What does the 'Ai' in Ai Orthodontics represent?

Practice Administrator Melissa McCalley smiled and explained the letters might be merely Dr. Aejaaz Issa's initials. But her expression suggests something more. After all, Issa "...is very passionate about being involved in the community" and annually supports a number of charitable activities.

As well as donating to the Emmaus Public Library and participating in Emmaus's Spring Clean Up, Issa and his young staff spike their public service with fun, like the autumnal pumpkin contest. Fifty dentists in the area are supplied with a pumpkin which they and their employees decorate. The embellished gourds are collected and a team of three judges chooses the top three most creative entries.

Pictures of those pumpkins are posted on Facebook. Dr. Issa's patients vote for their favorite and determine first, second and third prizes. Heather Ennis, Lehigh Valley Health Network's director of annual giving, then takes the pumpkins to their final destination– patients admitted to the Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest's children's ward. According to McCalley, "It's a huge hit."

In addition, the office staff stages a yearly food drive. In September, patients and members of numerous referring offices are invited to bring or send canned food and monetary donations to Issa's office. This year's goal was $3,000 and "a car full of food."

Canned goods flowed in until the packed boxes covered an entire office wall. McCalley emphasized that several young patients sacrificed portions of their personal allowances "which was really, really nice."

To express his appreciation, Issa freely furnished an Ai Orthodontics sweatshirt to anyone contributing $20 or more. Clearly, the entire office staff participated and their esprit de corps is obvious.

Clad in black Ai Orthodontics sweatshirts, staff members Emilie Reed, Kimber Strauss, Stevianne Bottcher and McCalley lifted and lugged boxes loaded with canned goods from McCalley's car into Emmaus' Bethel Bible Fellowship Church's food bank. Bethel Bible Fellowship's representative Beth Lorah welcomed the four energetic Ai staff members and on behalf of the food bank accepted over 500 cans of food accompanied by a check for $4,010.

And now, back to the original question, "What does the 'Ai' in Ai Orthodontics represent?" The obvious answer– Absolutely Incredible.