If you walk into a boardroom and watch as executives and CEOs discuss the meeting’s agenda, you’ll quickly see who participates and leads and who takes a back seat. Most people will think that the latter is quiet because they are either unprepared or lack seniority. While that can certainly be true, Dr. Victoria Veytsman, founder of Cosmetic Dental Studios in Manhattan, New York, and Beverly Hills, California, offers another possibility: what if the person is not completely confident? 

“This can be due to anything. Many times in my office, however, I meet clients who are not fully confident about their smile and how it affects their overall facial appearance. It can dull and age the face – that’s why I practice anti-aging dentistry and what we call dentofacial aesthetics,” Dr. Veytsman says. “We can take 15-20 years off of a face just by restoring a smile. Your smile is the most elemental thing about you. How you feel about it signals to the world how you see yourself. If you are embarrassed, then it can be hard for you to speak up at work or to give presentations. You interact with the world differently, and that insecurity affects your potential. That’s why I am so passionate about the smile makeovers I do at my office. We are doing more than improving our patient’s smile – we are helping to improve their ability to present their best self and live to their full potential. Just like anything transformative, there is a huge emotional component to this that we are keenly aware of and sensitive to.”

Dr. Veytsman, known as Dr. V to her patients, has been a general, cosmetic, and celebrity dentist since 2005. One of the most gratifying parts of her job is helping people to regain the confidence they need to excel at their jobs. “When I first sit down with a patient and we talk about their expectations, they get excited when they hear about the range of options they have for improving their smile,” she says. “Modern dentistry has come a long way in the last decade alone. Depending on the patient’s issues and desired outcome, I can use veneers, Invisalign®, dental implants, crowns, and bridges to transform their smile. By the end of our first meeting, there is a clear sense of all possibilities and excitement about moving forward.”

Over the coming weeks, Dr. Veytsman meets regularly with her patients at her office. “The smile makeover process starts when we design and come up with a blueprint of the smile since all smiles are customized. We monitor the patient’s progress and make adjustments as needed,” she says. “As time passes, the change in their self-esteem is noticeable. They can look in the mirror and see that their smile and overall facial harmony have improved, and this really boosts their confidence immediately. On the day the smile makeover treatment is completed, we celebrate. We look at the ‘before’ pictures and compare them to how the patient looks now. It’s an awesome moment for me as well as my whole staff because we have helped someone feel better about themselves. We get really excited about it.” 

Dr. Veytsman’s road to becoming a highly respected cosmetic dentist began at age sixteen, when she entered college at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. At age 22, she graduated cum laude from a six-year program with a Bachelor of Science in biology and a Doctorate of Dental Surgery in dentistry at New York University College of Dentistry as the school’s youngest graduate. While at NYU, Dr. Veytsman studied general dentistry and performed externships in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Mount Sinai, Bellevue, and Montefiore. She then went on to gain experience in operative dentistry, endodontics, periodontal surgery, oral surgery, and fixed and removable dentistry with rotations in oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, emergency medicine, and general anesthesia. Dr. Veytsman eventually returned to NYU for their implant fellowship; she studied and practiced surgical and prosthetic treatments, case selections, and comprehensive treatment planning. She has completed many well-known aesthetic continuing education programs and fellowships in cosmetic dentistry, smile makeovers, and full-mouth rehabilitation. Her practice now focuses exclusively on the latter. 

Today, Cosmetic Dental Studios is Dr. Veytsman’s private practice. She is state licensed to practice dentistry in New York and California and is certified by the Commission on Dental Competency Assessments (formerly known as The North East Regional Board). She has become known for her smile makeovers performed as the official dentist to several prominent organizations, including Miss America and Miss Universe. Dr. Veytsman has also been a featured smile expert on TLC, in Haute MD, WebMD, The NYT, Yahoo! Health, New Beauty, Latina Magazine, Brides, Social Life Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Hamptons Magazine.

Perhaps what makes Dr. Veytsman so effective is that despite the success she has attained as a cosmetic dentist, she is genuine in her desire to improve her patient’s self-esteem because she has seen firsthand how impactful this can be. “No matter who my patient is, I try to let them know that there is a solution to their concerns and that it’s our job to figure out what suits their needs best,” she says. “When they realize that there are possibilities and that they can be an even better version of themselves, they relax. It shifts the trajectory of their life, and now they really can explore their potential. That is hope, I think.”