Corus Orthodontists welcomes Canadian-based Smilemakers to its growing North American partnership network. Smilemakers, which is based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, was founded by Dr. Reijo Peltoniemi and Dr. Mark Vukovich, who have been practicing together in the same location for more than 30 years. Together, the doctors have been operating a full spectrum orthodontic and dentofacial orthopedic practice that serves Northwestern Ontario.
Dr. Reijo Peltoniemi and Dr. Mark Vukovich are known for the great care and attention that they give to each of their patients in a fun and relaxing environment. Having spent time early in their careers working in children’s hospitals, Dr. Peltoniemi and Dr. Vukovich developed specialties in dentofacial orthopedics as well as in the treatment of patients with craniofacial anomalies and facial differences.
After many years of running their successful practice and leading a strong, tenured team on their own, both doctors felt that they could benefit from operational supports and the timing was right for them to explore a partnership. After 42 years practicing, Dr. Peltoniemi was looking ahead at retirement, so finding the right partner to ensure a smooth transition was critical.
When a broker introduced them to Dr. Paul Helpard, CEO of Corus Orthodontists, both Dr. Peltoniemi and Dr. Vukovich were intrigued by how different the Corus model was from traditional Dental Service Organizations (DSOs). They had spoken to several colleagues who had joined DSOs about their experiences, and neither doctor was interested in going down that path. Corus, on the other hand, seemed to offer exactly what they were looking for: operational support with clinical autonomy to run their practice their way and stability through the transition.
For Dr. Peltoniemi and Dr. Vukovich, the thought of being able to lean on others’ business expertise so they can focus their attention on providing exceptional patient care was very appealing. Both doctors consider themselves incredibly patient-centric and have built deep roots in their community. Corus’ commitment to preserving the doctor-patient relationship convinced them that this was the right fit.
“This community is very important to us,” Dr. Peltoniemi explains. “We’ve served families — parents and their children. Maintaining our brand and providing quality care is important to us. We care a lot about our patients and want to ensure there is continuity of great care.”
“We are proud to add Reijo and Mark to Corus’s growing network. They have done inspiring work in Cleft and Craniofacial Orthodontics, treating many patients with facial differences,” shares Dr. Paul Helpard, CEO of Corus Orthodontists. “We look forward to providing Mark and Reijo with the support their practice needs, and at the same time, we know that they are going to bring a depth of experience that will benefit all members of the Corus family.”
Meet Dr. Mark Vukovich
Dr. Mark Vukovich is a Certified Specialist in Orthodontics. He obtained both his dental degree and his Master of Clinical Dentistry in Orthodontics from Western.
Dr. Vukovich is a member of the Thunder Bay Dental Association (TBDA) and was president of the TBDA in 1999. He is a member of the provincial and national dental associations (ODA and CDA), the provincial and national orthodontic associations (OAO and CAO), as well as the American constituent and national associations (GLAO and AAO). He received the Merit award from the Ontario Association of Orthodontics for his work developing one of the first and best original orthodontic websites for the OAO in 1995. Dr. Vukovich is also a member of the Bloorview MacMillan craniofacial team.
Meet Dr. Reijo Peltoniemi
Dr Reijo Peltoniemi is a Certified Specialist in Orthodontics. He graduated with a degree in General Dentistry from the University of Toronto, where he also completed his two years of specialty training in Orthodontics.
Dr. Peltoniemi has extensive experience in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics as well as in the treatment of patients with craniofacial anomalies and facial differences. In addition, he works closely with Oral Surgeons and Plastic Surgeons for patients requiring combined surgical orthodontic treatment.
Dr. Peltoniemi is a member of the Thunder Bay Dental Association, Ontario Dental Association, Canadian Dental Association, Ontario Association of Orthodontists, the Canadian Association of Orthodontists, the Toronto Orthodontic Study Club, the American Association of Orthodontists and the Great Lakes Association of Orthodontists. Dr. Peltoniemi is also a member of the Bloorview MacMillan craniofacial team.
