Love and learning: how dentistry brought an alumni couple together

By Rachel Boutet

When Helen Hoang came to the Faculty of Dentistry, she didn’t know she’d be gaining more than a degree. Hoang met her future husband Sean Chung during her time at U of T.

Hoang 1T2 DDS, who was born and raised in Toronto, went to the University of Toronto for both her undergraduate science and dentistry degree.

“I did pottery as a child with my mom, who always said that I worked well with my hands and would enjoy an artistic career like dentistry,” she says. “She encouraged me to apply to dental school and I’m so glad that she did because I found a career that I truly enjoy doing every day.”

Hoang, who is now a general dentist in downtown Toronto and a former U of T Dentistry clinical instructor, met Chung 1T3 MSc Ortho through a mutual friend while she was completing her DDS and he was working on his graduate degree in orthodontics. “We didn’t actually see each other during the school day because we were on different floors.”

It wasn’t until after Hoang graduated that their friendship grew into something more. Beyond their mutual passion for dentistry and helping others, Hoang and Chung were both involved in extracurricular activities. “We were both teaching at the Faculty of Dentistry and also very involved in different dental societies and associations and it was through those activities we ended up seeing each other quite often,” says Chung, who owns his own orthodontic clinic in midtown Toronto.

Chung remembered that as a grad student, he was able to help the recently graduated Hoang talk about the different options she had and what opportunities were available to her. They both valued having each other to talk to about their days, sharing similar experiences. And they both credit their extracurricular activities as presenting more opportunities for their relationship to develop.

“I know that the association meetings can be time demanding beyond regular work, but it can lead to valuable friendships, career insights or even job opportunities,” says Chung. “Sometimes you just need that one person to take that step to go to an event. Then another person follows them, brings a friend, and that might be the start of a good group of lifelong dental friends.”

Now both very established in their dental careers, Hoang and Chung value having each other for support when needed.

“It’s nice to have a partner who is also a dentist,” says Hoang. “Some days can be difficult and it’s helpful to have a husband who truly understands and can offer guidance. You don’t have to explain yourself – they just get it.”

Chung agrees. He feels fortunate to have a wife like Hoang by his side and a career he thoroughly enjoys – saying that orthodontics offers such a range of involvement which is very fulfilling for him.

“Patient care is one part but I also enjoy the teaching aspect of my career,” he says. “Having responsibilities to the patients, staff, students and residents keeps things interesting. I love interacting with different people and helping to guide their path.”

Hoang says she’s grateful to have a career where she experiences happiness and a sense of purpose in the community by helping others.

“I am so lucky to have fantastic patients and an amazing team. Dentistry is a lot of fun,” she says. “When you do beautiful dentistry and the patient are appreciative, you feel very proud of yourself – it’s extremely rewarding. I also think that having a job I love helps me find balance and makes me a good role model for my kids.”

The couple have two children together, ages four and six. Collectively Hoang and Chung agree that they hope their children will find careers that they love as much as they do.

“As long as they love what they do, we’ll support their pursuits. We count ourselves fortunate to have met during our time at the Faculty and we’ll encourage our kids to be open to the relationships they can create wherever they go.”

Top photo: Sean Chung and Helen Hoang (Gustavo Toledo Photography)