A Life-Changing Experience
With the 72-Hour Smile, Dr. Richard Eidelson utilizes advanced technology to quarterback a process that has revolutionized dentistry and elevated patients’ confidence.
by Matt Cosentino

For Richard Eidelson, D.D.S., FAGD, restoring a patient’s confidence never gets old. 
Even after more than three decades in dentistry, including 25 years specializing in cosmetic procedures, Dr. Eidelson still derives the same joy as he did at the outset of his career from transforming a patient’s life with a smile makeover. What has changed, however, is the speed, precision, and convenience with which he can deliver those stunning results.
 
The owner/practitioner of two local offices—Main Street Dental Center City and Premier Dentist Philadelphia—Dr. Eidelson has always blended the artistic and technological aspects of dentistry to give his patients the best outcomes possible. For the past two years, he and Alex Kitaygorodskiy, D.M.D., of nearby Center City Periodontics, have teamed up to take that concept to the next level with the 72-Hour Smile, a cutting-edge process that completes smile restorations in a fraction of the time it used to take. 
 
“With the help of new digital cameras, AI design software, and 3D printing, we can actually create a smile using implants or other ceramics in 72 hours,” Dr. Eidelson says. “It’s not for everyone—it’s case selective—but a good candidate is someone who wants to change their smile and doesn’t have any major biological issues that have to be corrected first.
 
“It used to take months and months to do this,” he continues. “Now it can take as little as three days because we’re using ceramics and there’s no more metal, and the ceramics are milled. So you don’t have to cast things or create them in a lab. It’s all done by a milling unit and with digital design right here in our office.”
 
Few, if any, other dental professionals in the region can make the same promise because of the significant commitment to continuing education and the investment in technological advancements necessary for the 72-Hour Smile. Drs. Eidelson and Kitaygorodskiy are constantly on the lookout for the latest advancements and will soon add a cone beam CT scanner to further enhance the treatment.
 
“You need special equipment that is expensive and you have to go through the learning curve, which I’ve done,” Dr. Eidelson says. “The average dentist doesn’t do this—it’s only about 1 percent. I’ve just always believed in going the extra mile.”
 
The partnership with a periodontist of Dr. Kitaygorodskiy’s caliber is also an important piece of the equation, as he follows up Dr. Eidelson’s expert craftsmanship with precise placement of the implants. Since meeting two years ago, the dentists have developed a strong bond based on their shared philosophy of combining technology with compassionate patient care. The result has made them pioneers in the area.
 
“We have an amazing relationship, we work very well together, and we help a lot of patients,” Dr. Kitaygorodskiy says. “I really like him and I think he’s a very ethical and a very good dentist. Working with him is a pleasure.”
 
Each 72-Hour Smile case begins “with the end in mind.” 
 
“Richard is the first one who talks to the patients about what they’re trying to achieve, he understands their needs, and he figures out what they’re going to look like when treatment is done,” Dr. Kitaygorodskiy adds. “He then sends the patient to me, and on my end I also help with trying to plan things out while also focusing on the patient’s general dental care at home. Any dentist can do something that will last for a couple of years, but the question is: How you can make it last for 15 to 30 years? The answer to that question is learning new habits and a focus on hygiene, prevention, and maintenance of all the fine work that we do. Without that and without careful follow-up, none of this is possible.”
 
The 72-Hour Smile can also be used for crowns, veneers, or lumineers, and the key to its success is the predictability and consistency that come with digital design, granting the dentist more control. It is especially popular to prepare for a special event because it can be accomplished comfortably without wait times or multiple visits.
 
“We get a lot of younger patients for weddings,” Dr. Eidelson confirms. “But we also get a lot of older people who just want to have their smile redesigned for function and cosmetics, to address years of wear and tear and other issues, or to just give you a design that you weren’t born with. The materials are advancing so quickly, and the milling machines are producing really beautiful results. It’s very strong, because we’re using materials like zirconia, which is almost impossible to break.”
 
Another similarity between the doctors, and why they are excited to keep their partnership moving forward, is the reward they get from seeing the difference a smile makeover can have on someone’s life.
 
“The reason I got into this business is to transform patients’ lives and make them better,” Dr. Kitaygorodskiy says. “When you can take someone who hasn’t been able to smile for family photos for a decade, who gets into a habit of covering their face every time they laugh, or who has a sunken face because they’ve lost teeth, and help them become someone who can smile, laugh, and eat whatever they please, it’s amazing.
 
“Some people think it’s just teeth, but the mouth can be the window to the soul,” he continues. “It’s the first thing we see when we look at another person, and unfortunately, when we see a person without teeth or someone who doesn’t smile in our society, that person is seen as less friendly and less agreeable. We can change all of these tangible and intangible things by creating a new smile for them in 72 hours.”
 
Main Street Dental Center City
1048 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
openyourmouth.com
 
Premier Dentist Philadelphia
Medical Arts Building
1601 Walnut Street, Suite 1114
Philadelphia, PA 19102
dentistphiladelphia.com
 
Photo by Alison Dunlap
 
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, October 2025.
 

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