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Time Out New York, May 2009
Inside Job
Who he is: Dr. Steven Butensky’s interest in teeth stems from a childhood spent in the dentist’s chair he needed a lot of work. My dentist was a very famous prosthodontist, and I remember being impressed with him and his work, says Butensky, who now runs his own practice in Midtown East. But what the heck is a prosthodontist? It’s a specialty in dentistry that deals with the restoration, maintenance, comfort and appearance of a patient’s oral health. In other words, he helps people not look like the British.
What it takes: A lot of schooling. I went to Syracuse University for my undergraduate degree, begins Butensky. Then on to the Medical College of Virginia for dental school. I graduated in 1979 and worked as a dentist for six years before I realized that regular dentistry bored me. To spice up his workday, Butensky applied to NYU’s postgraduate program to get his prosthodontics certificate, which he then used to open his practice.
Attaining success: On average, in New York City, I'd say it takes at least ten years to truly develop a practice, says Butensky. The doc, who now has more than 30 years of experience, cites professional connections and word-of-mouth as the driving forces behind his growing practice. His office has helped the smiles of supermodels, famous authors, musicians, athletes and the city’s elite.
His biggest mistake: I worked for six years on Long Island before I decided to go back to NYU, Butensky recalls. If I could do it all over again, I would have worked for only a couple of years and gone back to school sooner. Butensky feels that if he had done that he would have been where he is now only a few years ago.
His advice: It doesn't matter what college you go to as long as your study has an emphasis on science because you'll need that background to get into dental school. Butensky also suggests honing your hand-eye coordination. Working with models or clay is good practice because it’s working with your hands, and the actual art of sculpting is strongly connected to what we do to teeth.