BUILDING PERFECT SMILES
As Margeaux Black, DDS, MSD grew up in Butte, Montana, her orthodontist, Dr. Timothy Ballweber, DDS, joked that she should shadow him when she got older to see if she too might want to go into orthodontics. When Black found herself in a pre-professional health class as a freshman at Montana Technological University years later, her mother suggested that she follow up with Dr. Ballweber to see if Margeaux could take him up on his offer.
“He ended up giving me a job,” Black remembers. “I was trained as an orthodontic assistant in that practice.”
When Dr. Jonna Laslovich, DMD took over the practice from Dr. Ballweber, Black stayed on until she graduated with her B.S. in Biological Sciences (molecular and cellular biology track) with a minor in business. By working and earning scholarships from the Montana Tech Foundation, Black was able to graduate debt-free in 2017. Black also was selected for the highly competitive Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Professional Student Exchange Program, which selects two to three students from Montana every year to study at an out-of-state dental school for in-state rates. The program saves students $39,700–$139,800 on tuition for professional school, depending on the institution attended.
“That relieved a massive amount of financial stress,” Black said. “It is a financial burden to go to a professional school.”
Black packed her bags for the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. She learned to be a dentist during one of the most trying healthcare challenges of a lifetime, the coronavirus pandemic. The clinic had to figure out how to see patients safely and deal with challenges like sourcing enough N-95 masks so clinicians could see patients.
“That was really hard,” Black said. “That was the most challenging part of dental school.”
When Black graduated from dental school, she was accepted into the University of Colorado’s 30-month Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics residency program, which provides training in braces and aligners.\
“Orthodontists make mouths healthier and more functional,” Black said. “The smile transformation is the best part of what we do.”
Black says her undergraduate education at Montana Tech set her up for success in dental school and orthodontics residency. Her résumé was packed with research experiences conducted under Dr. Marisa Pedulla and Dr. Amy Kuenzi that set her apart in the admissions process. Her letters of recommendation were personalized
because her professors knew her. She sailed through the Dental Admissions Test.
“When I took that exam, I was astounded at how well prepared I was just from my education at Tech,” Black said.
In her first year of dental school, Black took courses in immunology, microbiology, and anatomy and physiology. She messaged her former professors to tell them that much of the material was a review of what she learned at Montana Tech.
Black currently practices in Westminster, Colorado. She says students considering orthodontics or dentistry should do as much job shadowing as possible. In addition to her work for Dr. Ballweber and Dr. Laslovich, Black also
shadowed other dental professionals to ensure she wanted to invest four to seven years of her life into the career choice.
Black says that she was a bit intimidated by the thought of studying for that length of time, but there were many, including individuals at Montana Tech and in her dental cohorts, who helped boost her spirits and carry her through
because of their shared determination to reach the finish line.
“You make friends very quickly,” Black said. “They become your community. You’ll have classes that are tough, but it helps that you are surrounded by like-minded people.”
Black says Montana Tech students are well positioned for dental school and other healthcare professions, if they choose to pursue that path.
“Never underestimate the power of the education you receive at Montana Tech, because it can take
you so far,” Black said.