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3 Questions With Dr. Elizabeth DiBona by Kyle Patton

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3 Questions With Dr. Elizabeth DiBona

Dr. Elizabeth DiBona, a third-generation dentist from New Hampshire, has taken her family’s legacy into the modern age with an ultramodern, 4,000-square-foot dental practice. Together with her husband, a licensed architect, she designed and built her office across from her father’s original office. With more than 1,000 hours of continuing education and many implant accreditations, DiBona has become an implant expert. She’s is a diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology.
1. You were uniquely tied to the profession long before becoming a practicing dentist. What are some of the old-school sensibilities that hold as much value today as they did when your father— and his father—were practicing?
“Measure twice, cut once” was a phrase I often heard from my father during our woodworking projects together—he’s an avid woodworker. Looking back, I’m sure he applied this careful approach in his office as well. This can mean checking which tooth you’re about to work on, or being prepared and having checklists in place for larger surgeries.

Another value passed down to me is how we interpret the dental work of other dentists. My grandfather must have told my father—who then passed it down to me —“Never criticize another dentist’s work unless you were sitting there next to him while he was doing it.” Be objective, accurate, helpful and respectful to all parties involved. Don’t throw another dentist under the bus.


2. What do you imagine implant dentistry will look like 10 years from now?
Trends are pointing in the direction of using a lot of digital workflows, so I imagine the digital workflow (scanning, printing, etc.) becoming faster and more exact. I also expect a lot more general dentists training to place implants, with involvement in organizations like the American Academy of Implant Dentistry likely to increase. Platelet-rich fibrin will be used more routinely in bone grafting and implant surgeries. I also hope to see growth in better screening patients before placing an implant. Some patients flat-out lie to me about smoking, vaping or marijuana use—typically I can sniff them out (literally!), but it would be great if we routinely requested blood work for things like tobacco and drug use, vitamin D levels and A1C levels. I am starting to do this now for my bigger All-on-X treatments (as mentioned in the case study here) because so much planning, time and money go into these cases. Patients need to take accountability for their health.


3. Which nondental influences have been most positive?
Definitely a supportive spouse. My husband is a practicing architect, but he works only part time so he can be there for our two children (ages 8 and 10). He understands that when I come home at the end of the day, sometimes I need to stretch out my back and neck because the job is physically demanding. Time to decompress from work is so important, to be able to be 100% when back at work. Also, the privilege of having supportive parents, the privilege of an amazing education, as well as walking into a practice that was my father’s—not everyone has that sort of opportunity.

In my free time, I love to read, especially works by John Irving. Typically, I share all the work-related leadership-type books, but I’m a big fan of fiction. I like to escape reality! I just finished Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. The main character was just so loveable, I kept rooting for him.

Dentaltown Magazine
October 2025
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