Dr. Megan Mazzawi dental school graduation ceremony. (L-R) Darin Wasileski, Dr Hugh Mazzawi, Dr Marty Mazzawi, Dr Matt Mazzawi, Dr Mark Mazzawi, Dr Anne Mazzawi, Dr Megan Mazzawi, Dr Miles Mazzawi, and Dean Connie Drisko, Medical College of Georgia Dental School. Special Photo

By Phylecia Wilson
SNELLVILLE- When Megan Mazzawi walked into the Mazzawi Family Dentistry office on June 18, it was the culmination, not only of years of schooling, but of plans and dreams to practice dentistry in the Snellville office her parents opened nearly 40 years ago.
Though Megan worked in the office prior to dental school, now it was different. No more odd jobs like she did in high school, no more assisting as she did in college and medical school. Now she is Dr. Megan Mazzawi – at 27, fully prepared and qualified to practice dentistry as her mom and dad did for 35 years and as her brothers are doing now.
The youngest of Hugh and Anne Mazzawi’s six children, Megan graduated in May from the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry, the same school where four of her five brothers, Drs. Mark, Matt, Miles and Marty Mazzawi got their dental degrees. In fact, their cousin Darin Wasileski, who also shares in the practice, is a MCG graduate, as well.
“Mom and dad are excited and thrilled to have all of us through school and back home,” Dr. Megan shared. “I’m spending a lot of time with them. Mom came in the first day to be there in case I had any questions.
“It’s been a pretty smooth transition. All the boys are a great support team, checking on me and willing to help, peeking their heads in and making sure I’m okay. It feels great being here.”
“Megan is the last one to graduate until the next generation,” Dr. Matt said, jokingly adding that his son, Carter, who is four is already talking about dental school.
The graduation ceremony itself was something to talk about. Close to 30 family members were present for the graduation and private Dental School hooding ceremony in which her brothers participated.
“Graduation was unbelievable just having everyone there,” Dr Megan said. “It was a very unique experience to have my brothers hood me.” She added that while a few students had siblings and parents who attended MCG’s dental school, no one had four brothers and a cousin to precede them.
Missing that day, but always in their thoughts was their oldest brother, Michael, who was in medical school when he was killed in an automobile accident in Arizona several years ago. “He’s always in my thoughts. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t think about him,” Dr. Megan said.
Dr. Anne has been impressed with the way her only daughter handled dental school. “To be the last of the line and the only girl could be a burden and extra pressure when all before you have done well,” she said. “But she handled it like a champ.
“I knew it would be nice for her working with her brothers, but I didn’t know she would embrace it like she has.”
For her and Dr. Hugh, watching their children go through college and then choosing dental school has been rewarding.
“We thoroughly enjoyed dentistry as a profession and thought it would be good for our kids, too. Others in our family were in medicine and not as happy as we were in dentistry,” Dr. Anne recalled. “In dentistry they can work as much as they want and with the support they give each other, have more free time and family time and more time for continuing education.”
“They have taken the practice and run with it,” said Dr. Hugh, who along with Dr. Anne retired about five years ago. “They have carried forward with new things going on in the world of dentistry. Things are changing and they are right on top of it.
“Not only do they take continuing education in new techniques, they are very involved in what is happening and go way beyond what is required.”
Dr. Miles went even further. After a couple of years in the Snellville office doing general dentistry, he decided he wanted to specialize in pedodontics. He went back to school – this time in Texas – and now practices pedodontics in the Snellville office a couple of days a week, while also working to establish a new practice in Canton.
Drs. Hugh and Anne, who met while studying dentistry at Emory University, say they missed their patients when they retired. “But we knew they were in good hands with our children. And they knew our children when they worked in the office as teenagers
“They would tell us, ‘We miss you but want you to know we enjoy being taken care of by your kids – they take as good care of us as you did.’”
“This has been a dream for me since I was a little girl,” Dr. Megan mused. “I don’t ever remember wanting to do anything else. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m finally here. I’ll think I have to go back to school and then realize, no – I’m here finally to stay. It’s truly a dream come true.”