As in any trade or art form, the market is flooded with products that span a wide range of quality. Occasionally, someone comes along who masters his craft at a level that raises our standards of beauty and technical perfection. Jason Kim is such a master. He has introduced a new level of excellence to his field.
Jason J. Kim.
Little is known to the public about the art form he has mastered to perfection as a certified dental technician, yet he is the artist behind some of the most beautiful celebrity smiles in the world. We often assume that it is the dentist who takes center stage when it comes to smile makeovers, when it is actually the teamwork between the dentist and ceramist that creates superior aesthetic results. It is the ceramist who designs and makes the final veneers. In essence, the ceramist is the architect and designer of the smile.
Thankfully, gone are the days when veneers looked opaque and reminiscent of Chiclets. Modern ceramic veneers are much thinner, with translucencies that adapt naturally to different light settings. Jason was one of the pioneers who changed the way ceramics work. Today, he is known for his legendary customized smiles and ability to replicate nature to perfection with his signature porcelain mixes and artistic and technical genius. His work has become the new gold standard in the industry.
The American Dream
Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Jason immigrated with his family to the United States when he was 18. Back in Korea, he had already started exploring the dental technical field and had taken a bit of training. Soon after arriving in the United States, he managed to get his first job as an assistant in a dental lab in East Orange, New Jersey. He started experimenting with ceramics, and after about a year and a half, he was already rather good at his craft.
His career path took a slight detour when Jason decided to quit his job so that he could help his family open up a grocery store in Yonkers. “I sold fruits and vegetables for three years and loaded them on and off trucks,” Jason said. After a few years, he returned to the industry, studying at night and working hard in a lab during the day. In 1990, he opened up his own dental laboratory. It was a kick-start, to say the least, as he started working right away with the late, world-renowned dentist Jeffrey Golub Evans, whom he considered a mentor.
“However, at some point, I found myself not knowing much about the industry’s clinical aspects,” Jason explained. “I was communicating with the doctor but didn’t know anything about what he did. I only knew how to make teeth, which is just a craft, but I didn’t know the science of it. So I said to myself, ‘I don’t know anything. I have to get educated.’”
Jason went to Europe, where he took courses with the best ceramic masters in the industry, most notably with master ceramist Willi Geller, founder of the world-renowned Oral Design International Foundation, under whom he studied from 1994 to 1997. Geller soon took a particular interest in Jason, who stood out as unusually gifted. Like Geller, he had the unique talent of being able to intuit a person’s essence and energy and then apply it to his work, creating individualized smiles that match and enhance not only the person’s facial aesthetics but also the personality.
“I studied ceramics for a long time, and as I learned it, I said OK, now I need to understand what dentists do,” Jason recounted. “So over the years, I took extensive continuing-education studies in clinical diagnosis, occlusions, and implants. I took every course I could possibly find.” This gave Jason a big advantage, since these were courses for dentists, not for dental technicians. He became clinically knowledgeable in what dentists do and was also able to apply this knowledge to his work.
A protégé of Geller, Jason eventually went on to become the owner and president of Jason J. Kim Oral Design New York Center. Word about his talent quickly spread, and he soon became the favored ceramist for top dentists around the world. Professors of dentistry at NYU also took note, and soon he was invited to teach at the New York University College of Dentistry, where he is a clinical assistant professor. “They gave me my own year-long course, offered to dentists and ceramists, which I created and ran for seven years,” Jason said.
Jason J. Kim handcrafting a porcelain veneer.
Closeup of Jason doing a porcelain buildup, which is the feldspathic process of adding layers of porcelain in order to mimic natural light reflection and depth. (Photo courtesy of Neil Gershman)
Now a legend in the industry, and with an impressive list of academic credentials, Jason has spent the last 30 years developing groundbreaking techniques in dental ceramics and lecturing across the world. He has published numerous articles and is the author of The Master Ceramist, Style Seoul, and co-author of Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry Principles and Practice, a book devoted to fundamental and advanced restorative techniques for dental professionals.
He is also the owner and president of Jason J. Kim Dental Aesthetics, a dental laboratory with about 50 employees, located in Port Washington, New York. “I don’t oversee any of the cases, but I trained all the technicians, “Jason explained. “I developed the umbrella under which they are working. There is a specific protocol that they follow based on my philosophy.”
Partnership With LLK
Besides meticulously handcrafting each tooth, Jason possesses unique talent, knowledge, and the ability to create individualized smiles and natural-looking results that are unmatched. This has made him the go-to ceramist for top cosmetic and restorative dentists around the world for the past 30 years. However, in 2018, Jason decided to partner exclusively with the prestigious dental office Lowenberg, Lituchy & Kantor (LLK), which brought him in-house to its exquisite Central Park South location in New York.
Known for their talent and innovation (and star-studded clientele), the LLK partners have been at the forefront of the cosmetic dentistry field since the 1980s, earning them a reputation as the best in the field. By bringing in Jason, LLK scored the ultimate coup of combining two stellar reputations under one roof. The partnership came with a fabulous office renovation and expansion to accommodate a state-of-the-art, on-site aesthetics laboratory for Jason’s masterful work.
The reception area of the newly renovated offices of Lowenberg, Lituchy & Kantor at Central Park South in Manhattan, New York.
Teamwork and communication between the ceramist and the dentist is key in achieving superior aesthetic results. Jason Kim (right) and Dr. Gregg Lituchy discuss a case.
We asked Dr. Gregg Lituchy, of Lowenberg, Lituchy & Kantor, what the partnership with Jason Kim means to LLK. “We have worked with Jason for over 30 years, and together we have developed a technique that incorporates functional teeth with beautiful natural aesthetics. Over the years, we have mentored each other and kept improving our skills. Like any relationship, we grew together. At some point, it seemed only natural that we work under the same roof so we can create great smiles together,” Dr. Lituchy said.
“Creating smiles is an art form,” he said. “It is a collaboration between the cosmetic dentist and the ceramist to create a smile that merges form with function. We call it “the art of the smile” because we recreate each tooth, one by one, to change the appearance of one’s smile.”
Known for his talent, state-of-the-art techniques, and his gentle, fun, and friendly manner, Dr. Lituchy has built an impressive reputation in the aesthetic dental field, and has a long list of celebrity clients. He is the dentist responsible for creating or maintaining the smiles of supermodels such as Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, and Heidi Klum, to name a few.
“Having Jason Kim in the office with us is a huge benefit to the patient because the patient’s input directly to the dentist and ceramist allows us to give the patient exactly what they want. Any nuances in the smile or color correction that the patient wants can be achieved right in the dental chair, and the patient gets immediate gratification,” Dr. Lituchy said.
When asked why he chose to work exclusively with LLK, Jason said: “To achieve the highest possible results clinically and then technically, I thought the best way would be to work together in the same place. “I have worked with them for over 25 years, so I know them very well. They are excellent clinicians and leaders of cosmetic dentistry. They really want to achieve the best results possible for their patients, and their level of patient care is the highest I have seen, which I like,” he added.
In the era of digitalization and mass production, it is inspiring to come across someone who continues on the traditional path of the artisans of old, passionately and painstakingly handcrafting his art form. “There is no greater work of art than a human face,” Jason says. “Your smile and teeth affect the entire shape and look of your face. A beautiful smile is your best asset for good first impressions.” And Jason J. Kim has certainly mastered the art of creating beautiful smiles.
Stay tuned. In our next issue, Jason will share some fascinating insights into his art form, how he creates his legendary individualized smiles, and how a smile makeover can harmonize and enhance one’s face and appearance.
Jason J. Kim.
