Born and raised in Vancouver, Dr. Robin Mak has always been described as artistic and nerdy. Growing up, she designed her own jewelry line, worked as a lifeguard and swimming instructor, and had a keen interest in science. Robin graduated with a Microbiology degree from UBC, after which she focused her artistic talents and interest in science to pursue dentistry. Scoring in the 99th percentile in her Carving Dexterity entrance exam helped her follow in her father’s footsteps, and she graduated from UBC’s Faculty of Dentistry in 2006. Robin’s professional associations and memberships include the Canadian Dental Association, the College of Dental Surgeons of BC, the British Columbia Dental Association, and the California Center for Advanced Dental Studies.
Dr. Robin Mak was the principal dentist at Kits Family Dental, and has now partnered with Dr. Sakura Iwagami. The Kits Family Dental practice focuses on families. Her professional philosophy is to achieve and maintain oral health through early prevention. She regularly volunteers at local day cares, such as West Side Family Place, where she provides free screening for cavities and education to parents about their child’s oral health care. In addition, dayc ares have been invited to come into the office for a tour so that the kids can see what dental visits consist of. Robin carried out caries screening for all of the children, showed them around the office, allowed them to touch anything they wanted, and answered their questions. All the kids left with toothbrushes and other goodies. (Contact the office if you would like to bring in a school group or a daycare for a visit or tour.) Her dedication to community health and volunteer work is exemplified through various channels. Robin works as a sessional dentist providing free dental work for young children at the North Community Health Clinic and volunteers annually for Oral Health Month, which is sponsored by the BC Dental Association. Robin has also volunteered with EMAS (Education, Medical Aid & Service), having undertaken a 2 week long mission trip immediately after dental school to practice emergency dentistry in rural communities in various Vietnamese cities, where she extracted tons of teeth. Robin loves volunteering, and plans to make overseas volunteer trips again someday. Apart from her private practice, Robin finds time to teach. She is a clinical instructor at the University of British Columbia, Faculty of Dentistry, where she trains third and fourth year dentistry students during their pediatric dentistry and local anesthesia modules.
When not at work, you can find her running, swimming, and on old-school games leagues playing dodge ball and Capture the Flag. Robin truly enjoys travelling, and takes trips whenever she can. This, coupled with her great love of dogs (she owned a Harlequin Great Dane growing up!), caused her to adopt Manos, a stray dog that followed Robin and her husband around for 4 days on their trip to Santorini, Greece. Robin’s fun and relaxed attitude will guarantee your dental visit will feel more like a visit with a friend.
