Dr. V Podcast Part 1

My name is Dr. Victoria Veitzman. I am a cosmetic dentist. I'm based in New York City and Los Angeles. I focus primarily on smile makeovers. What that means is full mouth reconstructions, anti aging dentistry, a big fancy term called dentofacial aesthetics, where we sort of look at the entire face and we use that when we design the smile. So we always try to look at beauty holistically, not just at the smile. What initially sparked my interest in cosmetic dentistry is, you know, I've always wanted to be in the medical profession, but I did go to art school growing up. And so I do have a very creative side. And cosmetic dentistry is just like the perfect blend of the two. And we get to be part of these patients, like, transformational journeys, which is actually the coolest part. There's definitely an art to it, just like other disciplines, like plastic surgery. I would call what I do more of an art than anything, because we are designing things, we're sculpting things. We have to use an aesthetic eye to make sure everything looks good. So artistry is a big, big part of what we do. Not to mention our ceramist who actually handcrafts our veneers and our restorations. He uses a paintbrush and they're done layer by layer. So nothing really goes through a machine. So it's definitely. It's definitely an. So. Yeah, I mean, the importance of the smile, I could talk about that all day. I mean, I think the impact of a smile on someone's confidence is huge. I've seen it firsthand at my office where someone's come in with an insecurity and we've taken care of it and, you know, they just show up more confidently. I think not only your confidence in your emotions, but also your overall health. There's a huge link between oral health and systemic health. And the mouth is really one of the first places that any systemic issues can show up. So as far as the mouth in relation to overall health, I mean, I think it's huge, and a lot of people aren't talking about it. The most rewarding part of my job is really the personal relationships that I am able to develop with these patients. They really let us into a very intimate part of their life and journey. And seeing these transformations is probably the most rewarding part for me. Having a hand in it, aside from the artistry, because I really do enjoy the creative process of designing a smile, making something look beautiful. I love beauty and creating it. It's one of my passions. But I would say the actual personal part with the patient and that relationship and seeing their journey, that's the first thing that's probably the winner for me.