Dental Destiny
Dr. Victoria Ursitti finds purpose in her practice and her involvement with organized dentistry
Background
Dr. Victoria Ursitti, UIC Pediatrics ’95, seemed destined to become a dentist.
As a young girl, Ursitti created a make-believe dental office in the basement of her family’s Long Island, New York, home. She had an exam chair and table, a tooth poster on the wall and performed pretend exams on family and friends with some rudimentary clinical tools gifted to her by a neighbor attending dental school.
“I even checked the dog’s teeth,” Ursitti laughs.
Today, Ursitti shines in the professional world she once imagined as a child. The Barrington Hills resident runs two successful offices in Chicago’s northwest suburbs and is an active leader in organized dentistry with groups like the Chicago Dental Society (CDS), a longstanding, robust professional organization with approximately 4,100 local members across Cook, Lake and DuPage Counties.
“This life has given me much more than I ever expected,” Ursitti says.
Dentistry by design
Even as she pursued an undergraduate degree in nutritional sciences at Cornell University, where courses covering food chemistry, nutrition, vitamins and minerals afforded her a deeper understanding of overall human health, dentistry remained Ursitti’s career target. She attended dental school at Tufts University near Boston followed by a two-year general practice residency in New York City.
In 1993, Ursitti moved to Chicago to receive her advanced specialty training in pediatric dentistry at the UIC College of Dentistry, where she savored learning in both academic and hospital environments. UIC provided a challenging and holistic experience as well as exposure to the profession’s rich diversity, which strengthened her education and prepared her for practice.
“UIC is where I homed in on my specialty and learned how to be a pediatric dentist,” Ursitti says.
At UIC, she also found spirited mentorship from the likes of Dr. Shahrbanoo Fadavi, whose high standards and expectations propelled Ursitti’s growth and enriched her clinical understanding, particularly with respect to treating children and addressing complex cases.
“I attribute so much to her,” Ursitti says of Fadavi, professor emerita of pediatric dentistry at UIC. “Even today, I’ll reach out to her when I have a tough case.”
Embracing entrepreneurship
While Ursitti fully intended to return to New York upon completing her UIC program, UIC clinical professor Dr. Michael Higgins connected her with a dental office in northwest suburban Arlington Heights. Thoughts of returning to the East Coast faded as Ursitti built a practice of about 400 pediatric patients at the Arlington Heights location. Then, management pitched her on the idea of an office-within-an-office concept, one separating Ursitti’s pediatric practice from the office’s general care.
Ursitti launched All About Kids Dentistry in 2002 when she purchased existing equipment and charts and began subleasing space within the Arlington Heights office. She hired staff and packed six dental chairs into her 1,500 square feet spot dedicated solely to pediatric care.
As Ursitti’s patient roster swelled, she opened an office in Algonquin in 2016. In 2022, then, she ceased subleasing the Arlington Heights space to create her own office in the northwest suburb. Today, Ursitti has about 5,000 active patients between her two locations as well as three associates, a pediatric dentistry resident and a 15-member staff.
“As a kid, my father encouraged me to go into business on my own, and here I am,” Ursitti says.
CDS
A professional leader
Along the way, Ursitti became involved with organized dentistry in Chicago, first with the Arcolian Dental Arts Society, an Italian American dental group, before linking up with CDS in 2002. Her attendance at organizational meetings and events spurred relationships with other local dentists and pointed Ursitti in “exciting directions” to learn and develop as a young professional.
“You’re stronger when you’re in touch with your community,” says Ursitti, a member of numerous other professional associations in addition to the UIC College of Dentistry’s Alumni Board.
Ursitti is currently serving a one-year term as CDS secretary, continuing a long tradition of UIC Dentistry alumni steering the organization. Among the five current CDS officers, four earned degrees from the UIC College of Dentistry, including president Dr. Denise Hale ’88. The officers’ work includes recruiting new members, crafting continuing education and networking opportunities, advocacy and planning programs, such as the 160th Midwinter Meeting held in February at McCormick Place.
“The whole point of being an officer is to serve the society,” says Ursitti, who will move into the president-elect role next year before ascending to the presidency in 2027.
Ursitti’s leadership involvement with CDS gives her an opportunity to shape the society’s future. Specifically, she’s interested in creating a formalized mentorship program at CDS – one that would heavily involve the UIC College of Dentistry and its young alumni. Having presented to UIC dental residents about the importance of participating in organized dentistry and mentored new dentists herself, Ursitti has relevant insights to share, as do many of her seasoned colleagues.
“In my career, I’ve been through tough patient situations, accounting issues and problematic landlords, and I’d love to continue helping younger dentists navigate issues around owning an office or finding the right work-life balance,” she says. “That would be meaningful to me and so many others.”