Dr. Sherif Elhady
Dr. Sherif N. Elhady is a board-certified orthodontist and has been practicing in Northern Virginia since 2005. Board-certified orthodontists have reached a distinct level of achievement that goes beyond the state-required licensure, including additional education and ongoing assessment. It is confirmation of his commitment to providing lifelong quality patient care. Dr. Elhady graduated summa cum laude from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. Following this, he graduated magna cum laude from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry (VCU), with a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS). Upon earning his DDS, Dr. Elhady continued at VCU, completing an orthodontic residency and earning a Masters of Dentistry.
Dr. Elhady is passionate about volunteering and giving back to his community. In addition to donating to many school and community programs, Dr. Elhady volunteers annually with The MOM Project and Give Kids A Smile. He has been a Cub Scout leader since 2O15, as well as mentoring youth for over ten years.
Outside of the office, Dr. Elhady enjoys spending time with his wife and four children.
- American Association of Orthodontics
- Northern Virginia Dental Society
- Northern Virginia Orthodontic Study Club
Dr. Farnaz Younessian
Dr. Farnaz Younessian is a board-certified orthodontist who is interested in designing smiles knowing that a beautiful smile impacts not only the oral health of patients, but also their quality of life. She completed her Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) and Master of Science (MS) in Orthodontics. She practiced orthodontics for more than two years before moving to the state of Florida to receive her second Master of Science (MS) in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics from Nova Southeastern University.
Dr. Younessian believes it is essential to integrate advanced technology and evidence-based practice to provide the most efficient treatment for her patients. She has published more than 35 orthodontic clinical articles on subjects of root resorption, acceleration of orthodontic tooth movement, and orthodontic considerations in medically compromised patients in PubMed indexed journals. Dr. Younessian received the “Research Aid Grant” award from American Association of Orthodontics (AAO). The research project studied the application of local administration of antiresorptive agents to control tooth movements and prevent relapse during orthodontic treatment. To stay current in her knowledge of orthodontics, Dr. Younessian actively attends many professional meetings including the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), Southern Association of Orthodontists (SAO) annual meetings. Dr. Younessian dedicates her time to volunteering for dental charities such as “Give Kids a Smile” on an annual basis, in order to serve her community. Additionally, as of 2022, she works as part-time faculty in the Department of Orthodontist and Pediatric Dentistry at the School of Dentistry, University of Maryland.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, running, and practicing yoga.
- American Association of Orthodontists
- Southern Association of Orthodontists
- American Association of Orthodontics
Dr. Mahsa Mortazavi
Dr. Mahsa Mortsavi, fondly known around the office as Dr. Mahsa, has a dream for making people happy by creating bright smiles. She feels orthodontics is the best path for her to achieve this dream. As a child of a dentist, many of Dr. Masha’s best memories from childhood took place in her mother’s office as she watched her for hours, in awe, while she created beautiful smiles. She knew that she wanted to do the same. In 2010, Dr. Mahsa received her Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Tehran University. She recently achieved board certification by passing her Board of Orthodontics with honors in 2022. After working as a faculty member at university and private practice, she joined the Craniofacial Research Instrumentation Laboratory (CRIL) at University of the Pacific in San Francisco as a research fellow. Once the fellowship was completed, she began her orthodontic residency at University of the Pacific and graduated with her second Certificate of Orthodontics and Masters of Dentistry.
Dr. Mahsa is interested in evidence-based dentistry and its integration with new techniques in orthodontics and has more than ten scientific papers, including systematic reviews on the subjects of Invisalign, orthognathic surgeries, and cleft lip and palate treatments. Upon completion of her one-year research fellowship at the CRIL at University of the Pacific, she worked on several projects related to etiology, prevention and treatment of patients with cleft lip and palate. Her research results were presented in national and international conferences such as World Congress of International Cleft Lip and Palate Foundation in Germany. She volunteered as a member of the Cleft Lip and Palate team, which is responsible for treatment of patients with cleft lip and palate from birth to adulthood. She also volunteers annually with the ADA Foundation’s Give Kids A Smile program.
Outside of the office, Dr. Mahsa enjoys spending time with her family and friends, playing tennis, and reading science-fiction and psychology books.
- American Association of Orthodontics
- The Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontics
- American Board of Orthodontics
Dr. Cindy Ding
Dr. Cindy Ding grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland and attended the University of Maryland Dental School for her Doctor of Dental Surgery. She went on to complete her orthodontic residency at the University of Colorado. Additionally, Dr. Ding has finished an Aligner Intensive Fellowship program focused primarily on clear aligner therapy.
Dr. Ding is passionate about orthodontics because it is a mental challenge to get all the teeth to fit into the right spaces, much like solving a puzzle. It is her belief, as an orthodontist, that it is imperative to use her skills to serve and make a positive difference in the lives of her patients. To Dr. Ding, there is no greater feeling in the world than helping someone with his or her smile and confidence.
Outside of the office, Dr. Ding enjoys hiking or camping in the mountains with her husband. She is also a foodie and loves trying out different restaurants and trying out new recipes.
Dr. Moataz Elmahdy
Dr. Moataz “Taz” Elmahdy is a board-certified orthodontist who graduated from Cairo University in 2008, where his passion for orthodontics began. He originally began practicing general dentistry before realizing that orthodontics was the path he would embark on. Dr. Taz then attended the Craniofacial Program at the University of Kentucky, completed an orthodontic residency training at the University of Rochester in 2017, and also earned a master’s degree in oral biology.
When asked why he chose orthodontics he says, “When we meet people, their teeth is one of the first things we notice– so I love how we can make a huge impact in our patients’ lives by giving them beautiful smiles.”
Dr. Taz was born and raised in Egypt. He was previously practicing as an orthodontist in Virginia Beach before relocating to Northern Virginia this summer, a move his family dreamed of.
In his free time, he loves watching and playing futbol, as well as reading. During his weekends, Dr. Taz enjoys exploring new restaurants, especially bakeries and coffee shops with his wife and two kids.
American Board of Orthodontics
American Association of Orthodontics
Southern Association of Orthodontics
