Page 22 - Dentistry Magazine 2022

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DENTISTRY 2022
“Anything that happens at home never comes to work with us,” Gamble explained. But when they go home, their love for orthodontics comes with them. “We talk about orthodontics more than the average person,” Slama joked. “We go home and we discuss cases, what we would’ve done for each one. It’s nice. We’re always learning from one another.”
Gamble and Slama know that their respect for one another is a major part of working successfully together. “You always worry about couples competing,” Gamble explained, “but we are incredibly non-competitive. We acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses, and we make a good team on and off the ice.”
Those individual strengths factor into their love for orthodontics, too: with all they have in common, the two view the field through a different lens.
“I like the planning of it, thinking through cases,” explained Slama. “There’s a lot of data.” But what draws Gamble to the field is “the art and design, and the social interaction of orthodontics.”
Both agree on their favorite part of working in ortho- dontics at the University of Minnesota: it’s fun. “I love taking care of kids, making a difference in their lives,” Gamble explained. Slama agreed, pointing out, “people come to the orthodontist to get braces, and they usually want to be there. Everyone’s in a good mood, it’s a happy environment.”
Cheyenne Beckleman and Jin Kwon
ZACH SLAMA AND MADDY GAMBLE
Today, they continue to work together at the same orthodontics practice in the Twin Cities—and they’re excited to keep going through life together.
“I’m really grateful that I’ve had the experience of being here at the U of M for the last six years, and Zach having the last ten years here,” Gamble reflected. “And I’m so glad my husband and I have been able to do it together.”
“It was pretty funny dating in dental school, because we wanted to keep things quiet in case things went south. Our friends figured it out pretty fast, but some people didn’t know we were dating until our third year! We
had some fun encounters with patients: they’d think we had crushes on each other, or get excited when one of us stopped by the other’s cubicle to say hi, if they knew.”
Cheyenne Beckleman and Jin Kwon, DDS ’22
Then: moved into the Psi Omega house together, started dating within two months Now: Engaged, living in Tacoma, WA. Jin is an Army AEGD resident at Joint Base Lewis-McChord; Cheyenne works in private practice.