We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Blair Cohen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Blair below.

Alright, Blair thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents instilled in me and my two younger sisters to become professionals. For as long as I can remember, we were encouraged to be able to support ourselves when we grow up. We were taught never to rely on anyone to support us financially. Starting in high school, I started paving my career in dentistry. I was admitted into the Biotechnology Program at Spanish River High School which began my interest in the sciences. My father, a general dentist, has always been a big inspiration to me. Ever since I was little, I would watch my father restore patients smiles and patients would be very grateful for his work. I hoped to one day have patients that would too tell me, “Wow, that was painless!”
My parents encouraged me to apply to dental school. They always supported me through hard times and celebrated me through happy times. If I did badly on an exam, they were the first ones to encourage me to study smarter, not harder. Often if I was having a tough time in a class, my parents would advise me to get a tutor who would teach me tips and tricks to understand the material better. They wanted me to succeed. I got accepted to five dental schools and chose to attend Temple University Dental School in Philadelphia, where my father and now, my little sister goes. I applied to Orthodontic Residency and was accepted to Montefiore Orthodontics Program in New York. My education is a life long commitment. Even though I technically finished school at 31 years old, keeping up with the latest in Orthodontics is part of being a great Orthodontist. Even last week, I recieved the email that I passed my boards and am now a Board Certified Orthodontist.
I am lucky enough to get to work with my father. My father started his own general dental practice over 35 years ago and my mother also has her own law firm. I opened my orthodontic practice next to my fathers office! They are both teaching me to become a business woman and how to network to grow the business. I wouldn’t have been able to do it with out them. My parents motivation and love shaped me to become the woman I am today.

Blair, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was bred to be a dentist. In my earliest recollections, the profession surrounded me. From his office, my dad would bring me videos of Timmy the Tooth, his personal avatar who fought villains named Gingivitis and Ms. Sweety. In my father’s lab I sculpted animal figures in white plaster and stone, the remnants of which would invariably end up stuck in my curly red hair. Travel was all about dentistry, too: to dental conventions with my dad, to catch the shine of new techniques, technologies, toothbrushes and more. It was the Exploratorium of dental medicine, all touch-and-feel, all fascination. While my father talked shop with a sales associate, I would gaze at the displays of the polished instruments with wide eyes. Perhaps one day I would use them to help my own patients. Here was vocational trick-or-treating! At each booth, I’d open my bag and smiling reps would throw in samples of my future.
Temple Dental School was the hardest four years of my life, academically. It was made up of studying the human body, learning fine dexterity and the procedures of dentistry. The last two years of dental school comprised of clinic. I was a student dentist to patients that lived in low income areas of Philadelphia. It was rewarding to get patients out of pain and replace their missing teeth. After graduation from dental school, I moved to New York City and completed a General Dental Residency at St. Barnabas Hospital, in the Bronx. Here, I provided dental care to a underprivileged population of the Bronx. Many patients at St. Barnabas did not see a dentist regularly. They presented with gross decay and missing teeth. On call, I would be the first one to be contacted when a patient came into the ER with a facial laceration from a street fight with a knife or when a patient’s face was swollen from a dental infection. It was an amazing and gratifying experience to provide care to those in extreme pain. After completing residency, I worked as a general dentist in NYC for two years. However, I was getting tired of doing the bread and butter of dentistry, like fillings and crowns, all day. At least once a week, a patient would say to me, “I hate the dentist”. That did not make me feel excited to go to work everyday.
During COVID, I was temporarily laid off from my job, as dental offices were only allowed to see patients for emergency visits. I decided that I wanted to specialize in orthodontics. I would be able to treat both kids and adults. I would be able to accompany patients on their journey to a healthy and beautiful smile. In addition, patients enjoy going to the orthodontist more than the dentist. I got accepted to Montefiore Orthodontic Residency in the Bronx. I loved transforming patients smiles from crooked to straight teeth. Patients would tell me that I changed their life and they now have the confidence to do things they otherwise wouldn’t have with their new smile. During my residency, I was taught how to treat complex cases efficiently with Invisalign and braces. However, I am excited to share my unique Invisalign background with patients in South Florida to help improve dental esthetics and occlusion.
After 3 years of residency, here I am. My day dreaming days in my fathers office have turned into opening my own practice in West Palm Beach. I am excited to transform South Florida smiles.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I applied to orthodontic residency in my last year of dental school, but I got rejected. It is a very competitive residency program. You have to be top of your dental school class and have the best resume filled with extracurriculars and research. Although I was top 10% of my class, had leadership positions in school clubs, research experience, it was not good enough. It was the first time in my life that I really failed anything. I figured I would give general dentistry a fair chance. After a few years of practicing general dentistry, I wasn’t happy. It was strenuous work and I didn’t feel appreciation from patients. I reapplied to orthodontic residency during COVID. This time, I had a General Practice Residency and work experience under my belt. The stars aligned and I got accepted to Montefiore Orthodontic Residency Program!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn during dental school was that no one is better than you. I used to think that its impossible to catch up to the brilliance of the smartest students in class. Do not compare your self to others. Everyone is on their own path. Yes, things get hard and seem impossible, but you will make it through.
It’s not enough to just work hard, you have to work smart. For example, you can study all week for an exam and still fail if you do not properly understand the material. People I surrounded myself with (shoutout to my dental school friends) taught me how to work smart. I had study sessions with friends and when discussing different lecture topics, even those I thought I understood, classmates helped me view them in a way I never did before. I think this could be applied to business as well. Networking and collaborating are important to have a successful business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://drblairorthodontics.com
• Instagram: @dr.blairorthodontics
• Facebook: Dr. Blair Orthodontics
• Linkedin: none
• Twitter: none
• Youtube: none
• Yelp: none
• Soundcloud: none
• Other: Google business

Image Credits

Santa Barbara Photography