Find the network of dental professionals that are dedicated to the natural solution
Committed to educating
the next generation of Pediatric Dentists and Orthodontists on the most advanced treatments backed by science. Our partnership with UNC Chapel Hill ensures that all patients will have natural solutions as a treatment option.
Our Team
Dr. Sonny Long
of Laxer, Long & Savage and UNC Adams School of Dentistry
Dr. Sonny Long is one of a small number of certified dual specialists in both pediatric dentistry and orthodontics. He grew up in Roxboro, NC, and subsequently attended Elon University where he received a BA in Biology. He taught high school biology and chemistry while also playing lead guitar for the popular In-Men Ltd. for four years before resuming his lifelong ambition to become a dentist. He received his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry where he earned the distinction of being inducted into Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU), the national dental honor society that recognizes outstanding scholarship, character, leadership and professionalism.
Dr. Long continued his studies at the UNC School of Dentistry where he received his Master of Science and Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry (MS). While there, he served as a primary investigator in a major public health study of dental disease in North Carolina funded by the Kellogg Foundation. He then earned his master's degree by developing a mathematical formula to convert the field data from the state wide study into an accurate clinical assessment of the dental health needs of the children of our state. This research was published in the Journal of Public Health and is still used as a research guideline today. Dr. Long has also published articles in Pediatric Dentistry and in The Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics on clinical case studies of rare conditions including Cyclic Neutropenia, Bell's Palsy, and Dens Evaginatus.
Dr. Long decided to pursue a second specialty degree in order to provide more comprehensive services to his patients. He received his degree in orthodontics from the University Of Toronto Faculty Of Dentistry in Toronto, Ontario, where he had the privilege of tutelage under Dr. Donald Woodside. Dr. Woodside is a highly esteemed researcher and international lecturer particularly in the areas of child and adolescent facial growth and appliance therapies that are designed to enhance growth in a way that improves function and appearance.
Dr. John Christensen
of Durham Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics and UNC Adams School of Dentistry
Dr. John Christensen is a dual trained pediatric dentist and orthodontist from Durham, NC. Dr. Christensen is one of a small number of dual trained individuals who practice both specialties. In addition to private practice, he teaches in the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry pediatric dental program where his responsibilities include age appropriate (early) orthodontic treatment concepts, how to manage trauma and missing teeth with orthodontic care, and how to guide multidisciplinary approaches in children with unusual problems.
Dr. Christensen is a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. He received his graduate training in Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Christensen has lectured at the AAO and AAPD national meetings and is an editor of the 6th Edition of Pediatric Dentistry: Infancy Through Adolescence.