RSDM Alumni Spotlight: Solo Practitioner Lidia Zemlanicky Values Professional Connection

Dr. Lidia Zemlanicky Dr. Lidia Zemlanicky operates a small home-based practice, but she maintains a large presence in the RSDM Alumni Association. Zemlanicky has served as a class delegate and frequent donor for most of the 38 years she’s been a dentist. “I find it’s the best way to stay informed and learn what’s happening in the field,” said Zemlanicky, who lives and works in Glen Ridge. She has organized numerous fundraisers for dental school scholarships and regularly attended RSDM continuing education courses and events. “In this livelihood, you’ve got to be part of organizations, talking to others in the profession and always learning,” she said. “That’s how you provide the best care for your patients.” Zemlanicky graduated RSDM (then called New Jersey Dental School within the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey) in 1984, after working seven years as a dental hygienist. She was teaching dental hygiene full-time at Fairleigh Dickinson University when she decided to become a dentist. While working with graduates of other dental schools during a one-year residency at Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, “I realized what a good education I’d received,” Zemlanicky said. “I felt so confident in my training.” Zemlanicky said many patients have fears of visiting the dentist, a feeling to which she can relate. Growing up in Newark in the 1950s, Zemlanicky and friends collected glass bottles and aluminum cans, using the deposit refunds at the neighborhood candy shop. “I ate a lot of candy. I had a lot cavities,” she said. Getting fillings and undergoing extractions back then involved ether gas, which made Zemlanicky retch. “It was horrible!” The unpleasant experiences motivated her to learn to care for her teeth. Zemlanicky earned both an associate’s degree and bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene. Within a few years of earning her D.M.D., Zemlanicky bought her practice, which came with a house. The arrangement allowed her flexibility in raising her son and to now care for her 97-year-old mother. “It was perfect for me,” she said. Her husband, Michael Vlachos, helps manage the practice in his retirement. When Zemlanicky has free time, she enjoys hosting Sunday family dinners, singing in her church’s choir, and gardening. Occasionally, a patient passing by will call over asking to schedule an appointment while Zemlanicky is planting in her yard. She doesn’t mind. ###