The Russian Dentist

I wanted to be the one who lowered that hand. Dentistry was not arbitrary—it grew from watching my father study surgery and my mother practice dermatology, and from noticing the moment patients checked their reflection after treatment.

I earned a full scholarship to Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University, trained across general dentistry, surgery, prosthodontics, and orthodontics, and led student organizing while assisting in clinic. When the path to practicing in Russia narrowed, I moved to Bangkok—and survived the strongest earthquake in the city’s recorded history—without letting go of dentistry.

I founded TeethTeacher.com to change a culture that waits for pain before seeking care. In the United States I shadow Dr. Shidmand, volunteer in Tarzana, and passed the INBDE and TOEFL on my first attempt—still moving toward the moment a patient looks in the mirror and finally lets the smile escape.