And if he wants to continue the apprenticeship tradition, Joey’s little brother in elementary school already wants to be an orthodontist after seeing his big brother working in professional looking blue scrubs.
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Contact UsThis article originally was posted in the Albany Business Journal
Dr. Sergey Berenshteyn prepared himself for a difficult conversation.
It was mid-March and the curve of the coronavirus pandemic was starting to arc upward. He knew there would be consequences for his orthodontics practice — it’s a business in which people are literally face to face every day. You can’t have people working so closely without risking spread of the virus.
Berenshteyn gathered his staff. They talked through options before reaching a consensus: three-quarters of them would need to be furloughed.
“Even though everything was based on facts, personally, it was just the hardest day of my life to have to break such news to 20 people,” Berenshteyn said.
Before the crisis, Adirondack Orthodontics had seen about 60 patients per day at its four locations around the Albany region, including one that had just opened. The practice typically works with upwards of 2,000 patients in various stages of treatment. A lot of them are teenagers who require regular instructions and reminders.
Berenshteyn and the remaining staff have found ways to adapt. They’re conducting virtual office visits, mailing out new rubber bands. For urgent cases, he schedules a time to meet in the office.
The furloughed staff have kept in touch with questions about when they can come back and what they can do in the meantime. During a video call, some of them volunteered to help figure out how to run the practice in the Covid-19 world. Berenshteyn paid them for their time.
“These people want to help me; these people want to be back to work. They care about the patients; they care about the practice,” he said. “Amid all this, this really was a feel-good moment.
Berenshteyn is anxious to get them all back to work. Adirondack Orthodontics wasn’t able to secure a PPP loan during the first round. Without the loan, he’d be limited to a skeleton crew upon reopening.
He was worried about getting shut out in round two, but found success applying through T Bank.
“I reread the letter because I wasn’t sure I read it correctly,” Berenshteyn said, recalling the moment when the email arrived about the approval.
With the loan in hand, he could bring back his full staff. And he felt better about being able to work through the backlog of postponed patient visits.
Then there was the longer-term future. New patient inquires had evaporated completely during the first weeks of the crisis.
“When economic times are uncertain, you just don’t know when orthodontic treatments will be a concern for new patients,” Berenshteyn said.
But beginning in mid-April, he started getting a couple of new calls each day.
“I feel like people started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “I look at it as a positive sign because at this time, while everything is still closed, for people to be calling us is already great.”
Berenshteyn and his staff have put together a plan to prevent spread of the virus after the offices reopen. They will encourage social distancing in the office and space out appointments to make sure waiting rooms aren’t busy. Virtual visits and consultations will continue.
He’s just waiting on the go-ahead from the New York State Dental Association.
And the phone keeps ringing as the number of new patient inquiries continues to rise during May.
“These are the types of signs that make me really optimistic that things will start heading toward normalcy for everyone.”
Every year, we aim to make our services even more convenient for patients throughout the Capital District. To help with that, Adirondack Orthodontics is proud to announce a new office coming to a convenient location in East Greenbush, which will be open in mid-January of 2020! Hours at our new location will be from 9:30 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, with spots on Saturday by appointment only.
Creating a fourth location will allow us to continue to provide full orthodontic treatments and services for patients of all ages. In addition to the central placement of our new location, patients will benefit from flexible payment options, services provided by experienced professionals, and the latest orthodontic solutions. When you’re searching for affordable orthodontic solutions, you don’t have to compromise to get what you want. Adirondack Orthodontics works with most major insurance companies and can provide payment options that work for you and your family.
As we open more locations, we will be better able to serve a wide range of patients in East Greenbush, Clifton Park, Albany, Latham, and beyond! If you would like to become a patient at the new office of Adirondack Orthodontics, call us to schedule an appointment. We look forward to serving you at 4 Middle Mannix Road, Suite 100, in Rensselaer, NY.
Protecting Your Smile: Evaluating Halloween Candy Choices for Braces
Everyone should be able to enjoy the candy they get when trick or treating, including those with braces! Yet certain kinds of candy can jeopardize the health of your teeth and the state of your orthodontia. Taking care of your teeth is essential, especially when you’re investing in braces and the long-term beauty of your smile. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you bring home your candy haul this Halloween.
Understanding the Risks
Before diving into the specific candies, it’s essential to understand why some treats are problematic for braces. Braces consist of brackets, wires, and bands that are delicate and susceptible to damage. Hard, sticky, or chewy candies can easily get lodged in braces or cause brackets to break. Additionally, biting into hard candies can put excessive pressure on the braces, leading to discomfort or even damage to the teeth.
The Best Halloween Candy Choices
Fortunately, there are plenty of delicious Halloween treats that are safe for braces. Soft chocolates, such as milk chocolate bars or peanut butter cups, are generally a safe option as they melt easily in the mouth and are unlikely to damage braces. Similarly, treats like marshmallows or soft caramels can be enjoyed in moderation.
Another excellent choice for brace wearers is sugar-free gum. Not only does sugar-free gum satisfy the craving for something sweet, but it also promotes saliva production, which helps wash away food particles and bacteria from the mouth.
Proceed with Caution
While some candies are safer for braces, it’s essential to consume them with caution. Even softer treats can still pose a risk if not eaten carefully. For example, while chocolate is generally safe, avoid bars filled with nuts or crunchy ingredients that could potentially damage braces. Similarly, soft caramels should be enjoyed sparingly to prevent them from sticking to the brackets or wires.
The Worst Offenders
On the other end of the spectrum are candies that should be avoided entirely by those with braces. Hard candies, such as lollipops, jawbreakers, or candy apples, pose a significant risk of damaging braces. Biting into these hard treats can cause brackets to break or wires to bend, leading to discomfort and potential delays in orthodontic treatment.
Sticky candies, like gummy bears, taffy, or caramel candies, are equally problematic. These candies have a tendency to get stuck in braces, making them difficult to remove and increasing the risk of tooth decay and other oral health issues.
Tips for Enjoying Halloween with Braces
While it’s important to be mindful of candy choices, it doesn’t mean brace wearers can’t enjoy Halloween festivities. Here are some tips for a braces-friendly Halloween:
- Plan Ahead: Before heading out for trick-or-treating or attending Halloween parties, make a plan for which candies are safe to enjoy with braces.
- Moderation is Key: Enjoy treats in moderation and avoid overindulging in candies that could potentially harm braces.
- Brush and Floss: After indulging in Halloween treats, be sure to brush and floss thoroughly to remove any lingering candy particles and prevent tooth decay.
- Stay Hydrated: Drinking plenty of water can help wash away sugar and food particles from the mouth, reducing the risk of cavities and other dental issues.
- Attend Orthodontic Check-ups: Regular visits to your orthodontist are crucial for ensuring that your braces are in good condition and that your treatment is progressing as planned.
Have a fun and spooky Halloween!
Follow these tips this Halloween – and any time you eat something sweet – and you’ll be equipped to take care of your braces. If you have any questions about how to brush, floss, or generally care for your teeth and braces, call Adirondack Orthodontics. We would be happy to help.
Picturing the idealized version of your own smile can be difficult. Everyone is different, and your perfect smile will look different from someone else’s. Instead of looking at before and after pictures of other patients and hoping you get the same results, utilize SmileView™ to simulate your new smile. You’ll love what you see!
SmileView™ is Invisalign’s way of demonstrating what they can do for you! Simply take a selfie with your smartphone or tablet and submit it through SmileView™. Once you’ve provided a photo, SmileView™ uses a special algorithm that utilizes the data from over 6 million cases to determine the projected outcome. Within minutes, you will be sent a computer-generated image showing how your teeth will look after your Invisalign treatment. One minute is all it takes to see yourself with the perfect smile.
Adirondack Orthodontics will soon be a recommended orthodontist through Invisalign’s SmileView™ tool. Envision exactly what your new smile will look like with your own facial features by using Invisalign’s SmileView™! If you like what you see, schedule an appointment at Adirondack Orthodontics to begin your treatment.
The Albany Business Review has listed Dr. Berenshteyn as a Top 40 under 40 for 2019! Click here to read the full article.
The benefits of a participating provider
Want a smile that’s both beautiful and affordable? Your best choice is to work with a participating provider. At Adirondack Orthodontics, we are proud to be the only practice that participates with nearly every insurer in the Capital Region. But what exactly does that mean?
Reduced Out-of-Pocket Costs
Being a participating provider involves pre-negotiating fees with insurance companies and agreeing to adhere to those rates. As a result, your out-of-pocket costs are greatly reduced – depending on the plan, you may not have any – so your treatment is more affordable.
Streamlined Insurance Process
Moreover, we shoulder the burden of dealing with your insurance provider throughout the course of your treatment. From collecting payments to handling paperwork and filing claims, we handle it all. For you, that means no paperwork, no claims to file, no phone calls to make, so you can concentrate on achieving the beautiful smile you’ve always wanted.
What it’s like working with an accepting provider
There’s a huge difference from working with an accepting provider – one who accepts your insurance but does not participate with the insurer. Not only will you pay more out of pocket – since the insurance company does not cover the entire cost of service – you also have to pay up front and then wait to be reimbursed by the insurance company. And we all know how long that can take!
Choose us for affordable, convenient orthodontic treatment
At Adirondack Orthodontics, our commitment to providing caring, personalized service to our patients goes beyond the orthodontic treatment. We strive to make the entire process both affordable and stress-free, and as a participating provider, we have done just that for thousands of Capital Region families.
Call us today for a free consultation. We’d love to show you the power of working with a participating provider!
Everyone, especially our children, deserves access to quality orthodontic care. Crooked teeth, overcrowding, underbites, and overbites can cause a lifetime of painful and expensive dental problems, not to mention the impact these issues can have on self-esteem.
Over the years, we have seen many children across the Capital Region who suffer from severe dental issues that can only be solved by braces. Unfortunately, many insurance providers don’t cover the cost, and as a result, families that can’t afford to pay out of pocket are forced to forego treatment for their children.
At Adirondack Orthodontics, we find this to be unacceptable – and we decided to do something about it by investing in the lives of local children in our community who need a helping hand. During the holiday season, we provided a gift that will truly put a smile on their faces: giving away free braces to children in need.
We were proud to team up with Smiles Change Lives, an international nonprofit that helps provide orthodontic treatment for kids whose parents can’t afford the full cost of braces. After more than 100 children were screened for eligibility, 25 were chosen to receive treatment. With a value of $150,000, this is the largest-ever donation of braces to kids in the Capital Region.
To Dr. Sergey Berenshteyn and the caring professionals that are part of our team, the value of this program was priceless. We saw firsthand how much a healthy smile could change a child’s life, and took great joy in turning dreams into reality for so many worthy children and wonderful families.
This type of community support typifies what Adirondack Orthodontics is all about. We believe every patient should receive caring, personalized attention and custom orthodontic solutions using the most advanced equipment. Regardless of your economic situation, you can be assured of receiving the highest level of care from our team.
Nothing should stand between you or your child and straight, beautiful teeth. We encourage you to contact us to learn more about our interest-free payment options, flexible payment plans, and discounts, and to schedule your free initial consultation. Click here to get started!
This post originally appeared in the The Saratogian on November 20, 2018. Written by Follow Stan Hudy and Stan Hudy.
Sports are often steeped in tradition and during the winter, hockey posters, program covers and social media are often filled with photos of smiling hockey players with missing teeth, proud of their toughness and missing front teeth.
That is one tradition that the Shenendehowa ice hockey team has avoided that with style and ease the past four years courtesy of Dr. Sergey Berenshteyn, D.D. S. and his Clifton Park Orthodontics office. The local office once again provided 28 molded mouth guards for the varsity squad at no cost to the team or the parents.
“We’ve always offered mouth guards, that’s just part of something that we do, but usually it’s by request,” Dr. Sergey Berenshteyn said. “One of the things is that we treat a lot of Shen kids, they’re really into sports and they are very active. It just turned out that someone said to me ‘Hey, would you be interested in doing mouth guards for the team?’ I said absolutely.
“We just had a lot of hockey players in because parents are allowed to stand on the side. They would always talk about upcoming games. It was just cool to be involved in that, so we started bringing the kids in and making mouth guards for the entire team.”
Dr. Berenshteyn and his Adirondack Orthodontics group, with three locations in the Capital District, believed in the need for protection and absorbed the near $10,000 for each season to benefit the Shen Hockey program.
“It was just an easy decision for us because they are all great kids, we love having them in the practice,” Dr. Berenshteyn said. “Many of them are not our patients even; they just come from Shen from the teams.
“It’s nice to meet the entire team and be able to talk to the patients that I see to some of their other friends who are around the team and just to get a whole picture and see all the parents.”
Mouth guards are readily available at retail locations for approximately $20, but require the athlete to either boil the plastic piece to make it more pliable or utilize a gel layer that that they bite into to form to their mouth.
“They have to be a certain fitness to be protective in quality, they have to be at least 4 mm in thickness and that is what these are for hockey,” Dr. Berenshteyn said. “The nice thing about them is the ones you buy over the counter when you mold them, outside the inherent risks; they are still not as precise.”
Another advantage is that unlike a hockey player’s stick, these will last a full season.
“When you boil your own it sits there in ice and it’s not terrible, but these you actually have to pull them out because they fit so well,” junior defenseman Christopher Lasher said. “I’ve been hit a lot over the past years and I haven’t lost any teeth, so I guess its working.”
Lasher was fit last week as part of his third consecutive season with Shen Hockey and he can credit the protective mold for keeping his smile completely intact.
“The reason teeth are lost is you get point impact trauma, the force is attributed to the tooth, the ligaments break, the tooth pops out,” Dr. Berenshteyn said. “The way the mouth guards in a sense, it splints the teeth.
“Because our mouth guards are so tight, they splint them really well, when you get a point of contact the force is evenly dissipated over the mouth guard and over the teeth, they all absorb it together as a segment so you are less likely to lose teeth.”
Last week, three players at a time we welcomed into an expansive exam room where they were greeted by their respective technicians. The pink molding compound was mixed in and then placed onto a one-time use upper mold and placed into the mouth of each player. The mold was held in place by the technician until the compound took a solid impression and then removed. The players were then free to rinse out their mouths of any remaining mixture.
This was the first-ever fitting for new Shenendehowa sophomore forward Jack Christian.
This is my first time getting one, so I thought it was kind of cool getting one.
“I expected it to taste worse,” Jack Christian said. “It’s not difficult in any way, really simple, really quick.”
He is looking forward to maintaining a single mouth guard for the entire season.
“The ones off the shelf, I lose them all the time,” Christian said. “They would fall out a lot, just randomly. “Sometimes they would cut your mouth, get frayed and start cutting your lips and that was not pleasant.”
Dr. Berenshteyn said his office supports a variety of sports and events at Shenendehowa, including the cheerleading squad and the Shen rowing team. His office just finished its consultations for the ‘Smiles Change Lives’ program, donating 25 free orthodontic treatments for people in need.
“They do all the financial screenings, to see if they qualify based on financial need, then we did the clinical screening to make sure they are good candidates for orthodontic treatment,” Dr. Berenshteyn said. “We’re actually in the process of getting started.”
The completed guards will be delivered to the team and the Plainsmen will be on the ice versus LaSalle to give them a true test in a scrimmage versus LaSalle 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27. Shenendehowa hosts Mamaroneck 8 p.m. Dec. 7 as part of the annual Don Kauth Tournament at the Prestige Services Arena in Clifton Park.
This post originally appeared in Spectrum News 1 on October 21, 2018. Written by Evan Sery.
Braces fix your teeth, but can also be an expensive burden.
That’s why a local orthodontics practice is stepping in to ease the financial pain and strain of getting your braces.
On Saturday, Adirondack Orthodontics in Latham teamed up with Smiles Change Lives, an international nonprofit, for what organizers say is the Capital Region’s largest-ever donation of braces.
Hundreds of children were screened by a team of doctors at the Latham practice and up to 25 will be selected to receive treatment.
Happening Now: Adirondack Orthodontics hosting hundreds of children and families in what is the Capital Region’s largest-ever donation of braces. Phenomenal story. Can’t wait to share it. @SPECNewsAlbany pic.twitter.com/aFKyzN1Wc3
— Evan Sery (@evanserytv) October 20, 2018
Dr. Sergey Berenshteyn, founder of Adirondack Orthodontics, tells Spectrum News it’s all about bringing out smiles, and giving back to the community.
“Orthodontic treatment can definitely be very costly and we are very excited to be able to lessen that burden for parents and the kids, and I’m telling you the kids we’ve seen today are super excited because they really appreciate what we’re doing here, and we’re just excited to be able to do this for them,” said Berenshteyn.
In all, the services and supplies the kids selected will get adds up to about $150,000.
This post originally appeared in the Times Union on August 8, 2018. Written by Lynda Edwards.
Dr. Sergey Berenshteyn was 10 when his parents fled Ukraine for Queens 25 years ago. The Soviet Union had just splintered into newly independent republics, including Ukraine. His mother had been a dentist, but in the 1990s, Soviet dentistry was far behind American technologically.
“Russian dentists didn’t use X-rays to identify bad teeth; they just looked inside the patient’s mouth so my mom had to catch up in school,” Berenshteyn said. So, his middle-aged mother studied three years in New York University’s College of Dentistry, while learning English, before she could open her practice in Troy.
“My dad learned English while he studied to be a computer programmer,” the son recalled, and added with a laugh. “They still sound like villains in a James Bond movie because of they never lost Russian accents. But I’m so proud of what they accomplished.”
Berenshteyn followed his mom’s footsteps after graduating from Guilderland High School by becoming an orthodontist with practices in Latham, Albany and Clifton Park called Adirondack Orthodontics. He recently recognized his parents’ tenacity and hustle in two teenagers, both Guilderland High School students, both patients of his. And both are the children of immigrants. When they told Berenshteyn they wanted to learn to be orthodontists, he created paid apprenticeships for each of them.
“My apprentice last year was a young woman whose parents immigrated to Guilderland from the former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan,” Berenshteyn said. So there was a plan in place this year when another student, Joey Hayak, asked job shadowing and ended up with a fulltime summer job.
Hayak, 17, a rising senior at Guilderland High School, was born in America to a father who emigrated from Lebanon to the U.S. Now, Hayak he’s apprenticing with is doctor, the second teenage child of immigrants to do so in two years.
“Because he’s not a certified dental assistant, Joey can’t directly work on patients but he can fill out records, get patients to the right offices, gather supplies and take X-rays,” Berenshteyn said.
Hayak’s father met his mom, who is Lebanese-American and whose family lives in Troy, when she was visiting relatives in Beirut.
They married there in 2001, a year after the end of the South Lebanon Conflict, 15 years of grueling guerrilla war pitting the Israel-backed Christian militias against Iran-backed Hezbollah. Beirut residents finally could dream of returning their city to its prewar beauty and sophistication that earned Beirut the nickname “Paris of the Middle East.”
Hayak’s parents’ families were Lebanese Christian and loved the sense of community in Beirut.
“They would say if you have a problem, everyone in the community shows up to help you solve it,” Hayak said, smiling. “But they talked about America for a long time and how great it would be to build their lives and raise their children in such an exciting, friendly country.”
The came to America and settled in Guilderland in 2001.
Hayak’s mother is a nurse and his father a construction contractor. Hayak enjoyed studying science and began researching fields for possible future careers.
“My father can fix anything that goes wrong with our house,” Hayak said admiringly. “He learned millions of facts about aluminum and glass from throwing his energy and focus into the job. And I thought maybe I can do the same thing and find a job where I can get practical experience in a future career.”
He appreciated Berenshteyn’s soothing approach to patients and the way he had arranged his office to function. Berenshteyn has a row of stations in one room where orthodontists can work on children’s braces. The kids’ parents can sit in the same room for emotional support. Hayak was also intrigued by the technology that Berenshteyn used, like scanning the patient’s teeth to make an imprint rather than using a mold.
That’s why Hayak wanted to work with his doctor.
Berenshteyn never thought of limiting summer apprenticeships to immigrants’ children. But he doesn’t think it’s a coincidence both apprentices so far happened to be first generation Americans.
“Immigrants learn fast that they need to be advocates for themselves,” Berenshteyn said. “They learn early that no one is going to lead you to water. You have to find your own path to it. And if you’re an immigrant’s child, you can learn quickly to be that proactive yourself.”
