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“One of the most fulfilling aspects of leadership has been working with young, emerging leaders. The experience is mutually enriching.”

Journey is a word with special meaning for Dr. Lara Bakaeen. It describes her evolving work in Jordan with the dental practice that her father, known as the country’s Father of Dentistry, started in 1958.

It describes how doors opened when her Temple Dental program director as well as her program chair saw great potential in her research—and urged her to apply for the John Sharry Award Competition of the American College of Prosthodontics, which she won.

It describes how collaborating with international academic institutions and professional organizations has deepened some core values: her commitment to excellence, innovation, education, and patient-centered approaches. 

But what stands out for her the most at this moment? Her path of recognition from a group she highly values, the ACP.  In 2020, the organization made a momentous choice. ACP chose Bakaeen’s Jordan practice, Legacy Continued, as the first international recipient for Best Private Practice Award. 

“The special thing,” she says, “was that after earning the John Sharry Award 25 years earlier, I returned to the ACP stage! I consider this the crowning achievement of years of hard work, striving to provide my patients with the best standard of care in prosthodontics and putting my practice and my country on the map of prosthodontic excellence.”

Changing the culture

Bakaeen was the first Temple Dental graduate to receive the Sharry Award, a competition among students from all universities. “My professors believed in me,” she says, “and I want to thank them for that. This is where it all started. We helped each other shine.”  

Always proud to be a Temple Dental alumna, Bakaeen says she studied at the school because prosthodontics as implemented in the U.S. wasn’t practiced in Jordan. So when she went back to her country, she brought the concepts she had learned: a team approach and interdisciplinary care. However, since she was the first prosthodontist to hold a U.S. degree from a three-year program, “the patients would refuse to come for treatment in any dental practice and would question my capabilities,” she remembers. “It took some time to change that.”

Yet, the pursuit of perfection instilled at Temple filled her days—and continues as a challenge to her students who work with her. “They are paying the price for that striving for excellence,” she says with a smile. “You learn patience, endurance, and resilience in prosthodontics—and Temple gave me all of that.”

Pursuing improvements

In her efforts to move dentistry forward in Jordan, advancing implant dentistry was a dream until she met Dr. Melvin Schwartz, president of the Academy of Osseointegration. As the only AO member in Jordan, she was on his list as someone to meet while he was in the country. Over lunch he guided her plans with suggestions, which eventually led to major improvements in her practice and board membership with the International Team for Implantology.

In another instance, when digital technology in Jordan was expensive and therefore inaccessible for all dentists, she cofounded Digital Dental Solutions. With the help of American-trained colleagues, “we tried to teach it slowly,” she says, “and incorporate it into treatment.” Although the process had steep learning curves, the result has been compelling.

“As in any high-end practice or educational institution,” she explains, “we now have digital workflows in everyday prosthodontics, starting from smart design to guided implant surgery and 3-D printing restorations. All are integrating evidence-based, cutting-edge technology for better patient-centered approaches.”

And women’s empowerment? It, too, is part of Bakaeen’s experience. What began as a talk to women at the American Dental Association for Education ended with her appreciation for the power of shared growth.

“I was surprised, thinking why would we have something like this?” she notes. “But the energy, enthusiasm, and positive spirit were truly unmatched—and a powerful reminder of how women can inspire and support one another across borders and generations. It was really a learning journey, and in leadership, you learn as you go.”

A promise to patients

Considering her career to date, Bakaeen exclaims, “I’m passionate about prosthodontics! It not only combines science and art but also has great patient impact. That’s why I chose this field. You don’t save lives. You change lives. My work is not just a profession, it’s a promise. A promise to maintain integrity, skill, and responsibility, topped with love.”

She continues, “There are so many patients, so many different stories every day. I see all walks of life and different age groups. And I learn from each of them. It’s not only that we treat. We talk, and we learn. My father, who treated one generation and who handed me my dental degree, began a legacy. Now I’m treating the next generation, practicing what we call ‘slow dentistry.’ We sit with patients, give them their time. Because at the end of the day, you don’t build a restoration, you build a reputation.”