Melissa is Dr. Soung’s LEAD Surgical Assistant! As Dr. Soung’s XO (second-in-command), she is responsible for managing every clinical aspect of his practice that relates to direct patient care. Melissa has been assisting in Oral Surgery for 11 years and continues to strive to deliver outstanding patient care on a daily basis. Our staff and patients love and appreciate her sweet and nurturing personality, which has earned her the nickname/call sign of “Carebear”. Dr. Soung feels very grateful to have Melissa as his lead because she is a great balance (of sweetness) to his spice. When she isn’t at work, she loves spending time with her husband and family (Melissa recently became a Mommy to a beautiful baby boy!!, playing with her precious dog Poppy, exercising, eating yummy foods, and OBSESSING over Taylor Swift as a devoted life-long “Swiftie”!

FUN FACT: You would never guess it based on her incredibly kind and friendly disposition, but Melissa and her husband (Ethan) love listening to and singing heavy and death metal music (Disturbed, Slipknot, and System of a Down are some of her fav bands), especially during road trips. Talk about “driving while impaired.”

Meet Haley! Haley is an aspiring dentist (Dr. Soung is determined to make her a fellow graduate of his alma mater, the prestigious UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry). Originally from High Point, NC, she joined Team Soung in January 2022 after receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Science from Gardner-Webb University. She has been a true blessing to our team – Haley has a calm, easy-going, and always positive vibe about her that makes her loved by everyone who meets (and works with) her. In her free time, Haley loves spending time with her family and friends, working out, making Spotify playlists, and loving on her cat Luna)! She also loves volunteering with the youth at her church and supporting the Tar Heel basketball team!

FUN FACT: Don’t let Haley’s sweet demeanor fool you. She wakes up at 4:30 AM every day to work out. Don’t mess with her because not only is she tall, but she could take you down and “tap you out” in the blink of an eye with her purple belt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills (you’ll have to figure out whether or not Dr. Soung is totally making this up…

Emma is a native-born Ukrainian; hence she has been given the nickname/call sign of “Black Widow”. She has always had a desire for helping others, which has led her to pursuing her dream in working in the dental field. Emma was recruited to Dr. Soung’s team in 2022 (after working as a dental assistant in General Dentistry for a bit) and she has loved every minute of the fast-paced and more demanding role as a Surgical Assistant in Oral Surgery. Emma has an exotic taste when it comes to restaurants and enjoys all types of foods and flavors. She will not hesitate to try something new and will never back out of a challenge. Emma is the captain of pranking Dr. Soung and keeps everyone laughing in the office!

FUN FACT: Emma might have a fit appearance but looks can be deceiving (as the saying goes) because this girl can eat! Due to her love for food, she has competed in several eating competitions in the Southeast and aspires to make it to the famed annual July 4th Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest one day. She can inhale a whole donut in two bites, and her proudest eating achievement so far is 25 glazed donuts in 10 minutes! (True or False? Just ask Emma if/when you come by to visit us at Waverly Oral Surgery!)

Kathleen is our newest Surgical Assistant. She joined Team Soung in mid-2023 after completing her Associate of Arts degree at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, NC and Dental Assisting school here in Charlotte. She is a Charlotte native and has 4 siblings! In her free time, she is an avid (long-distance) runner, loves food, going to church and church-related events, and swimming.

FUN FACT: When Kathleen isn’t at Waverly Oral Surgery, she’s molding and training teenage athletes as a Coach of the Butler High School Swimming and Diving Team. I wonder what she thinks is harder? Taking care of patients and living up to Dr. Soung’s very high expectations and standards or managing adolescent personalities and drama?

Ari is our bilingual (Spanish-speaking) Front Desk Patient Care Coordinator. She is likely the first voice you’ll hear on the phone when you call our office and the first face that you will see when you check-in for your Oral Surgery appointment(s)! She has 5+ years of experience in the medical field and is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to quality health care. Ari is a Charlotte Native. In her free time, she always looks forward to an opportunity to gather with her family or travel with her husband. The love of her life is her 15-year-old dog Cody.

FUN FACT: Ari is quite a fashionista and loves keeping up with the latest fashion trends. She has a collection of over 100 different pairs of shoes! And she LOVES getting her nails done… so much so that she once got a whole new set of nails every 3 days (or so) for 180 days (yup, half a year)! Good thing one of her family members owns a nail salon otherwise she’d probably be broke and homeless from keeping that streak going. (How much of this is actually true?? Find out when you meet Ari when you come by to see us at Waverly Oral Surgery!)

Deylin is the newest addition to “Team Soung”, and we are thrilled to have her as our Insurance Coordinator. Like Ari, she is also bilingual (Spanish speaking) and they have the advantage of being able to gripe about Dr. Soung without him understanding anything that they are saying. Deylin comes to us with several years of experience in the dental field “going to battle” with insurance companies. She is one of five siblings and is a Charlotte native. Outside of work, she enjoys baking, music and singing, exploring different bars around Charlotte, and hanging out with friends and family.

FUN FACT: Don’t be shocked if Deylin looks completely different each time that you see her when you stop by our office. Deylin has a medical condition that has caused her to lose all of her hair, so she wears wigs (she has a collection of 5 different wigs so far); but you would never be able to tell!