Dr. Maria Atique Rojas first fell in love with her profession as a little girl watching her mom work as an orthodontist in Venezuela. Now, many years later, Dr. Atique owns a thriving practice of her own in San Antonio, Texas. Atique Orthodontics has been serving the people of San Antonio for over fourteen years with high-quality, compassionate orthodontic care.
Although Dr. Atique is far from her home country, she has never forgotten her roots or the people who put her on the path to orthodontics. Though she initially wanted to be a pediatric dentist, it was in dental school that she started to understand the impact of work she had seen her mother do all her life and realized that orthodontics was her true passion. Dr. Atique credits her mother and her father (a cardiologist) for teaching her the art of listening to her patients.
She also had the unique opportunity to work alongside her mother for several years in Venezuela after completing her orthodontic specialty certificate from the University of Pennsylvania. “I came in with my new ideas and my love for technology, and was able to meld that with my Mom’s years of experience and wisdom,” Dr. Atique said.
“People think that orthodontics is just about having straight teeth but it’s a lot more than that. We can impact the patient’s health by helping their jaws develop properly. We help the patients by not only giving them proper occlusion but also a beautiful smile.”
– Dr. Maria Atique
After working in her mother’s orthodontic practice, Dr. Atique moved to St. Louis Missouri to accept a job as a professor at the Center for Advanced Dental Education at Saint Louis University. There, she taught orthodontic residents and also served on the Cleft Lip/Palate & Craniofacial Deformities Team at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. In 2006, Dr. Atique and her husband Jose, moved to San Antonio and together they started Atique Orthodontics, with Dr. Atique seeing patients and Jose overseeing the administrative side of things.
A Rewarding and Flexible Career
One of the reasons Dr. Atique loves being an orthodontist is the chance to see the patient’s transformation during their treatment. “Seeing patients smile for the first time, especially those very shy and self-conscious patients, is so rewarding.”
Dr. Atique also loves orthodontics because she’s able to have a professional career with lots of room for advancement but it doesn’t take away time with her family. Her husband and two sons are her priority, and she loves that being an orthodontist allows her to spend plenty of quality time with them. Dr. Atique remembers how her mom was able to have an incredible professional career, and at the same time was always there for her kids.
Dr. Atique’s first language is Spanish, but she’s fluent in both Spanish and English. In her practice, she sees a diverse group of multilingual patients. She has patients from Brazil, Korea, different countries in Europe, and Spanish-speaking countries.
TAO is lucky to have member orthodontists who are as committed and passionate as Dr. Maria Atique. To learn more about her practice, check out her videos on our YouTube Channel or visit her website.
YouTube Videos
Meet Dr. Maria Atique
Don’t Be Scared of the Orthodontist
Orthodontists Can Help Sleep Treat Disorders
Orthodontics and Your Health
Orthodontics and ADHD
A Healthy Beautiful Smile Can Change Your Life