Meet Dr. Dima Kalakech: Your Cibolo Orthodontist
Who is Dr. K? Dr. Dima Kalakech is a board-certified orthodontist and the founder of Embrace Orthodontics in Cibolo, TX. A specialist in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, she has been devoted to creating beautiful smiles since 2004, and her patients have answered with a 5.0-star Google rating across more than 1,000 reviews.
Dr. K believes that to embrace life, you must embrace your smile; it’s the conviction her practice is named for. Embrace Orthodontics is family-owned and operated, which means Dr. K isn’t just treating orthodontic needs; she’s building the kind of practice where the doctor knows your name, your school and your season schedule, and where great oral health becomes something the whole family practices together.
Education & Training
Dr. K’s path to Cibolo runs through some of the most respected programs in orthodontics:
| Training | Institution |
|---|---|
| Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), with honors | Lebanese University School of Dental Medicine, Beirut |
| Research - Bolton-Brush Growth Study Center | Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland (Certificate of Recognition, outstanding research assistant) |
| Master of Science in Orthodontics | Saint Louis University, Missouri |
| Certificate in University Teaching Skills | Reinert Center for Teaching Excellence, SLU |
| Advanced clinical training year | With three prominent Saint Louis-area orthodontists |
| McLaughlin two-year postgraduate orthodontic program (2012) | San Diego, California |
That last line matters: Dr. K treats learning as a lifelong endeavor, and her patients get the benefit of a doctor who kept training long after she was qualified to stop.
The through-line of that training is deliberate breadth. Dental surgery gave Dr. K her clinical foundation; the Bolton-Brush growth-study work at Case Western grounded her in how faces and jaws actually develop over time, knowledge she uses every week in early-treatment decisions. Saint Louis University’s orthodontics program, one of the most respected in the country, added the specialist discipline, and the teaching certificate she earned alongside it explains something patients notice immediately: she’s good at explaining things. The extra clinical year with three senior St. Louis orthodontists, and the McLaughlin program a decade into practice, were choices, not requirements, and they’re why “keeps learning” is the phrase colleagues use about her.
Board Certification & Professional Memberships
Dr. K is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, a voluntary certification only about half of orthodontists ever complete, earned through written and clinical examination before a panel of examiners. Learn what board certification involves.
She is also a proud member of the American Association of Orthodontists, Southwestern Society of Orthodontists, Texas Association of Orthodontists, American Dental Association, Texas Dental Association and San Antonio District Dental Society, and treats patients as a Gold Invisalign® Provider.
Her Approach to Patient Care
Ask patients what stands out about Dr. K and the same words keep appearing in a thousand-plus reviews: particular, warm, honest. Her clinical philosophy is conscientious care delivered personally; she conducts every examination herself, plans every case tooth by tooth on digital records, and supervises every adjustment visit rather than delegating to rotating providers. She’s equally known for what she won’t do: start treatment a child isn’t ready for, promise timelines a bite can’t deliver, or recommend an appliance because it’s trendy rather than right. Families get the truth at the first visit, free, and a doctor who treats their smiles like her own family’s from that day forward.
Published Research
Before opening Embrace, Dr. K contributed to the scientific literature of her specialty:
- Davis EC, Ferguson DJ, Kalakech DF. A Comparison of Two Maxillary Molar Distalization Appliances. J Dent Res, AADR Abstracts, 2002.
- Kalakech DF, Palomo JM, Hans MG. Comparison of Digital Versus Physical Records of an Orthodontic Patient. J Dent Res, AADR Abstracts, 2001.
That second study examined digital orthodontic records before they became the industry standard, a research instinct you’ll still find in our technology-forward practice today.
Service to Our Community
- Dr. K participated in the San Antonio Express-News Wellness Lecture series, speaking on orthodontic trends and everyday dental care.
- She has taught basic hygiene to young children at local preschools.
- Each year she donates an orthodontic treatment to the Kinetic Kids annual fundraiser, supporting sports, recreational and educational programs for San Antonio children with special needs, an organization she and her husband hold near to their hearts.
Explore more of the ways our practice gives back on our community involvement page.
On a Personal Note
Dr. K lives in San Antonio with her husband Chuck, whom you’ll meet running the front of the practice, and their two Texas-born sons. She grew up in Lebanon, where she learned ballet, played cards with her father and swam every summer. These days it’s yoga, Pilates, running, hiking, fishing with her boys and skiing with the family, plus a long-running family quest to visit all fifty states (34 down). They’ve hiked the Colorado Rockies, leaned on giant sequoias, and stuck their toes in beaches on all three coasts, but Texas skies are still home.
Schedule With Dr. K
Experience specialist care from a doctor who never stops learning. Call (210) 253-2424 or request an appointment for your complimentary consultation with Dr. Kalakech. Embrace Orthodontics: 791 FM 1103, Suite 113, Cibolo, TX 78108.