Dr. Ekta Chadha, a Delhi-based aesthetic dental surgeon and dynamic smile specialist is the founder of The Smile Studio.
Ekta belongs to a very select group of dentists in Delhi who are accredited Fellows. This denotes the highest level of competence awarded by the prestigious Indian Academy of Aesthetic & Cosmetic Dentistry. Ekta is also a Fellow of the International College of Dentists. When she is not busy in her clinic, she can be found advising on dental trends in media, including NDTV, Zee & IBN. She has been written about in Outlook, Mail Today, HT City & Times of India.
Tell us about yourself, your background and what you do currently?
I am a celebrity smile designer practicing in Delhi. After completing my residency program in Maulana Azad medical college, I launched Smile Studio in Delhi. We deliver everything from a designer smile, to creating dimples, botox and fillers, physiotherapy and even diet management. In fact my favorite quote is “If you don’t have a smile I’ll give you one of mine.”
Tell us about any current projects or initiatives you wish to promote ?
Whilst we already provide a superlative professional service to enhance people’s smiles, I want to do more. I want to train people, specially kids with special needs, empower them with skills, and help them get jobs as dental assistants. The fact is that while there is an excessive supply of dentists, there are hardly good trained dental assistants. I also wish to set up Smile studios in south East Asia and Middle East to spread even more dazzling smiles.
What has been your biggest challenge in achieving your success?
Creating awareness about the importance of a smile. In a country where people don’t pay attention to dental hygiene, this has been an uphill task. Where people will spend millions on weddings and outfits they don’t give any importance to their smile. They have protruding teeth, teeth going in different directions, gaps and broken teeth but worry only about what they are going to wear. I believe a good smile is the best way to enhance your personality.
What has been your greatest achievement personally?
As a woman balancing professional, personal and social responsibilities has been my biggest success.
Who has been your biggest inspiration?
My mother in law.She has been an exemplary professional (former Dean Delhi medical faculty and head of gynaebsmaulanaazad medical college) and raised her sons single handedly.
What does the future hold for you?
The future certainly looks very promising. After establishing myself as a brand, time has come to give back to the society and I am focused on that. I intend to help create smiles for people who are suffering from low self esteem, or have been refused a job, or are unable to marry; I wish to create such beautiful smiles for them that they are able to live their lives with their head held high.
I also wish to celebrate women power more and have begun by self publishing a coffee table book “Power women Power smiles” last year as a tribute to the smiles of twenty-five extremely eminent women in their professions. I spend a lot of time at Autism Centre – Tamana, a full-fledged school dedicated to those with autistic spectrum disorders and multiple disabilities and do their dental work free of cost. Recently I also instituted Smile Awards and felicitated exceptional achievers who have not just scaled heights in their chosen field but also set an example for others by displaying exceptional expertise.
If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you be doing?
It’s tough to imagine that. I personally think there’s plenty to thank God for. I have a job which I love, and every smile that I create and the patient’s smile when he/she looks at the mirror gives me instant gratification. Plus playing golf and bridge in my free time, and my two lovely kids and a husband who I wouldn’t change for anyone else, make my life complete and very worthwhile.
