President's Message

A Message from SDDS President Valerie A. Venterina

Dear Colleagues and Friends:

Thank you for the privilege and honor of serving as your president of the Second District Dental Society (SDDS) for 2026. I am deeply grateful for your trust and confidence, and I approach this role with humility, enthusiasm and a strong sense of responsibility.

My path into dentistry was anything but traditional. I began my professional life as a registered nurse at Beth Israel Hospital. At that time, nursing was a very different profession—one with a limited scope of practice and little autonomy. While I respected the work, I quickly realized it did not provide the fulfillment or independence I was seeking. I wanted to be my own boss, to build something meaningful and to secure a stable financial future without committing to another eight or more years of education.

Dentistry, it turned out, fit the bill perfectly.

I applied to 10 dental schools and was accepted to one—SUNY Buffalo, located in the snow capital of New York. My years there were cold and grueling, but they were also transformative. I graduated in the top 10% of my class and, more importantly, I left Buffalo with an excellent education and the confidence to practice dentistry well.

Returning to Brooklyn, my mother—who was truly the “mayor” of our neighborhood—made it her mission to regularly visit our family dentist and remind him that her daughter was in dental school. “Tell her to come see me when she graduates,” he said. And so, I did. Little did I know at the time that this was a fairly common path to practice ownership. I worked for him for two years, entered into a partnership for 10, and eventually bought him out when he decided to retire.

Dr. Stephen Nachbar was board-eligible in periodontics, loved prosthodontics and was an early adopter of implantology. He became a mentor in many ways, both professionally and personally, and together we built a practice that truly flourished. That experience shaped not only how I practice dentistry, but how I view mentorship, collaboration and professional growth.

So, how did I become involved in organized dentistry? Quite by chance. One day at the gym, I ran into Dr. Louis DeSantis, who is a past president of Richmond County Dental Society (RCDS), the branch society of SDDS. We started talking about dentistry, as dentists often do, and he asked if I wanted to attend the RCDS meeting that evening. I had recently opened a satellite office in Staten Island and thought it might be a good opportunity to meet local colleagues.

That night changed everything.

Dr. Edward Jastremski was RCDS president at the time and, along with RCDS Past President Dr. Marc Meiselman and others, they had me hooked almost immediately. Around that same time, my twins informed me that they wanted to go to dental school. I figured if my children were entering this profession, I had an obligation to become more involved and better informed.

That was 10 years ago. Since then, I’ve learned a great deal about organized dentistry and about the many challenges facing our profession today.

 We are under pressure from insurance companies that seek to control our fees and dictate treatment plans. In many cases, fees have not increased in 20 years and have certainly not kept pace with the cost of living. Insurance maximums have stagnated as well, leaving patients confused and frustrated. Too often, patients believe their primary relationship is with the insurance company rather than with their dentist. Insurers have convinced many that they—not we—have the patient’s best interests at heart.

We are also witnessing the rapid expansion of private equity into dentistry, prioritizing profit over patient care and luring younger dentists—burdened by overwhelming student debt—into unsustainable employment contracts. Many new graduates would like to own or join private practices but find themselves limited to salaried positions with little autonomy. Add to this increasing government regulation that restricts scope of practice and, at times, appears to align with insurance interests rather than patient care and we must be honest with ourselves – we allowed much of this to happen.

Yet, despite all of this, I still believe, deeply, that dentistry is a noble, rewarding and essential profession. But now is the time to stand our ground. We have an image problem, and we must address it head on. First, we need to educate our colleagues who are not members of organized dentistry about what we do and why it matters. Second, we must educate our patient, at every opportunity, about the importance of oral health and why we, as trained professionals, are best equipped to provide that care. They need to understand that insurance companies are beholden to shareholders, not subscribers, and that patients have options, including out-of-network care and in-office membership plans. Ultimately, it is the patient, not the insurance company, whom we serve.

We must also educate our legislators and advocate forcefully for our profession.

And finally, we must work together.

To our more seasoned dentists: it is time to give back to a profession that has given us so much. If you are not a member, I urge you to become one. Encourage your colleagues to do the same. Reach out to new graduates and younger dentists. Become mentors—clinically, professionally and financially.

To our younger doctors—and yes, I am speaking to my children as well—you are our future. Be bold. Think outside the box. Ask questions. Challenge assumptions. Know that we are here to support you, guide you and learn from you.

As your president, I am committed to working alongside the SDDS board of trustees and each of you to strengthen our Society, advocate for our profession and ensure that dentistry remains both viable and fulfilling for generations to come. I'd like to especially welcome our new executive director, Christine Terrio, under whose guidance we will continue to flourish as a strong organization. I look forward to the work ahead and to serving with and for you in the year to come.

Thank you,

Valerie A. Venterina, D.D.S.
2026 Second District Dental Society President