New Adirondack Orthodontics Schenectady Location!
Our 6th office opens at Dr. DeLuke’s former practice.
Dr. Mike DeLuke of DeLuke Orthodontics knew he wanted to be a dentist at age 13, fell in love with orthodontics in dental school, and has been transforming lives at his Schenectady office building for nearly 20 years. Dr. DeLuke will be retiring from his clinical practice this summer, potentially creating a significant void in orthodontic services in the Schenectady area.
But Dr. Sergey Berenshteyn of Adirondack Orthodontics is opening a sixth branch at Dr. DeLuke’s former location, continuing the legacy of affordable, convenient, and customized care. Having helped Schenectady smile for many years, Dr. DeLuke took a moment to reflect on his mission, what he’s learned, and his plans. Let’s take a look at what he had to say!
How’d you fall in love with orthodontics?
Even after almost 20 years, I remain humbled by the power to deliver a smile that fills a person with confidence, lights up a room, and, nowadays, looks great on social media! I love when previous patients send me pictures of their major life events with a note saying how much they love their teeth and their smile.
Beyond appearances, we help young faces grow properly, to accommodate the adult teeth, and help them breathe through their nose instead of through their mouth. This is often overlooked but it provides a tremendous benefit to overall health.
I do this using only braces and wires (not expanders or headgear) when patients are 7-9 years old. At that age, the bones of the face are super-pliable so very light forces can achieve tremendous results. In addition, it almost always prevents the need to extract adult teeth which is awesome.
What’s been different about your practice and why?
I’ve specialized in treating younger patients with less invasive techniques than has traditionally been done. Using low-radiation 3D imaging along with a thorough clinical exam, I can detect underlying issues in facial growth and airway development. This allows me to both make the appropriate referral(s) to the ENT and/or allergist and, if indicated, use my minimally invasive braces and wires technique to normalize the growth of the jaws and face. The resulting transformation is mind-blowing. It dramatically improves the patient’s quality of life.
What’s next for you?
I’m starting DeLuke Orthodontic Coaching, with the mission of advancing the specialty, offering clinical and practice management courses, blogs, podcasts, and monthly case reviews to my orthodontic colleagues. Minimally invasive Phase I/Interceptive treatments are not being taught to young docs or performed by older docs. It will be an uphill climb to convince my colleagues to change their approach, but I’m ready and I’m super excited to share what I have learned.
Can past patients still get in touch?
I will be keeping my practice email, smiles@delukeortho.com, open indefinitely, and I’m working with a third-party lab to make retainers for patients who have had a previous digital scan taken at my office. If a previous patient needs new retainers they can send us an email and we will instruct you regarding how to proceed.
I am super excited for Dr. Berenshteyn and his associates to be moving into my facility! I have put my heart and soul into the Union Street property to customize it as an orthodontic office and I’m thrilled that it’s going to remain one. I’m also very happy for the community. One concern I had in retiring was the void in orthodontic services in Schenectady County that would result, so it’s great that Adirondack Ortho is going to come in and fill that void.
Additional Info About the Schenectady Location
Adirondack Orthodontics is honored to continue Dr. DeLuke’s legacy of providing quality orthodontic care in the Schenectady area. For those who are unfamiliar with Dr. DeLuke’s practice, you can find us located at 1327 Union St. Schenectady, NY 12308. If you would like to call and set up an appointment, our phone number is 518-579-7250. We are thrilled to start seeing your smiles!
