Dr. Zeynep Ezgi Akan

I'm a 72-year-old with a lifelong dental phobia stemming from a childhood trauma. For decades, I avoided dentists until my dentures became unbearable. Dr. Akan was a revelation. She didn't just see a set of teeth; she saw my fear. During my full-mouth implant rehabilitation, she used a 'tell-show-do' approach, explaining each tool's sound before I heard it. Her assistant held my hand during the IV sedation induction. The transformation isn't just physical—I can eat corn on the cob for the first time in 30 years—it's emotional. At Acibadem Atasehir, they treated my anxiety with the same gravity as my bone grafts. Follow-ups felt like visiting a trusted friend who genuinely cared about my comfort, not just the clinical outcome.

Our 8-year-old son, Kerem, fell off his scooter and completely avulsed his front tooth. Panicked, we rushed to Acibadem's emergency department with the tooth in milk. Dr. Zeynep Ezgi Akan met us there within 20 minutes on a Sunday evening. Her calm was contagious. She re-implanted the tooth with incredible precision, then sat on the floor to talk to Kerem at his level, calling it a 'tooth rescue mission.' She created a follow-up plan involving fun, colored braces to manage the expected ankylosis. Her approach turned a traumatic event into an adventure. Kerem now says he wants to be a 'tooth rescuer' like her. The long-term monitoring plan is meticulous, blending pediatric dentistry with surgical foresight I've never seen before.

As a musician who plays the saxophone, my embouchure is everything. A failing root canal on my upper molar threatened my career. This wasn't a standard extraction; it required an apicoectomy with precise bone preservation to maintain the facial structure critical for my mouthpiece placement. Dr. Akan collaborated with a maxillofacial radiologist to create a 3D surgical guide, avoiding my inferior alveolar nerve by a fraction of a millimeter. She discussed the angle of incision in relation to my lip pressure. The microsurgery was performed with loupes, and the sutures were placed with an artist's care. My follow-up involved playing scales in her office to check for any altered sensation. She saved both my tooth and my livelihood with a fusion of art and science.

I presented with a bizarre, chronic draining sinus on my chin that three previous dentists had misdiagnosed as a skin issue. Dr. Akan suspected a hidden odontogenic infection. Her detective work was exceptional. She ordered a CBCT scan that revealed a microscopic, vertical root fracture in a lower premolar—a 'silent' infection traveling through the bone to my chin. The explanation, with 3D models, was crystal clear. The complex extraction and curettage required navigating the mental foramen. Her post-op care included managing the cutaneous fistula with a dermatologist. The relief when the sinus finally closed was immense. She solved a two-year medical mystery that others had dismissed, demonstrating that a dental surgeon must sometimes think like a medical diagnostician.