Dr. Asthana Hits All the Right Notes to Help Patients

Sam Asthana, DDS, FAGD, is a lot of things. He is president of the Houston AGD; a member of national AGD’s New Dentist, Resident and Student Council; a husband; and a practicing general dentist in the Houston, Texas, area. His commitment to advancing the profession through organized dentistry and continuing education certainly makes him stand out, but there is another major quality that differentiates him from his colleagues — Asthana was trained as a classical musician before entering the field of dental health, and, as a dentist, he takes a special interest in musicians’ oral health issues. He seeks to deepen the conversation between wind musicians and oral health professionals by lecturing on the topic and encouraging discourse. AGD Impact spoke with him about this unique professional interest.

AGD Impact: What inspired you to become a dentist? Why did you switch from music to dentistry?

Asthana: I’m not from a family of dentists, and I really didn’t know much about dentistry before dental school. My childhood dentist (Dr. Isabel Vahedi) actually suggested dentistry to me, and I knew from watching her work that it was a good fit for a people person like me. I studied classical music performance in college, and I found the transition from music to dentistry to be very natural; both fields are essentially craftwork, which is a unique type of job that takes self-analysis skills, the ability to take and process criticism, discipline to practice, and a careful navigation of one’s personal relationship with perfectionism.

On top of that, I really believe that every dentist is a performer, and we all have to put on certain acts or faces with our patients — and even our team members — every day. I am so grateful to have a background in studying the craft of performing to prepare for the constant song-and-dance every dentist has to do.

The actual path from music to dentistry was very smooth. While I studied music, I also took the necessary coursework to apply to dental school. I honestly think that dental schools look more favorably on applicants who stand out in the pile of applications and who have interesting answers to interview questions. While in dental school, I continued to use my music training and was able to teach private saxophone lessons in San Antonio, Texas, perform with local chamber groups, and work at summer music camps for high school students. It was a great source of extra spending money during school.

What unique dental concerns do wind musicians have? How do you make this population a clinical focus in your practice?

Wind musicians are basically fighting a ticking clock leading to myofascial and joint problems. They have to do what we as dentists consider “parafunction” every day, for hours a day. Honestly, dentists and musicians are very similar in that we all tend to prioritize delivering a great product over protecting our own bodies, and, in the same ways that dentists develop chronic pain and dysfunction from poor ergonomics (guilty!), musicians develop orofacial pain pretty regularly. Some even retire from their field because of this.

Helping wind musicians manage this “occupational hazard” is rooted in educating them and helping them to understand their own anatomy. Often, musicians think their dentist will just tell them “play less, wear a guard and eat soft food.” In reality, we can all help the musicians in our communities by working with them to review their practice habits and timing, getting them to incorporate stretching exercises into their routines, and teaching them better overall postural health. With some patients, I discuss specific performance practice modifications they can make regarding how they position their jaw while they play. Beyond that, all of the things we do for every patient with muscle and joint pain — habit modification, splint therapy, photobiomodulation, etc. — will help musicians as well.

I have felt very honored to speak on musicians’ oral health with groups such as the International Saxophone Academy, chapters of the North American Saxophone Alliance and more. I also love to meet with student musicians, as I was a college music student when I first started experiencing jaw pain. Texas A&M International had me speak with a studio of music students, and I’ll be lecturing at my alma mater, Baylor University, this fall as part of its Musician’s Health Series.

What led you to organized dentistry, and what led you to get involved in leadership roles?

I found my way to organized dentistry within the first few days of dental school through no hard work on my part. The International College of Dentists has a great mentoring program called Great Expectations, which is aimed at dental students, and my dental school in San Antonio had us all attend a first session. I was paired up with Dr. Akshay Thusu, who immediately became a good friend and a bit of a role model. Akshay is very involved with AGD and is an AGD Fellow, and, through him, I met a lot of other dentists in San Antonio and across Texas who frankly seemed to enjoy being dentists more than other dentists I met. When I realized that all of the AGD dentists I met seemed to be happier, more excited about their lives and more confident as clinicians than non-AGD dentists, it was very easy to decide to get involved with AGD. I have never once regretted that choice.

I wish I knew what led me to get involved in leadership roles. I just keep finding myself in them by accident! I think when you really see the value in something and appreciate what it does for you, you can’t help but want to take care of it and help it grow. Currently, I’m president of Houston AGD, and my involvement is due to how inspired I have been by all the other doctors involved in the group who constantly push me to be a better version of myself. Plus, I’ve made so many friends in Houston AGD, so the time commitment that comes from serving in leadership positions feels more like friend time rather than work.

When did you begin pursuing your AGD Fellowship, and do you have any other major goals on the horizon?

In my first semester of dental school, I had to interview a professor about his career journey. I interviewed our orofacial pain professor at San Antonio, Dr. Ed Wright (who just retired), and he cited his AGD Fellowship as one of his proudest achievements. He strongly suggested I make it a priority for myself after school. I took his suggestion to heart, and I’m really excited about and proud of having received my FAGD this past summer. I’ve realized that Fellowship itself is just the result; the journey of progressing toward it is what has really made me a better, more trustworthy and more confident dentist. It has also given me lots of cool experiences revolving around continuing education in the last few years, and it has pushed me to make a bunch of new dentist friends as well.

I’ve got two big goals on the horizon. One is earning my AGD Mastership, and I’ve already started attending Texas AGD’s MasterTrack program. The second is working on starting my own dental practice in Houston. My wife and I have been planning a startup for a while. We just signed a lease, so we’re entering the buildout process.

What advice do you have for other dentists on how to incorporate their own special interests into their practices?

Nothing I do regarding musicians’ health makes any meaningful money for me as a dentist. However, it makes me happy, gives me a little extra purpose and helps me build relationships with my community. Patients who aren’t musicians still get excited when they learn about my background in music and my work with musicians’ health, not because it’s relevant to them but because it’s a chance for them to learn something new and different about me. Each of us has something that makes us special and unique in the eyes of our families, our communities and our patients; leaning into those qualities should be prioritized, even if it doesn’t seem immediately practical. Anything that keeps us fulfilled, sane and at peace will keep us happy practicing dentistry longer!

Do you play music in any groups?

My wife is a flutist and an actual professional (unlike me, someone who is drifting further and further into “has-been” territory). She plays with several orchestras and chamber groups, but she saves some time in her busy schedule to plan some projects with me, too! We’ve been working on some flute and saxophone duos, focusing on works written by living composers, and hopefully we can put on a recital in Houston soon.