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We've Moved!
We are excited to see you at our new location, 421 St. Paul Avenue. We are still the same great dental team, providing family focused professional care, just at a new location.
The new location provides us with:
We look forward to seeing you soon! Feel free to give us a call if you have any questions or would like more information (519-759-1551).
Grand Smiles Dentistry has been privileged to serve the Brantford community for over 40 years. We are proud to call Brantford our home, and our patients our family. Our practice was founded in 1980 by Dr. Phil Hewson, who some may remember from our early days on 80 Brant Ave. Dr. Hewson’s reputation for professionalism, dedication and compassion for his patients became well known throughout the Brantford community and our patient family grew. Dr. Heidi Kurtz joined with Dr. Hewson in 2010 forming the HK Dental Studio. After Dr. Hewson retired, Dr. Kurtz continued to maintain the highest quality of care for our patients. Dr. Derek Szasz has since joined the practice. Dr. Szasz is a native of Brantford and a former patient of Dr. Hewson. Dr. Hewson had mentored Dr. Szasz throughout his education and training in the practice of dentistry and, when the time came, Dr. Szasz proved to be the perfect fit for the team. He has since become the primary provider in all aspects of the practice.
We are happy to say that Grand Smiles Dentistry continues to grow and that Dr. Szasz’s wife, Dr. Lindsay Shoniker, has joined the team. For over 40 years, we have been owned and operated by dentists and staff who live in, and care about, Brantford. While our name may have changed, we are the same dental family and together we are all a part of our community. In today’s world of large corporations, we are proud to be family owned and operated. We will continue to strive to serve our community with the same professionalism, dedication and compassion for which, over the decades, we have become known.
Read further to find out more details about the doctors and team!
Having been born and raised in Brantford, Derek Szasz has always called Brant County his home. In fact, Dr. Szasz was a former patient of our founder Dr. Hewson and, with Dr. Hewson’s mentorship, he developed a strong interest in the practice of dentistry. Dr. Szasz graduated from McMaster University with both Honours and a Summa Cum Laude distinction before gaining acceptance at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry. The intensive, four-year clinical program at Detroit Mercy, presented varied and challenging multi-disciplinary experiences as Dr. Szasz administered treatment to an underserviced patient population. It was here that Dr. Szasz and Dr. Lindsay Shoniker met when they were both undergoing research in Digital Dentistry. It was also in Detroit where Dr. Szasz was exposed to advanced continuing education in dentistry, a passion that he continues to pursue to this day.
Never really being too far from Brantford, Dr. Szasz joined our dental team in 2017. His lifelong dream was achieved when he and Dr. Shoniker purchased the practice and became the principal dentists two years later. Dr. Szasz is proud and excited to bring his passion and dedication to the dental profession to our office. It is his goal to direct this passion towards helping our patients achieve the absolute best patient centered care. Dr. Szasz is also a member of the Ontario Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, and the Spear Institute of Dental Education.
When not in the office, Dr. Szasz enjoys fishing, hiking, enjoying the outdoors, and spending time with his family and wife (Dr. Shoniker). Dr. Szasz has a particular fondness for hockey, which he can trace back to his days playing in both Jr. A. and minor hockey with the Brantford 99ers.
Dr. Lindsay Shoniker and Dr. Derek Szasz are married and happily living in Brant County. Dr. Shoniker began her career in oral health care with the study of Biomedical Science at the University of Guelph. Upon graduation, Dr. Shoniker gained acceptance at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry. While in Detroit, she spent four intense and gratifying years studying dentistry and providing treatment to an impoverished inner-city population. After graduation, she pursued more specialized knowledge of the practice of dental surgery through the completion of a General Practice Residency at the Summa Akron City Hospital in Akron, Ohio. The hospital residency program presented Dr. Shoniker the opportunity, as a member of a comprehensive hospital health care team, to provide oral health care to patients with a wide range of complex medical issues and dental needs. She is now a member of the Brantford community and an integral part of the team at Grand Smiles Dentistry. Dr. Shoniker is also a member of the Ontario Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, and the Spear Institute of Dental Education
Outside the office Dr. Shoniker enjoys spending her leisure time up north, in her hometown of Orillia with her husband (Dr. Szasz) and family, reading, biking, hiking and enjoying the outdoors.
Dr. Heidi Kurtz was born and raised in Brantford, Ontario. She graduated an Ontario Scholar from Pauline Johnson C.V.S in 1987. She continued her studies at University of Waterloo, graduating with her Honors Bachelor in Science degree in 1991. She was accepted into the University of Western Dentistry program, where she graduated in 1995, earning her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree.
When Dr. Kurtz isn’t practicing dentistry, she is busy taking care of her husband and three children. She enjoys travelling and spending time with friends and family.
Dr. Kurtz is a member of the Canadian Dental Association, the Ontario Dental Association and the Brant County Dental Society.
