The oral cavity is a complex area that connects one’s inner and outer environment. The rules and requirements of Dentistry are very complex and need extreme precision, and this accounts for more responsibility on the part of the Dental clinic and the Dentist to whom the patient manifests his trust. Dr. Sneha Joshi is a Dentist and practitioner at Joshi Dental clinic, founded by Dr. Shashikant Joshi. The clinic has been the reason behind beautiful smiles for 50 years and the quality procedures, combined with humane touch are the primary reason behind its success. Dr. Sneha believes that patience and hard work can make it through a tough road. In her opinion, the Oral cavity is the mirror of our health and there are no ‘quick fixes’ to it. We need to respect and preserve what we have. Getting treatments done in time, proactively, and completely will ensure a healthy life, and it’s easier on the pocket too.

In an exclusive interview with us, Dr. Sneha Joshi takes us through some of the interesting facets of Joshi Dental Clinic and its services.

Take us through your early educational journey and the prior industry experience that you bring to the table.

I have been running my own practice for the last 15 years. The practice was founded by Dr. Shashikant Joshi my father-in-law in 1972. This year we completed 50 years in Dentistry. We have successfully treated thousands of patients and have thirdgeneration members from some families as our loyal patients. The clinic has state of art set up and we cater to the multiple treatment needs of the patients.

I completed my BDS – Bachelor of Dental Surgery- Dr D. Y. Patil Dental College and Hospital Pune - M.U.H.S in 2007. In 2015, I did a Postgraduate Certificate course in Aesthetic Dentistry from Manipal College of Dental Sciences – Manipal University. It piqued my interest in Aesthetic Dentistry. In 2017, I completed a Fellowship Certificate course in Advanced Oral Implantology requiring 200 hrs of learning and surgeries from Bapuji Dental College and Hospital – Davangere. In 2018 I was honoured with a Fellowship from the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. Since 2019 I am in process of earning my Accreditation Status from AACD- American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. One of the highest qualifications and honours that can be earned by a Dental Surgeon.

It was crucial to gain the same faith and respect as Dr. Shashikant Joshi, from our patients and with a lot of hard work and patience, I was able to gain that. After gaining expertise in General Dentistry, I realized I needed to update my knowledge and skills to usher in a new era in Dentistry. I continued my further education along with my Clinical practice.

What motivated you to establish Joshi Dental Clinic? Tell us about the underlying idea behind the venture and some of its most unique features.

I have always treated Joshi Dental Clinic as a precious gift that came with a lot of responsibility. I had very high standards to uphold and that has always kept me motivated and grounded. Joshi Dental Clinic has always been a patient-centric practice. We take a lot of time to understand the patient ‘Wants’ and then combine our clinical judgment, and our experience to deliver the result which makes the patient extremely happy.

The Sterilization protocols and standards are extremely high here. We are equipped with an Ultra Sonic bath to clean our instruments. All the dental instruments, hand pieces, and more, are sterilized in a B-class autoclave.

The highly trained staff also extends a humble touch to ease the patient’s worries during procedures. Dr. Ketki Ukidwe is an associate Dentist with us for the last 11 years. We have established an SOP so that we both can deliver the same gold standard of treatment.

In 2022, to commemorate the completion of 50 years of Clinical Practice, 1 more name was added to Joshi Dental Clinic – ‘Bespoke Smiles’. Each person is unique; so, should be their Smile. We want to enhance the existing beauty of that individual and not apply some copy-paste approach of beauty.

Tell us about some key procedures and treatments that you specialize in as a dentist.

At Joshi Dental Clinic/ Bespoke Smiles we offer many services: Root Canal Treatment – painless and with advanced equipment, Crowns & Bridges, Indirect Veneers, Implants & Full mouth rehabilitation, Complete Dentures & Partial Dentures, Smile Designing & Direct Veneers, Tooth extraction, surgical extraction of wisdom teeth, Minor gum surgeries, Tooth Coloured Restorations/ Fillings, Deep Cleaning/scaling. The focus is to suggest and understand the most effective treatment option for a particular patient. While planning a treatment the factors we consider apart from tooth condition are the age of the patient, their medical condition, dietary habits, expectations from the treatment, economics, time frame to execute the treatment, and many more.

"I do not like to be complacent. I believe in practicing what i say and not just preaching it"

Every treatment is backed by advanced equipment which makes the experience more comfortable and results predictable. Our focus is that the patient should be comfortable, pain-free, and happy with the results. So, they don’t dread Dental treatments.

Throw some light on the most critical challenges you face as a healthcare practitioner. What steps do you take to overcome the roadblocks that you encounter?

Most patients think that they need to visit a Dentist only when the tooth starts hurting. We need to adopt a preventative approach rather than a curative approach and this calls for a visit to the dentist every year. At my clinic, as a rule, we give preference to the quality of the material we use. We have an honest and open discussion with the patient regarding the steps followed, the material used, and the thought process behind the advice given.

In your opinion, what are some of the most significant milestones that you have achieved throughout your professional journey? Also, what would your advice be to future women leaders and entrepreneurs?

My journey so far has been both exciting and humbling. It always humbles me and fills me with joy when the patient sitting on my dental chair tells me that he trusts my judgment completely. As for the young women aspiring to make it big out there, financial independence is the foremost and essential.

Dr. Sneha Joshi, Joshi Dental Clinic, Dental Clinic

Dr. Sneha Joshi is a practitioner at Joshi Dental Clinic and an aspirant for AACD Accreditation. She learned strong ethics of practice from Dr. Shashikant Joshi, the founder of Joshi Dental Clinic, who taught her to look at a patient as an individual not merely a problematic tooth. Her success mantra is to aim higher and do better each day