Dentistry was once the last thing I thought I would do! Both my parents are dentists and having them talk about teeth at the dinner table was not always the most appetizing. With more visits to their clinic, I soon started witnessing the transformative power of what they could do. Watching patients walk into the clinic in pain and leave with relief, people smiling boldly with brighter smiles in preparation for their weddings, and observing children gain the confidence to laugh with their newly aligned teeth made me see what my parents did in a completely new light.
I have always kept my hands busy and found painting, pottery, and piano as ways to connect with others and engage in them in ways that are a nonverbal expression of vulnerability, care, and creativity. Similarly, I see in the concept of hosting, a transformative power that is associated with a space: to bring people together, to introduce them to foods, sounds, and scents from places of the world they have not yet been to, and to enable guests to freely engage others and express themselves.
As I embarked on a hefty brainstorming session on how to bridge together my love for hosting, my educational background in psychology, and my interest in the arts, I found company to my scattered thoughts in conversation with my Organic Chemistry professor at the time. It was with his uplifting and encouraging attitude as well as the support of the artists, sponsors, and friends I met along the way that I was able to find the courage I needed to take this project to its next stage.
Bringing together the artists and dentists at the two-week public exhibition “Amalgamation,” we were able to unite the two seemingly different fields of study at a gallery space in downtown Toronto through the curation of nine pieces with the common theme of dentistry. As a symbol of the oft said phrase that dentistry is a mix of art and science, I hope that this exhibition has taken away from the negative stigma that is associated with the dental industry with the hope of bringing comfort and care to the patient experience.
Digital Collage Triptych – Curator and artist Saba Sharifi uses her own bitewing and panoramic x-rays in a repetitive manner as a visual element in the work with the striking compositions challenging the viewer.
Bite Series – Created by sculptor Andrea Bowie, this series of ceramic sculptures, casted with dental alginate, explores themes of femininity through the metaphor of biting an apple, drawing a parallel to the intimate nature of leaving one’s mark behind.
The Hunch – In this sound installation by Mehran Bozorgpour and Pedram Ehyayei, the unsettling experience and point of view of visiting a dental office is captured through layers of sounds of dental instruments and dialogues.
Dance of Cavity – Armin Parhiz’s interactive digital installation turns viewers into participants as their movements simulate the pain that is caused by deep cavities, with a projected tooth reacting to sensor-triggered sounds.
Metal and Bone – Periodontist and artist Dr. Maziar Shahzad Dowlatshahi blends dental radiographs with digital collages, reflecting on personal and environmental contexts.
Untitled – In this piece, visual and textile artist Camal Pirbhai and photographer Koray Erkaya use a large-scale photograph of a boxer and her elegantly designed boxing glove paired with broken teeth, encouraging viewers to piece together the paradoxical narrative of elegance and violence.
Skeletons in My Closet – Sara Bursey, a mixed media artist, uses cyanotype fabric x-ray prints to depict the internal struggles of eating disorder recovery and its oral symptoms.
Listen Closely – Kaitlyn Roberts’ series of analogue photographs delves into the expressive power of the mouth and its expressions revealing intimate stories that one must pay close attention to.
With over 200 visitors to Amalgamation, we were able to host dentists, students, and artists. I hope that through our collaboration with the Bright Future Dentist organization we were able to inspire predental students to pave their own authentic path to dental school.
Watching and hosting dentists and artists throughout the years, I now more than ever understand the importance of cultivating an environment that fosters trust, comfort, and open communication. In the same way that artistic endeavors have the power to transform hearts and minds, a person’s smile can be transformed in a way that allows them to project to the world who they are. When I am asked why I want to be a dentist I say that it is because I want to dedicate my hands and mind to the service of others by helping them smile both inside and out.
About the Author
Sara Arbabzadehbroujeni is a first-year dental student at Dalhousie University School of Dentistry with a passion for redefining patient care. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from York University, where she honed her understanding of human behavior and its impact on patient experiences. Her experiences working in a dental office and later at Wealthsimple, a Canadian fintechcompany, taught her the importance of meaningful details of human interaction alongside the innovative use of technology in shaping one’s perception of care.