– The team behind
your smile.
Every Milk patient is cared for by a registered specialist orthodontist and a skilled, friendly team, so your treatment is expert, efficient, and genuinely enjoyable.
Dr Shaz MacAvoy
Specialist Orthodontist · FounderDr Shaz MacAvoy holds four clinical university degrees spanning pharmacy, dentistry and specialist orthodontics, and she has built Milk Orthodontics around a simple idea: specialist care, delivered warmly.
Originally from Auckland, Dr MacAvoy began her career as a pharmacist before moving into dentistry. She taught dentistry at the University of Sydney while working in private practice, then was selected for specialist orthodontic training, completing three further years at the University of Otago to become a registered specialist orthodontist. Alongside this, she completed a research degree in orthodontics at the University of Sydney.
She is a registered specialist orthodontist with the Dental Council of New Zealand and a registered dentist with the General Dental Council of the United Kingdom, and has published peer-reviewed research in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation and the New Zealand Dental Journal, and completed two research theses during her specialist training, at the University of Otago and the University of Sydney.
Dr Shaz is also committed to teaching and to the wider profession. She has acted as a Dental Council of New Zealand supervisor for overseas-trained orthodontists while they completed the requirements for full New Zealand registration, and has trained orthodontic auxiliaries who have gone on to gain full registration. As an examiner for the New Zealand Association of Orthodontists orthodontic auxiliary assessment, which the Milk Orthodontics clinic in Newmarket has hosted, she helps set the standard that qualifies orthodontic auxiliaries across New Zealand. She has also served on interview panels selecting medical and dental students for the University of Otago.
Away from the clinic, Dr Shaz spends her time with her husband, children and extended family, and loves tennis, swimming and reading. She is also a qualified PADI Divemaster, a professional diving qualification, a reflection of the way she likes to do things thoroughly.
Four university degrees, two registrations
A clinician who has added to the field
Specialist training in orthodontics included original research. Dr Shaz completed two research theses, a Doctor of Clinical Dentistry thesis at the University of Otago and a Master of Philosophy thesis at the University of Sydney, and her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals.
Dr Shaz also published earlier in her career as a pharmacist, in the International Journal of Pharmacy Practice.
Caring for Auckland smiles since 2015
Dr Shaz founds the practice as Smile Logic and begins seeing patients in Onehunga.
The growing practice becomes Milk Orthodontics and moves to Eastridge.
Milk moves to its award-winning, architecturally designed home in Newmarket.
Our second clinic opens in Albany, bringing specialist care to the North Shore.
Dr Shaz also proudly continued the care of Dr Mark Beresford's patients on his retirement, and worked closely with Dr Robert Max, carrying on a trusted Auckland orthodontic lineage.
The people who make Milk, Milk
Specialist care works best as a team sport. Dr Shaz plans and directs every case, and this is the team who brings it to life:
Kaitlyn
Clinical ManagerWith Dr Shaz since our Eastridge days in 2018, Kaitlyn runs the clinic day to day. There is nothing a patient needs that she can't help with.
Colleen
Treatment CoordinatorYour first port of call. Colleen guides you through your Free Smile Assessment and your options, and looks after growth guidance reviews, recalls and retainer checks.
Saskia
Patient CoordinatorSaskia keeps your journey organised, from bookings and reminders to making sure every visit starts on time and ends with a smile.
Emily
Oral Health TherapistEmily is registered with the Dental Council of New Zealand as an oral health therapist and also holds orthodontic auxiliary registration, so she delivers the full range of chairside orthodontic care to Dr Shaz's plan, plus hygiene cleans and baby tooth removal when your treatment calls for it, working alongside your regular dentist.
Abby
Orthodontic AuxiliaryAbby is DCNZ-registered in the orthodontic auxiliary scope of practice and cares for every stage of your treatment chairside: fitting your braces, wire changes, and the day they finally come off, all to Dr Shaz's plan.
Francois
Orthodontic AuxiliaryFrancois is DCNZ-registered in the orthodontic auxiliary scope of practice and works across the full treatment journey, from bonding and adjustments through to removal, with a calm precision patients love.
Theresa
Orthodontic AuxiliaryTheresa is DCNZ-registered in the orthodontic auxiliary scope of practice and provides the same complete chairside care at every visit, with a knack for putting nervous patients instantly at ease.
Jayden
Sterilisation AssistantBehind every appointment is Jayden, who keeps our instruments and clinic spotless to strict sterilisation standards, so your care is as safe as it is comfortable.
Specialist-planned, expertly delivered
Every smile is diagnosed and planned by our specialist orthodontist. Our registered clinical team then carries out that plan, with Dr Shaz on site and overseeing your treatment at every visit.
Dr Shaz MacAvoy, Specialist Orthodontist
Diagnoses your case, designs your treatment plan, and stays responsible for it from first appointment to final result.
Orthodontic Auxiliaries
Registered orthodontic auxiliaries fit, adjust and care for your braces and appliances, following Dr Shaz's plan precisely.
Oral Health Therapist
Our OHT keeps teeth and gums healthy during treatment with hygiene cleans, and removes baby teeth when the plan calls for it.
Treatment Coordinator
Colleen guides you from your first Smile Assessment, and looks after growth-guidance reviews, recalls and retainer checks.
Our whole clinical team is registered with the Dental Council of New Zealand and works within scope, with Dr Shaz on site overseeing your care. She trains orthodontic auxiliaries and, as an examiner for the New Zealand Association of Orthodontists, helps set the national standard that auxiliaries across New Zealand must meet, the same standard the team caring for you is held to.
Come and say hello
The best way to meet the team is a free, friendly chat about your smile, in clinic or on Zoom, whichever is easier.
Book your Free Smile Assessment