“Restore a Hero’s Smile” in Faces: Valeriia Sen, Kharkiv–Kyiv

Every clinic and every dentist involved in Dental Help UA’s project to restore veterans’ smiles has a unique story in this war, which has now lasted 10 years. For Valeriia Sen and her sister Sofiia, who is also her business partner, February 24, 2022, marked a new professional experience and a new level of self-awareness.

When the military actions began in the Kharkiv region, the clinic where Valeriia worked temporarily stopped seeing patients — everyone either left the city or stayed home. Out of a team of 50 people, only four remained in Kharkiv. Valeriia moved to her parents’ suburban home, while her sister stayed with their father at the hospital where he worked.
“Eighteen people were living in the house at that time, and we often had to go down to the basement,” Valeriia recalls. “After ten days of uncertainty, we felt the desire to act, and we returned to work. People came on foot to the clinic to get dental care because there were very few dental offices open in Kharkiv. We treated 14–15 patients a day, and the demand for treatment was high, including many military personnel.”

In autumn 2022, after shelling damaged the city center, there was a blackout. One of the rockets struck behind the building where Valeriia and her sister’s clinic was located. “At that moment, I realized that everything passes quickly, plans shouldn’t be postponed, this war will last, and we need to implement what we’ve planned today,” Valeriia shares.

This resolve led Valeriia and Sofiia to open their own dental office, Ocean Dental Office in Kharkiv. Valeriia and her team actively treated veterans as part of the “Restore a Hero’s Smile” project by Dental Help UA, joining the initiative from its inception in May 2022. “We treated both familiar servicemen and new patients coming for implants,” Valeriia says. “The most important thing for the soldiers is to feel cared for, to know that they are valued and not forgotten, including through the foundation’s program. In total, we treated more than ten defenders during our collaboration with Dental Help UA.”

However, recent military events in the Kharkiv region and changes in civilian behavior led Valeriia and her sister to rethink their professional plans. “People in Kharkiv now live day by day and plan accordingly. If they go to a dentist, it’s usually for acute pain; they don’t consider more complex procedures,” Valeriia explains. Considering these factors, the sisters and part of their team decided to relocate the business to Kyiv. “Compared to Kharkiv, it is currently safer in the capital, there’s more opportunity to work and grow the business, and of course, to do more for defenders and veterans,” the dentist adds. Meanwhile, Valeriia and Sofiia are working on obtaining all necessary permits for opening the clinic and are simultaneously acting as Dental Help UA ambassadors, informing colleagues about the opportunities the foundation provides.

“As an industry and as a society, we need to be attentive to veterans — understand when psychological support is needed, how to provide it correctly, who to contact for advice… which topics to discuss with military personnel, and which to avoid. There is currently a gap between civilians and the military, so the future lies in an ecosystem where doctors, psychologists, and social institutions for veteran adaptation work together. Strong within their circle,” Valeriia Sen concludes.