Dentistry by Design Celebrates 10 Years in the Palisades

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

With Dr. Maria Tapia at the helm, Dentistry by Design celebrates 10 years at its Village office—and the team doesn’t show signs of stopping.

“We’re trying to figure out how to celebrate,” Tapia told the Palisadian-Post. “That’s how I live, I like to celebrate every day that I wake up and that I’m breathing. I’ve got to be thankful in life for what I’m given.”

The Marquez Knolls resident works closely with Dr. Michael Whang, a specialist in periodontics.

“I consider this my family, my staff has been with me—Becky the longest, since we started 10 years ago—the girls, the hygienists, have been with me for about three years now,” Tapia explained.

Tapia shared that the staff’s longevity is part of what makes the practice unique.

“When you find people that share the same values and that have been together for long enough, we develop the same sense of care,” she said.

Dentistry by Design treats patients of all ages—from baby teeth to elderly patients, who Tapia said she works with to make sure their teeth stay healthy. She shared that her number one goal is to get people healthy or to maintain their health in their lifetime.

“How to keep these teeth healthy is a challenge sometimes,” she shared. “We need to troubleshoot. What we do today, we end up with tomorrow.”

The practice offers a variety of services, including veneers, nightguards, family dentistry, dentures and more.

“Thirty-plus percent of my patients are cosmetic cases,” Tapia said. “I call them cosmetic but that’s kind of a wide word. In reality what it means is we try to design how your smile will be more appealing, if that’s your concern, under the circumstances.”

Tapia said that the work Dentistry by Design does varies case by case, depending what the client needs.

“I want to improve the teeth where they are more appealing in the face, where you perceive the beauty of them—the beauty of your face, since the teeth are the center,” Tapia said. “So that’s what I like to do.”

For more information, visit palisadesdentistry.com.