We recently sat down with Dr. Vick Gupta of Gupta Smile Studio in Dallas to chat about what inspired him to become an orthodontist, how cutting-edge technology allows him to better serve his patients, and his passion for helping patients not only get a great smile, but improve their overall health as well.
Dr. Gupta was born in East Lansing Michigan and went to the University of Michigan for his undergraduate degree. While at Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine in NY, Dr. Gupta met his wife, Niti Dattani Gupta, a talented interior designer who would later help him design and open his own family practice in Dallas. Dr. Gupta finished his orthodontic education at the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dagoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, and eventually moved back to Dallas where we met him at his beautiful new office in Oak Cliff.
Why did you choose to become an orthodontist?
My brother is an orthodontist and he’s my mentor, my life coach. I really look up to him. When he became an orthodontist I decided I wanted to do it too because it seemed so cool. He has a practice in Plano, a suburb north of Dallas. I joined him after I graduated school and we got to do the brother brother thing, Super Mario Bros, for a few years in Dallas.
I was inspired to be an orthodontist because I wanted to have the ability to help people. My brother is an orthodontist, my dad is a medical doctor, a sleep doctor, and my sister is an allergist. They’re a lot older than me and I saw how they made an impact in people’s lives and I wanted to be able to do that too.
I love orthodontics because I get to help people but in a safe and fun way. When I connect with my patients they’re not scared of some procedure that I have to do to them, they’re excited about their treatment. I love that I get to help people in a cool, calm, relaxed environment and I think it’s the best job in the world.
What makes your practice unique?
I think it’s the environment that we’ve created for our patients. It’s a spa-like environment, it’s really welcoming, and we’re the only family owned orthodontic practice in this area. Our goal is to really treat you like family, I treat my parents as if they were my brother, sister, or child.
I want to make you feel not that you’re one of many patients, but that you’re the only patient here, and I think everyone on the team works hard to make that happen. I want us to be known as a team that made a really positive impact in our patients’ lives.
What do you love about Texas?
I love that here you have that Southern charm but we’re also in a big city. When we first opened our practice we had our neighbors welcoming us, bringing us gifts and making us feel part of the community, but at the same time there are so many great restaurants and the other perks that come with the big cities on the coast.
What do you want people to know about orthodontics?
There’s no one size fits all. It’s not just a matter of choosing between braces or clear aligners, you have to work with your orthodontist and figure out the right plan for you. Everyone’s treatment requires different techniques, and your orthodontist will tailor your treatment to provide you with exactly what you need. That’s one of the things that make this specialty so great, is the personalized attention we’re able to provide our patients.
Can you tell us more about being distinguished by the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM)?
Being a qualified dentist with the ABDSM means I went through extra training to understand how sleep issues relate to the dental field. I did extensive research on dental sleep appliances, the airway, and what we can do as dental providers to make a positive impact.
Dental sleep medicine is a real passion of mine. My dad is a sleep physician so I heard about sleep and airway all throughout my childhood, I even had a bedtime until high school. I understand the value of sleep and the value of airway and now I get to apply this for my patients.
I screen every patient for airway issues, whether that’s the inability to breathe through the nose or an obstruction in the lower airway, and that allows me to create a plan that’s not just aesthetic but also the best for their overall health.
Can you give us an example of how orthodontics can help patients breathe and sleep better?
I had a patient who had finished clear aligner treatment but she realized that she couldn’t breathe through her nose and felt like mouth was constricted. Her teeth were straight but she didn’t have enough room in the roof of her mouth for her tongue, she was struggling with sleep apnea, and was trying to figure out what to do.
She did some research on her own and ended up learning about adult expansion, so she came to us and ended up starting treatment again to open up her nasal airway. We’re just a month in but she’s already able to sleep better, breathe better through her nose, and can fit her tongue in the roof of her mouth.
Her case is a great example of how even though your teeth are straight, you can still have an airway issue and that’s the kind of thing we address here at Gupta smile Studio.
Tell us more about designing and opening your own office as a husband and wife team.
So designing the office from the ground up and in a new location, was scary at first. Lots of older orthodontists cautioned us to just buy a practice, that it would be difficult to do it ourselves, we were going to spend a lot of money and wouldn’t have patients coming in… Luckily we ignored all that and just went for it. We were just excited to have the opportunity.
Since we were doing everything ourselves, we had to think about every single detail in the office. How the patient walks in, what they’ll see first, what they’re looking at when they’re in the chair… We had to think about each step of patient flow from the very beginning.
Luckily my wife, Niti,is an amazing interior designer and She thought about every detail, the smells, the vibe, we wanted lots of trees, we wanted to give patients a welcoming, spa-like experience and distinguish ourselves from other offices in Dallas.
Most of the orthodontic practices in this area are corporate chains, they have lots of patients and you’re just another patient in the mill of patients for that day. Here we want to treat patients as individuals, they can call early in the morning or at 10 pm, we’ll always get back to you quickly, we’re here for you.
We want patients to feel well taken care of and we wanted our office to convey that message. The colors, the trees, the smells, the music, all of that is part of the experience.
So if you’re considering doing your own office I would say it’s difficult, it’s challenging, it’s not without sleepless nights or stress, but it has been absolutely the best experience ever and I would do it again a hundred out of a hundred times. Doing the project with my wife has been even better and it has brought us closer together. We’ve had our fights but those good moments like when we sign a new patient more than make up for any of the stress.
You seem to feel strongly about the value of starting your own practice. Can you talk a little more about that?
Yes, of course. Something I’m really passionate about is young doctors opening up their own practices. It’s definitely intimidating with all the corporate entities that have bought up large orthodontic practices in so many places, but I can tell you from personal experience that the community wants a privately-owned, family-owned orthodontic practice. People understand the value of one doctor, one location, serving their patients to the best of their ability.
I really hope that if anyone is reading this, you get encouraged to open a practice of your own. It really is one of the best things you can do. I know that you became an orthodontist because you wanted to help and serve your patients. Opening your own office is one great way to better serve your patients, so if you’re thinking about doing it, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and I’ll help in any way I can.
If you’re in Dallas, TX and looking for an expert orthodontist in a beautiful, friendly, family-owned practice, contact Gupta Smile Studio today!
If you’re somewhere else in Texas, find qualified TAO member orthodontists near you in our online directory.
0 Comments