On St. Patrick’s Day, everyone can be a little Irish. In celebration of this day marked by leprechauns, shamrocks, and, often, green beer, DrBicuspid.com asked clinicians why they feel lucky to be in dentistry.
From giving people the smiles they always wanted to being part of an evolving profession, dentists had plenty to share.
Dr. Vishala Patel, owner of Edge Dental Designs in Texas, told DrBicuspid that she feels lucky to be in the profession because of the journey that carried her there.
Dr. Vishala PatelDr. Vishala Patel/LinkedIn.
“I grew up in a small village in India, and today I have the privilege of caring for patients in the Dallas-Ft. Worth community. Along the way, I graduated from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, widely regarded as one of the top dental schools in the world, and pursued advanced training with John Kois at the Kois Center, where dentists from around the world go to refine their clinical skills,” Patel said.
Patel continued, “What makes me feel especially fortunate is being able to use that training every day to help patients regain their health and confidence. Whether it’s relieving pain, restoring a smile, or helping someone feel comfortable at the dentist again, those moments are incredibly meaningful. I also feel lucky to mentor and support newer dentists as they grow in their careers. Being able to pass on knowledge while continuing to serve patients makes dentistry a truly rewarding profession.”
Dr. Piotr “Peter” Irving, an aesthetic dentist and chief fellow at the Apa Aesthetic Suite at New York University, told DrBicuspid that dentistry offered him a way to channel his curiosity, creativity, and service into something meaningful.
“There is nothing quite like watching someone walk in, guarding their smile, avoiding eye contact, speaking with their hand covering their mouth, and then leave with confidence they didn't have before. That never gets old. It is why I show up every single day,” Irving said.
He especially feels fortunate to be part of a profession that continues to evolve.
“Being part of organizations and study clubs, getting to learn, teach, and push to stay at the forefront of the field, it is genuinely addictive. Mastery is not a finish line, and the journey only gets more exciting,” Irving said. “There is a misconception that dentistry is a solitary pursuit. The cases I'm most proud of are never the product of one person working alone. They are built in close collaboration with ceramists who challenge me on form and shade, with specialists who help create the ideal foundation, with a team as invested in the outcome as I am. That elevation of the craft, together, is what pushes all of us forward. In other fields, you ship a product, write a report, execute a strategy, and somewhere downstream, maybe something improves. In dentistry, when all the pieces come together, the science, the artistry, the teamwork, the feedback loop is immediate and undeniable.”
Finally, he feels luckiest to have gained patients’ trust.
“Patients bring us something deeply personal: their confidence, their self-image, sometimes years of insecurity carried quietly. That someone would place that in me is not something I take lightly. It is the greatest privilege of this work,” Irving said.
Dr. Nate Farley, a prosthodontist at Revive Dental Implant Center in Arizona, told DrBicuspid that the patients make him feel lucky.
Dr. Nate Farley.Revive Dental Implant Center.
“I feel lucky to be in dentistry because I have the fun job of giving confidence to people who have been hiding their smile for years,” Farley said. “It is easy to love what I do because our work really does change people's lives. It takes time for patients to find their new smile, but when they do, I am so lucky to see how much their confidence changes for the better.”
Dr. Madelyne Salo, a general dentist at Select Dental in Torrance, CA, told DrBicuspid that she feels grateful to do this work every day.
Dr. Madelyn Salo.Select Dental & Orthodontics.
“I get to see the moment a patient’s confidence changes, and it happens in my chair,” Salo said. “I recently had a patient who hadn’t smiled with her teeth in over 10 years. She came in thinking nothing could be done. Six months later, she sent me selfies. I think about that a lot."
"I chose dentistry to help people, but I didn’t expect how much of that help would be about how someone feels when they leave my office,” Salo said.
Dr. Sowjanya Gunukula.FloMoDental.
Dr. Sowjanya Gunukula, a lead general dentist at FloMo Dental in Flower Mound, TX, told DrBicuspid, “I feel lucky to work in dentistry because I get to change lives every day, one smile at a time."
"There aren't many jobs that combine science, art, and a strong connection with other people like ours does. I can see the difference right away: a patient comes in hiding their smile and leaves feeling more confident. We are more than just a pretty face; we are the guardians of whole-body health, catching systemic disease before other providers even have a chance. I never take for granted how much trust patients have in us. You don't just find the gold at the end of the rainbow in dentistry; you help people show it every day,” she added.
