At Smile Culture Dental, doctors and staff are striving to create a whole new culture when it comes to the experience of going to the dentist—one in which the health and beauty of patients’ smiles are at the forefront of everything the practice does.
“We have a new, innovative approach to dentistry in terms of patient care and experience, as well as our social awareness,” says Parth Patel, co-founder of Smile Culture and an aspiring D.M.D./M.B.A. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and Wharton School of Business, class of 2018.
Patel references not just the advanced techniques and technology at Smile Culture in saying this, but also the innovative “Smile 4 Smile” program, a social initiative of the practice that is truly making an impact in underserved areas within the immediate community and beyond.
The mission of Smile 4 Smile is straightforward: For every patient seen at Smile Culture, oral health education and oral hygiene essentials will be provided to an individual in an underserved area. “Education and prevention of oral diseases,” Patel notes, “are the most sustainable and key focuses of the program.”
Harshil Boghara, D.M.D., Smile Culture’s co-founder and clinical director, shares his cousin’s vision of bettering the world through advanced oral health care. “We want to be known as a group striving to do good things in areas that lack adequate dental care,” Dr. Boghara says, “because, at the end of the day, we’re in a position as health care professionals in which we can do that. It’s our responsibility to make underserved communities better. Smile 4 Smile is our way of giving back to these communities.”
This innovative approach to giving back echoes Smile Culture’s modern take on dentistry as a whole.
“We take a complete approach, that includes all aspects of dentistry, with all of our patients that we see,” Dr. Boghara says. “In order to deliver the highest-quality, patient-centric results, it is unique to be able to collaborate with a periodontist, orthodontist and oral surgeon in a treatment meeting together at our office.”
Dr. Boghara recognizes the many advantages of Smile Culture’s multispecialty office. “For one, it saves our patients valuable time, as comprehensive dental treatments can be performed all in one location,” he says. “But it also allows us to raise our level of care significantly. Our timing and execution of procedures are second to none.”
In addition to being at the clinical forefront of the field, Smile Culture strives to change the traditional notion that a trip to the dentist is supposed to be a dreaded experience.
“We understand that dentistry doesn’t have the greatest reputation,” Patel admits. “People don’t usually associate dental care with a pleasant experience. We want to create the opposite culture. We want people to experience quality dental care without the feel of actually being at the dentist. Our No. 1 goal and mission is to create the best experience possible. We want every patient walking out with a smile. That’s why everything we do, from aromatherapy techniques to noise-cancelling headphones, is done with the patient experience in mind.”
Patel notes that the Smile Culture team recognizes that theirs is a profession rooted in service, wherein guest care should be kept at the forefront of any successful organization’s business philosophy. “You’ll never find a team that’s more attentive to your needs,” Patel says.
Alexandra DeGeorge, D.M.D., orthodontist, joined the Smile Culture team with this philosophy in mind. The staff, she says, truly cultivates the convivial spirit shared with patients. “Ours is just a warm and welcoming and great environment to work at,” she notes. “It’s a very upbeat environment.”
Dr. DeGeorge, a member of the American Dental Association, as well as the American Association of Orthodontists, notes that it is not just in patient care that Smile Culture excels; the office has access to the most cutting-edge tools available. Temporary anchorage devices, for example, are an advance in orthodontia that can provide greater movement and faster results than certain traditional means of shifting teeth in the mouth. These biocompatible mini-screws, fixed to bone in the mouth and removed after treatment, can be used in older children, as well as adults, to achieve significant movement.
Another revolutionary orthodontic aid is AcceleDent, a pulsation technology utilized by patients for approximately 20 minutes each day to speed movement of teeth and decrease treatment time. Dr. DeGeorge notes that by utilizing such technology, treatment times for procedures including alignment via Invisalign (clear trays used in place of traditional braces to achieve smile straightening) can be cut in half.
Dr. Boghara, a member of the ADA, the Pennsylvania Dental Association and International Academy of Facial Aesthetics, utilizes advanced treatments as well. This includes those that can be applied to conditions not always associated with dental issues—migraines, for example. Dr. Boghara is seasoned in administering BOTOX, an injectable neurotoxin, to help ease migraine pain for those who suffer from the debilitating condition. As Dr. Boghara explains, a “simple” BOTOX treatment administered once every three to four months can cut the frequency of migraines from 10 to 15 times per day to once per week.
Drs. Boghara and DeGeorge are joined in the practice by talented doctors including Audrey Su, D.D.S., Edward Thievon, D.M.D., and Jean Kim, D.D.S., three dentists who specialize in general and cosmetic dentistry; periodontist Ahmed Shakeel, D.M.D.; and, new to the team this July, Simon Oh, D.D.S., an expert in implant dentistry.
With such an array of professionals all under one roof—seven doctors, four general dentists and a host of hygiene professionals—it is no wonder many patients choose to visit Smile Culture for all their dental needs.
“It’s all about our team,” Dr. Boghara says. “It’s not just about dentistry; it’s about connecting with people, creating an environment they can feel comfortable in—an environment of being cared for by someone who cares.”
“There is so much interest from doctors who share our vision and want to join us,” Patel adds. “They realize that [Smile Culture’s] approach to dentistry is at the forefront of our industry. We’re here fulfilling a passion; there’s interest and excitement there, and we’re growing.”
Smile Culture Dental
Deon Square
532 S. Oxford Valley Road
Fairless Hills, PA 19030
215-946-3655
www.smileculture.com
Photograph by Jeff Anderson
