By Haddon Libby
When moved to the desert seventeen years ago and opened her dental practice, she immediately stood out from the rest.
Where most dental offices were sterile, clinical places inflicting unpleasant oral experiences on the typical patient, René was creating a markedly different experience that was nearly unheard of in the profession.
Now termed Spa Dentistry, René was a pioneer in the field by making her office a more inviting and superior patient experience. In addition to a staff that is friendly and treats you like family, the looks and smells in her office are atypical. As you enter her office, you are greeted by the smells of chocolate chip cookies, vanilla and lavender. When you enter an examination and treatment room, you are greeted by a massage therapist, soothing music and a sense that you are somewhere else.
This doesn’t feel like a dental office – it is more like a day spa!
Beyond the visceral experience, René is good – damned good – at what she does. There is a reason why Fortune 500 executives and celebrities seek her out. Growing up with an orthodontist father, she is a second generation practitioner steeped in the profession. When it comes to veneers and the cosmetics of a smile, René is a cosmetic artist. She is constantly learning and studying to stay abreast of the latest innovations in the field.
In October, René was featured in New Beauty Magazine where she talked about how she became the widely renowned dentist that she is, “As an artist since childhood, I am a grateful to my father for the inherited keen eye for detail. Each day I create beautiful smile make overs for celebrities throughout Hollywood…Each time they ask I consider myself fortunate to have the steady hand and ability to create an undetectable work of art that will be passed on everywhere they go.”
While René is a graduate of the prestigious School of Dentistry at University of the Pacific, in her first year at University, she was a broadcasting major. While she enjoyed these classes, she realized that she would be happier following in her father’s footsteps. Little did she know that her dental prowess would lead her back to the broadcasting profession. In addition to her thriving practice in Palm Desert on El Paseo, she is the professional expert for Syneron Beauty’s teeth whitening product, Pearl, on Toronto’s Shopping Channel and QVC here in the United States. These two assignments mean that she travels to Toronto and Pennsylvania regularly for these live television appearances.
When not working, René can typically be found relaxing with her husband, Joe, and children Courtland, Aubrey and Joey. When she has free time, something that seems hard to fathom given her busy schedule, René paints oils.
For those looking to emulate René’s success in life profession, she offers this advice, “Stay true to what your beliefs are. Don’t copy others. Bring your passions to everything that you do.”
Clearly, René Dell’Acqua is good at following her own advice.
