Dr. Benjamin Barborka

Like a lot of professional dentists and dental specialists, Dr. Benjamin Barborka had family members who worked in the field. His uncle was a dentist, and his mother a dental assistant. 

And like a lot of such individuals, Barborka long considered following in those familial footsteps.

Which he did … eventually. As in, about a half-decade after establishing himself in an entirely different professional industry.

“Dentistry is a second career for me,” Barborka says. “Previously, I was a technical trainer in IT for about eight years while living in Utah. About four years into that career, I decided to start taking pre-dental courses and changing career paths.

“At the time, my brother-in-law was a dental student at UNLV. That was my inspiration to move to Las Vegas.”

Barborka may have taken a nontraditional path to what ultimately turned into a dual career. And he may have arrived at that destination a bit later than most. However, his vocational pivot has proven to be a blessing to many. 

Because today, Barborka not only treats patients as one of Nevada’s preeminent endodontists, he also grooms the future leaders in his specialty as a part-time instructor at the UNLV School of Dental Medicine.

And for that he’s grateful to a mentor with whom he connected as a UNLV dental student. That mentor suggested that Barborka pursue endodontics, a highly specialized field of dentistry that focuses on removing or repairing the damaged and/or infected tissue that can lead to excruciating toothaches.

In essence, through root canals and similar delicate procedures, endodontists work to save the natural tooth.

“I had a great mentor who saw something in me that I didn’t recognize in myself,” Barborka says. “I would never have pursued endodontics as a specialty without his help and encouragement. It ended up completely changing the trajectory of my career and life.”

That trajectory began to take shape when Barborka headed to the Texas A&M College of Dentistry in Dallas shortly after completing his dental degree at UNLV. As a resident while working toward a postgraduate certificate in endodontics at Texas A&M, he helped teach clinical endodontics to the school’s dental students.

Upon completing his endodontics residency at Texas A&M, Barborka returned to Las Vegas and in fall 2016 joined the UNLV School of Dental Medicine’s faculty in the endodontics program while simultaneously working in private practice.

During his time as a UNLV instructor, he has introduced a cutting-edge digital endodontic curriculum and developed innovative teaching methods to prepare students to succeed in an industry that now relies heavily on technology.

Now an assistant professor-in-residence, Barborka also has reconnected with his mentor at UNLV: Together, they’re the primary directors of a clinical pre-doctorate program that has been widely recognized as one of the most productive in the nation. In short, the program provides dental students an endodontic experience that is second to none.

Equally important — and impactful — is the work Barborka does at Las Vegas Endodontics, a state-of-the-art endodontic practice he owns and operates.

For instance, Barborka — who this year became a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics, the highest achievement in the specialty — works with many pediatric dentists in the Las Vegas community treating young patients. He’s also one of the few practitioners who provides Vital Pulp Therapy, a procedure that helps preserve pulp tissue health while trying to avoid having to do complete root canal treatment. (It’s a topic he has lectured on to his endodontic colleagues at a national level.)

Always aiming to give back, Barborka frequently invites dental students to his private practice to shadow him as he tends to patients. And when UNLV dental students encounter patients whose dental challenges are a bit too daunting, he is quick to step in and assist. 

Additionally, he occasionally performs more complex surgical procedures as “teaching cases,” which allows students to observe a complex procedure they otherwise wouldn’t see. At the same time, the patient receives advanced treatment that normally would be too cost prohibitive.

For all that, and more, Barborka is recognized as the 2024 UNLV School of Dental Medicine’s Alumnus of the Year.

After earning your UNLV degree, you returned to campus as a faculty member in the endodontics program. What went into your decision to be an educator?

I enjoyed teaching in my previous IT career. So when I saw there was an opening to teach at the School of Dental Medicine, I took it as a great opportunity to not only work alongside my mentor but to also pay it forward by serving as mentor to my students — just as I had been mentored.

Every career is filled with challenges and rewards. What is one of the greatest challenges you have encountered, and how did you navigate it?

Owning my own practice has many challenges. You must not only master the clinical aspect of dentistry — in my case endodontics — but also learn in real time how to effectively be a business owner and all that this entails.

Adding great team members, all of whom bring unique and important special skill sets to the table, and working with great consultants has helped me navigate and solve problems, which has helped me be successful.

What’s your message to the current UNLV student who is having second thoughts about pursuing a degree in dental medicine?

Dentistry is a great field that offers a wide range of career options other than traditional clinical dentistry. There are dental careers in education, research, public health, radiology, surgery, pathology, etc.

My advice to dental students who are struggling to find their way is to spend some time shadowing a dentist, as well as several dental specialists, to better learn where their niche in dentistry might be.

What’s the most important thing every School of Dental Medicine graduate should take to heart as they embark on their career?

Understand that graduating from dental school is just the beginning of your education. So don’t assume that just because you earned your degree that you are automatically a competent dentist. You know just enough to get a license to practice, but really not much more. 

So seek out a mentor or two. And don’t hesitate to invest in relevant — and reputable — continuing education programs.

You have the unique perspective of having sat in the same space where your current students sit, only now you’re the one at the front of the class teaching. How surreal is that experience?

I feel a sense of pride when teaching my students, knowing that I’m lecturing to them in the same room where I once sat as a student a little more than a decade prior. 

The experience brings me great joy, and reminds me how grateful I am for the education and opportunities that UNLV has given me.