Mr John K. Pontikes

Born and raised in Chicago, Dr. Pontikes completed his undergraduate studies in Biochemistry and Engineering at the University of Illinois Honors College . He received his Doctorate from Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine where he was the youngest to graduate from his class. Dr. Pontikes’ dental school class achieved the distinction of being ranked fourth in the entire nation on their National Board Exams. Following dental school, he completed post-graduate studies in dentistry and medicine at Northwestern University Medical School and received advanced training in general and hospital dentistry during his residency at Evanston Hospital, teaching affiliate of The University of Chicago . In 2011, Dr. Pontikes took a leave of absence from his clinical responsibilities in order to go back to school and complete a Mini-MBA program at Harvard Business School . Dr. Pontikes became a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry in 2013; 1 of only 7 dentists in the state of Illinois. To accomplish this goal, he completed 500 hours of advanced continuing dental education and passed a comprehensive board examination. He is also an active volunteer of the Chicago Dental Society Foundation Clinic which provides dental services to low income and uninsured residents. He has practiced dentistry for nearly 20 years, belongs to a number of study clubs and holds memberships in several dental organizations including the American Dental Association and Academy of General Dentistry. In 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 Dr. Pontikes was nominated by his peers as a Top Doctor in an independent survey commissioned by Chicago Magazine . The independent survey (DataJoe Research and topDentists, LLC) contacted more than 2,000 individual dentists and 1,000 practices in the greater Chicago area to ask: Who in your field exemplifies true excellence in the dental profession, and who in your field would you trust to take care of your friends’ and families’ dental needs. Dr. Pontikes was featured in Chicago Magazine’s 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 Top Doctors Issues. Dr. Pontikes remains current in the art & science of dental medicine by regularly attending advanced training sessions by world-renowned experts in all disciplines in dentistry. He has completed advanced dental continuums at the esteemed Spear® and Pankey® Institutes for Advanced Dental Education further underscoring his commitment of being a master dentist. In addition, Dr. Pontikes has completed extensive Invisalign® training and is considered by his peers to be a Top Invisalign® Dentist in the country. In a by invitation only competition, Dr. Pontikes was one of sixty-eight doctors (out of several hundred) that was chosen to have the best Invisalign® treatment outcome in 2017 in North America (United States and Canada). In addition, in the same competition in 2019, three of his cases were chosen to be within the Top 100 cases in North America. The competition judges the participant on quality of records, treatment execution, case difficulty, and results achieved. As a result of this honor, Dr. Pontikes’ case has been published in the Invisalign® Gallery Book featuring the world’s best treatment outcomes of which his peers from all over the world have access and has also been published on the Global Invisalign® Gallery website of which his peers from all over the world also have access. Dr. Pontikes has been a guest lecturer and is on the advisory board committee at the Illinois School of Health Careers where he helps set curriculum standards for its dental assisting program. He has also been a guest lecturer at the College of Dupage’s dental assisting program. Dr. Pontikes is also an active participant of the Northwestern University Externship Program. As an alumnus of NU, Dr. Pontikes offers Externships to current NU students interested in pursuing careers in the oral health sciences. As an official host site, Seasons Dental Care is excited to support and mentor potential future leaders of our profession. Additionally, Dr. Pontikes is a member of the Alumni Admission Council of Northwestern where he assists the University in enrolling highly qualified undergraduate students. Supporting students in the dental profession is very rewarding for Dr. Pontikes because it allows him to give back to the community, it further galvanizes himself within the dental profession and it helps build & maintain relationships among his peers. As an oral physician, his mission is to provide the highest level of care to his patients by constantly staying current in his field. He believes we owe it ourselves and society at large to continuously invest in ourselves through quality education and lifelong learning. In his spare time, Dr. Pontikes enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, being outdoors, playing piano, cooking, playing tennis and golf.