Dental Hygiene Durham

Originally from West Virginia, Dr. Cunningham was fortunate to be raised in a small town where his dad practiced general dentistry and his mother was a stay-at-home mom.

In 2015, Dr Cunningham achieved his dream of private practice ownership becoming the owner of Durham Dental Implants & Cosmetic Dentistry. Also in 2015, Dr. Cunningham achieved his board certification, an achievement that only a small percentage of prosthodontists in the world attain.

In 2018, Dr. Cunningham was extremely honored to be awarded the Private Practice Award by the American College of Prosthodontics. This award is given out to only four practitioners in the United States annually. Dr. Cunningham is published in multiple peer-reviewed journals, lectures for world renowned implant companies nationally, serves as an expert witness, and provides dental industry consultation services. He is honored to be named as Durham Magazine’s Top Dentist by his peers, year after year.

Simply put, Dr. Cunningham loves the art and science of dentistry and is very passionate about the pursuit of clinical excellence. The decision to specialize in Prosthodontics is based on this passion and the yearning to have the ability to treat more complex multidisciplinary cases, a skill that is not taught in the general dentistry realm. He is also has many local and out of state dentists come to him for their own dental care.

Dr. Cunningham is married to his wife, Karen Cunningham. They have two daughters, Annalee and Audrey. When he isn’t working to improve your smile, Dr. Cunningham enjoys outdoor sports, reading, watching documentaries, and spending time with family.

A native of North Carolina, Dr. Gazdeck grew up the oldest of four siblings in Lincolnton, NC. After graduating Summa Cum Laude and a Valedictorian from North Carolina State University in 2009 he went on to receive his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) with Honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2014.

He continued his education by completing a 3-year specialty residency in Prosthodontics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, obtaining a certificate in Prosthodontics and a Master of Science (MS) in Oral Sciences in 2017. A year later in 2018 he completed his formal education after a fellowship in Maxillofacial Prosthetics, a subspecialty of prosthodontics involving head and neck cancer, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

Following his training, Dr. Gazdeck decided to return home and join Durham Dental Implants & Cosmetic Dentistry in the Summer of 2018. Soon after, Dr. Gazdeck attained Diplomate status from the American Board of Prosthodontics, and together he and Dr. Cunningham are the only two Board Certified Prosthodontists in Private Practice within Durham-Chapel Hill.

Dr. Gazdeck holds an appointment at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Dentistry as an Adjunct Assistant Professor within the Department of Prosthodontics. He utilizes his additional head and neck cancer training to lead and oversee the maxillofacial prosthetics course and clinic each week with the prosthodontic residents. Dr. Gazdeck lectures locally and nationally on current topics in cancer treatment, dental implants, advanced restorative dentistry, and is published in the Journal of Oral Diseases.

He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics, Fellow of the American College of Prosthodontics, Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics, Member of the American Dental Association, and is involved with local dental societies and study clubs.

Dr. Gazdeck is married to his wife Leslie, who he met while in dental school. Leslie is a pediatric dentist in the triangle area and together they have three sons named Nate, Matt, and Will. Outside of the office, Dr. Gazdeck values family time and loves to travel, golf, and explore the outdoors.