Irwin Elliot Smigel (October 9, 1924 – October 17, 2016) was an American aesthetic dentist, innovator and philanthropist. Smigel founded the

American Society for Dental Aesthetics The American Society for Dental Aesthetics was founded in 1977 by current President, Dr. Irwin Smigel. It is an international nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business ...

(ASDA), and was President of the ASDA until his death in 2016. Smigel was involved with many major developments in dentistry over the past three decades, including: tooth bonding, laminates, veneers, changing facial structures and teeth whitening. New York University College of Dentistry dubbed him "The Father of Aesthetic Dentistry" in 2000. In 2009, The National Museum of Dentistry, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, created a permanent exhibition called The Smile Experience celebrating Dr. Smigel's contributions to dentistry. Smigel and his wife, Lucia Smigel, have two children, the writer/comedian

Robert Smigel Robert Smigel (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer, known for his ''Saturday Night Live'' " TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic D ...

and Bellanca Smigel Rutter, and six grandsons. He died in Manhattan from pneumonia on October 17, 2016.

Career

Smigel graduated from the

New York University College of Dentistry The New York University College of Dentistry is the dentistry school of New York University. As the 3rd oldest dentistry school in the United States, it offers both graduate programs and clinical training in oral healthcare. History The College ...

in 1950. In the late 1970s Smigel appeared on ABC's "That's Incredible" where he performed "live" tooth-bonding on a patient for the first time on national television. He was called the "pioneer of tooth-bonding" on that show.

Later years

Smigel practiced on Madison Avenue in New York City and was a visiting lecturer for several postgraduate aesthetic dentistry programs, including the University of Minnesota Dental School, SUNY School of Dentistry – Buffalo,

University of Missouri Dental School A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

Case Western University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location i ...

and the

Baylor University School of Dentistry The Texas A&M University School of Dentistry, located in Dallas, Texas, United States, is the dental school of Texas A&M University and is a component of the Texas A&M Health Science Center. The school provides the Doctor of Dental Surgery (D. ...

. He lectured throughout the country to practicing dentists and worldwide in countries including India, Korea, Israel, Turkey, Japan, South America, Canada. The Irwin and Lucia Smigel Fund was created to allow young professional actors and performers who could not afford aesthetic dentistry to obtain this type of dental work at The New York University College of Dentistry.

Publications

* Numerous articles in Dentistry Today and many other dental trade journals.

Honors

American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), founded in December 1984 by Jack Kammer and Jeff Morley of San Francisco, is the world's largest organization for cosmetic dental professionals. As of 2001, the Academy had membership from 40 di ...

, 1994: Outstanding Contribution to Aesthetic Dentistry Award.

creation of the Irwin Smigel Prize in Aesthetic Dentistry presented to dentists for outstanding contributions to the world of aesthetic dentistry. In June 2009, the

National Museum of Dentistry The Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry – located in Baltimore, Maryland, and opened in 1996 – preserves and exhibits the history of dentistry in United States and throughout the world. Situated on the campus of the University ...

, an affiliate of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

, honored Smigel in a new historical exhibition called

The Smile Experience ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smigel, Irwin 1924 births 2016 deaths American dentists 20th-century American Jews New York University alumni American dentistry academics 20th-century dentists 21st-century American Jews