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Office Visit: Work of Art by Chelsea Knorr, Associate Editor, Orthotown Magazine

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To Work of Art
by Chelsea Knorr, Associate Editor, Orthotown Magazine

Dr. Parul Taneja has an eye for detail. Whether it’s treatment planning her latest case or designing her office inside and out, aesthetics are top of mind. Here, she tells us about what inspires her about orthodontics, the direction she thinks the profession is headed and about why she does what she does, and loves it. From the gorgeous architecture of her practice to the smiles she helps create – it’s all a work of art.

Name: Parul Taneja, BDS, DMD, MS
Graduate From: College of Dental Surgery, Manipal University, Karnataka, India Boston University – DMD
University of Oklahoma – Certificate in Orthodontics
University of Oklahoma – MS in Oral Biology
Practice Name: Greater Boston Orthodontics
Practice Location: Waltham, Massachusetts
Staff: 8
Website: www.greaterbostonortho.com



First off, Dr. Taneja, what drew you to ortho? What inspired your career decision?
Taneja: We were first introduced to didactic orthodontics in second year of dental school. It drew my interest because it was a field with joint application of physics and biology, both of which were my favorite subjects in school. It made me inquisitive and I explored the subject more with help from some residents. I realized that treatment planning in orthodontics is akin to solving a puzzle, which makes it a thinking-person’s game. This is both challenging and fun. The measure of clinical treatment besides function is largely beauty, especially for the patient. We usually look for ideals – beauty is one of them and a more achievable one. This drove my decision to become an orthodontist – it is a cocktail of things that I like.

Tell us a little about your practice. How is it laid out?
Taneja: Our practice is modern, spacious and minimalistic in design. We wanted to build something unique and pleasing to the eye and it seems we achieved it. It was the concerted effort between us and our team of architects that the practice took its current form. Several designs volleyed between us, some were cast aside and we finally arrived at this one. It is really a result of months of patience and a receptive open attitude from everyone involved.

We are delighted with the response from our patients. They tell us the office is sublime. The layout is open and allows ease of movement between the reception, treatment area and the offices. The treatment area has a very high ceiling with a skylight that bathes it with natural light. It is outfitted with chairs from SDS placed in a linear open bay fashion. We also have two private or quiet rooms. The open bay has a seating area for the parents, siblings or friends of our patients.

What do you do to set your practice apart?
Taneja: Our practice is only a few months old. The vision for it is evolving gradually. We believe in constantly striving toward enhancing the quality of treatment and patient comfort. We hope that their experience with us makes them ambassadors for our practice. We are also committed to being a green office and are establishing daily operations that are environmentally friendly.

What is the workflow like? Describe a typical day.
Taneja: We make our schedule to ensure there is adequate time for each patient and efficient utilization of both the doctor and assistants’ time. Long procedures like bonding, records, treatment plan discussions, repairs or placement of surgical hooks, etc. are scheduled in the mornings. Since most of our patients are school-attending children, shorter monthly adjustments are done in the afternoon. Our staff is committed and sincere and they ensure the practice operates smoothly.

What is the setting of the surrounding area?
Taneja: The office is located across from the town hall. We are a few blocks from the middle school, high school and the public library. A cross street a few blocks over, Moody Street, has many great restaurants, some small independent stores and is constantly buzzing with activity.

You have quite a story – growing up in India, coming to the U.S. for dental school. Tell us about it.
Taneja: College of Dental Surgery, Manipal University is my first alma mater. I started my dental education there. We do not have an “Ivy League” classification of schools in India, but if there was one, my school would belong there. It has been ranked in the top three dental schools in the country consistently for over a decade. It has been one of the greatest gifts of my educational experience to study there. The dedication of our teachers was unparalleled, we had access to the state-of-the-art facilities and the environment was conducive to learning. There was great emphasis on both clinical skill and professional decorum. We spent a year studying medicine and surgery and were required to pass written and clinical examinations. I remember I had to diagnose a case of a snakebite ulcer on a young man’s leg for my surgery finals!

My parents encouraged me to pursue higher education in the United States to enrich my experience and to avail the opportunities provided by globally recognized dental programs. I completed my Masters at the University of Oklahoma and later I earned my DMD from Boston University.

How did you learn about Orthotown? What has Orthotown done for your social and profession life?
Taneja: I heard about Orthotown from some friends and signed up to receive the magazine.

Orthotown is like an ongoing conversation between colleagues. The part I like the best about the magazine is that it includes all aspects that effect clinical practice. My favorite feature is the case discussion forum – Townie Clinical. Overall the layout of the magazine is pleasing and it makes for an easy informative read. I would like to compliment the editorial board for such a great publication.

What is the greatest advancement of change you have seen during your tenure as an orthodontist?
Taneja: The greatest change is the advances in imaging and integration of digital technology into treatment planning and delivery. The first lecture I heard about it was at a meeting about SureSmile, given by Dr. Sachdev in Dallas, Texas. I was a resident then and I think it was in 1999. At the time it seemed like a great idea but not a tangible option ripe for use. And now it is.

What would you like the ortho profession to look like in 10 years?
Taneja: This may sound like a pipe dream, but that’s how most things begin. In the future it would be great to see innovation and release of products that enable local delivery of biological mediators to the periodontal ligament to alter the rate of tooth movement. The orthodontist would get an unprecedented amount of control. For example, we could restrict the movement of the teeth that formed the anchorage unit.

More realistically, in the next five years, it would be great if the recent paradigm of integrated care of patients through close communication with general dentists and other specialists become the norm. I think there will be a more finely orchestrated approach to treating the face. More fields like plastic surgery, for example, that will be included in treatment. I would also like to see newer technology become less cost prohibitive so more practices can embrace it in patient care. Technology has afforded us greater precision in treatment planning, delivery and for prediction of treatment outcomes.

Who are some of your mentors?
Taneja: My lifelong mentor has been my mother Dr. Swadesh Taneja. She is a scientist and a teacher. The passion for knowledge and learning that she forged in me has shaped my educational and professional pursuits. My teachers at CODS, Manipal University – Mr. Chandrashekhar, Dr. Krishna Prasad and Dr. Subraya Bhat to name a few. My master’s research mentors Dr. Manville G. Duncason Jr. – a true scholar and a wonderful human being and Dr. Shahrukh Khajotia.

What is your favorite procedure?
Taneja: That would be treatment planning – solving the puzzle. Since it is a puzzle that mostly has more than one solution, it recruits creative faculties as well.

Describe your most successful or rewarding experience in your professional life.
Taneja: It is very difficult to localize a single experience. When we are children we are told that “looks are not important,” but in fact, they are and very often determine the quality of our first interactions. There’s a line from Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls: “Do you know how an ugly woman feels? Do you know what it is to be ugly all your life and inside to feel you are beautiful? It is very rare.”

This sounds harsh but this is the reality. Fortunately we can help. We must be very sensitive to a patient’s self-perception. A child or a teenager or an adult who is inhibited about smiling is shortchanged on positive life experiences. We transform that, we release the inhibition by making their smiles and faces more beautiful. This yields a better countenance, a more positive attitude toward others and themselves, a better quality of life. This is most rewarding about being an orthodontist.

You teach at the university. How do these outsidethe- practice activities help you stay balanced? What other hobbies do you have?
Taneja: Clinical practice can sometimes feel isolating. I find the academic environment is exciting and it prevents me from becoming obsolete. I am a Clinical Assistant Professor at Tufts University and teach biomechanics to the residents. It provides me with an opportunity to revisit the subject in greater detail and engage in discussions with the residents who are the new capital of our field. I have been teaching for seven years and the student response has been encouraging and gratifying. For leisure I read a large variety of books. No genre is off the table as long as the book is enticing enough. Swimming and travel are the favored summer activities. I also love music, dancing and spending time with my friends.

Dr. Taneja’s Top Products
Dr. Taneja discusses the products she does not want to practice without.
  • “We started using Dolphin Management and Imaging in 2006. It enables efficient organization of patient information including records, treatment analyses, schedule, communications (with patients and other clinicians) and billing. The company also has great customer support.”
  • “We use 3M ESPE Adper Prompt L-Pop Self-Etch Adhesive, and have been since 2004. It saves time for re-bonding broken brackets.”
  • “Two Reliance Orthodontic products that we use are the Assure Universal Bonding Resin which increases predictability with bonding and limits breakage. We also use Reliance’s Perfect-a-Smile which is easy to use and means we don’t have to worry about losing a pontic in a clear retainer.”
Orthotown Magazine
October 2025
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