More Than a Mouthful : Adventures of a Dentist

Prof. Dr Sandesh M. Mayekar is a postgraduate in TMD and Orofacial Pain from Tufts University, Boston, and a diplomate of the American Board of Esthetic Dentistry. He is an adjunct professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, New Jersey, USA, and was an honorary advisor to the Armed Forces Medical Services, Government of India. Dr Mayekar is a dental surgeon and maintains a multi-disciplinary private practice in Craniofacial Aesthetics. He introduced the concept of ‘smile design’ in Femina Miss India beauty pageants with which he was associated as a consultant for two decades. Dr Mayekar’s vision and passion for dentistry saw the launch of Aesthetic Dentistry in India. He is the founding president of the Indian Academy of Aesthetic and Cosmetic Dentistry and the first Indian to be elected as president of the Asian Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry. He is also the founding president of the Academy of Craniofacial Aesthetics in India and the Academy of General Dentistry of India. He is an honorary member of the European Society of Aesthetic Dentistry and the American Society for DentalEsthetics. He is an ex-faculty at the Government Dental College and Hospital, Mumbai, and the Padmashree D.Y. Patil Dental College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai, India. His leadership qualities have earned him much respect and acclaim at the Indian Dental Association and also as a senate member of the University of Bombay. He was associated with the Dental Council of India for seven years and was a member of its Executive Council for three years. He is an advisor to the Indian Institute of Continuing Education and Research, an organization that caters to the continuing education needs of professionals in the country, under the banner of ENCODE. He has an unquenchable desire to learn and an urge to teach and train, and devotes his untiring energy and time to update, upgrade and educate the dental professional in the country and abroad. He also conducts advanced dentistry programmes in India and abroad in collaboration with State University of New York, Buffalo, USA. Dr Mayekar has gained wide acclaim around the globe and has had the privilege of being an invited speaker on Aesthetic Dentistry in Korea, Japan, Brazil, USA, Taiwan, Canada, France, Singapore, UAE, Malaysia, Peru, Sri Lanka, South Africa, the UK, China, Indonesia, Israel, Pakistan, Ecuador and Mexico. He is a fellow of the International College of Dentists, Pierre Fauchard Academy, and the Academy Dentistry Internationalle (USA). He is an evaluator for Clinical Research Associates, USA. He contributes to national and international publications and has been a member of the editorial team of Reality Now, USA. He contributed to the ‘Dental Wise’ column of Femina magazine for more than a decade. He has carried out research and clinical studies for Colgate USA including a research study on 5,000 school children on caries control. Dr Mayekar has been honoured with a Vocational Excellence Award by Rotary International and felicitated by the South Asian Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry in Kathmandu, Nepal, for the development and promotion of Aesthetic Dentistry in South Asia in 2009.