Rick Kapitan, DDS, MS, FACS, FAAP

Dr. Rick Kapitan is a board-certified cleft and craniofacial surgeon with an ABOMS CAQ in Pediatric Craniomaxillofacial Surgery. He specializes in cleft lip/palate surgery, orthognathic surgery, facial trauma repair, and dental implants.

Dr. Kapitan holds both a doctorate in surgery and masters of science degrees, as well as advanced training as a specialist in surgery and anesthesia (OMS) from The Ohio State University Medical Center and was awarded a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in Pediatric Craniomaxillofacial Surgery.

Dr. Kapitan is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a Fellow of the American Academy of Craniomaxillofacial Surgeons, Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, a Fellow of the American Association of OMS, and is a member of both the North Carolina Society of OMS and the Southeastern Society of OMS. He holds appointments as Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at both Louisiana State University (LSU). Locally, he is the Director of both the Carolinas Center for Cleft Lip & Palate Surgery and of the Envision™ Implant Academy, positions that both involve speaking to groups of practitioners and extensive clinical instruction in surgery. Additionally, Dr. Kapitan is a national lecturer and clinical course instructor in advanced dental implant surgery for the Straumann Group and ZimVie. Internationally, Dr. Kapitan is a volunteer cleft surgeon, surgical team leader, and sits on the Board of Directors of the Free To Smile Foundation; a not-for-profit medical mission group that provides free cleft lip and palate surgeries to children in need around the globe. Dr. Kapitan devotes multiple weeks annually to travel abroad to Central America, South America, and Africa to provide this much-needed surgery free of charge. Locally, Dr. Kapitan is the founder of the Face to Face Foundation, a Charlotte based non-profit that he established to raise money to help families cover the cost of their non-surgical cleft care.

• Louisiana State University (LSU)

• Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in Pediatric Craniomaxillofacial Surgery
• Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS)
• Fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS)
• Fellow of the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (ACOMS)
• Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS)
• Fellow of the American Academy of Craniomaxillofacial Surgeons (AACMFS)
• Director of the Carolinas Center for Cleft Lip & Palate Surgery
• Department Chair of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Novant Medical Center
• Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Personal Interests

On a personal level, Dr. Kapitan enjoys traveling, hunting and fishing. He lives in Weddington, NC, and attends Carmel Baptist Church.