ABOUT THE DOCTORS
Dr. Michael J. Aguirre
Dr. Michael Aguirre founded the practice in 1983, after completing a two-year post-graduate residency program in orthodontics at the University of Florida. In 1994, he earned his board certification and became a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, a distinction earned by only 25% of all orthodontists.
Dr. Aguirre received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the Central University of Ecuador where he is a member of the University’s faculty.
Dr. Aguirre is a member of the Florida Association of Orthodontists, Southern Association of Orthodontists and the American Association of Orthodontists. In addition, he is a member of the local Suwanee Valley Study Club.
He is the author of scholarly articles published in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics and the Journal of the American Association of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics.
Dr. Aguirre is married to Lucy and has three children, Cristina, Gabriella and Miguel. During free time, he enjoys golf, tennis and University athletics.
Dr. Deborah B. Sappington
Dr. Deborah Sappington joined our office in 1997 after practicing orthodontics for ten years in New Jersey and Florida.
A graduate of Bryn Mawr College with honors in Biology, she received her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry. Graduating with highest honors as the top female graduate, she was elected to the Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society. She held academic and clinical positions at Sinai Hospital of Detroit and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia before pursuing her orthodontic training at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She received both a Certificate in Orthodontics and a Master of Science degree in Orthodontics in 1987.
Dr. Sappington taught orthodontic graduate residents at the University of Florida, where she was also active in the Craniofacial Deformities clinic. She has published work in the dental specialty journal, Special Care in Dentistry. She is an active member of the local Suwanee Valley Study Club.
Dr. Sappington is married to David, an Eminent Scholar and Professor at the University of Florida, and has a son, Alexander. Together they enjoy travel, swimming, University athletics and attending Alexander’s musical performances.
Community Involvement
Dr. Aguirre and Dr. Sappington support the community in numerous ways. We are Partners in Education for Lawton Chiles Elementary School and Kimball Wiles Elementary School. Artwork selected by the art teachers at Chiles and Wiles Elementary Schools hang in the reception room of the Haile Plantation Village Center office. New selections are made quarterly to give many young artists the opportunity to display their talents. Our practice supports athletic, instrumental, dance and foreign language programs at Buchholz, Eastside, Gainesville, Fort White, Hawthorne, Oak Hall, St. Francis Catholic and Santa Fe High Schools. Local middle and elementary schools, including Kanapaha, Ft. Clarke, Lincoln, Oak Hall, St. Patrick’s, Richardson, High Springs Community School, P.K. Yonge and Cornerstone Academy benefit from our support. We also support the University of Florida’s predental and athletic programs, local 4H clubs, youth fairs, boys and girls clubs and numerous health-related charities.
