,” he says. Helping others has always been a priority for Kalika. For his UCSF master’s thesis, he studied how to improve access to orthodontic care for California’s underserved communities. Today, he serves on the UCSF School of Dentistry’s Advisory Council and Dean’s Council, as well as on the boards of several medical- dental device companies, striving to improve the patient experience and patients’ overall health. 

In his practice, he keeps orthodontics fun by playing music in the office and celebrating the accomplishments of both patients and staff. He also finds that his chess skills come in handy. 

“Orthodontics is almost like a chess game for me. I look at the beginning and end of the game, count the moves, and figure it all out in my head – so I can achieve the ideal facial balance and make the teeth perfect.