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By Susan Welsh
Newtown believes in the power of a smile. “I feel like if somebody likes their smile it just instantly gives them more confidence. From a social interaction, from an employment interaction, and from daily life activities, I think a smile can go a long way,” he says. Dr. Sheikh and his associates provide a service that can, indeed, be life-changing. As Dr. Sheikh points out, “If somebody likes their smile it instantly gives them more confidence, and they’ll smile more.”
The Smile Shop Newtown’s roots date back four decades to Dr. Bill Mlkvy who started the practice after an illustrious career in basketball where he was known as “The Owl Without a Vowel.” Mlkvy, a 1952 NBA draft out of Temple, spent one year playing for the Philadelphia Warriors (now the Golden State Warriors) before choosing to continue his dental studies at Temple and sub-sequently open his own practice. He was later joined by colleague, Dr. John Granados who took over the practice in 1981. Granados provided quality and caring dentistry for over 30 years. He was joined by colleagues Dr. Roena Romero in 2010, Dr. Susan Henrickson in 2015, and Dr. Khurrum Sheikh, in 2016. Dr. Sheikh is proud of the legacy of family care he and his colleagues provide, pointing out that he still has patients who used to go to Dr. Mlkvy. “The Smile Shop Newtown has a wonderful history of providing quality dentistry over multiple generations in Bucks County and I am truly grateful to be part of the amazing dental practice we have,” says Dr. Romero.
A tradition of dental excellence in Bucks County is important to Doctors Sheikh, Henrickson, and Romero. “I believe that we treat all of our patients like family,” says Dr. Henrickson. Dr. Sheikh and his team also place real value on the patient-doctor consult as both a way to establish a relationship and a way to fully customize each individual’s dental care. This begins with the first visit, a consult when a patient shares their dental/medical history and their individual concerns. Dr. Sheikh says he and his team place great value on patient feedback and understand the importance of listening to patient concerns and questions, all of which is integral to their treatment.
Dr. Sheikh, or Doc Sheikh (pronounced “sheek”) as he likes to be called, says there’s a real emphasis on keeping the legacy of the practice while also growing it. Recently Smile Shop New-town has spent much time and many resources on modernizing their offices and updating their computers and technology, including photography and an intraoral camera that’s used to show patients actual photos of their teeth and help them see what the dentist sees. One of their newest technological additions is the CariVu™, a detection device that uses safe, near infrared light to essen-tially allow dentists to see through the tooth and identify any cavities, cracks, or decay. It provides the patient with an easy-to-read image of their tooth “health” and is an excellent alternative for patients who can’t or don’t want radiographs (traditional X-rays).
Patient education is another key to a successful dental experience and for those interested in cosmetic treatments, Dr. Sheikh offers some thoughts on the difference between cosmetic versus aesthetic dental options. He says, “In aesthetic dentistry, the aim is to give the patient the best, natural-looking result. It's enhancing what's there and bringing out the natural beauty of what already exists for a seamless transformation. When I think of cosmetic, I think of nail polish, lipstick, those are the kind of things you put on to mask what’s there or to change something whereas aesthetic dentistry is enhancing what’s there and bringing out the natural beauty of what already exists.”
According to Dr. Sheikh, some of the common concerns about aesthetic dentistry include the questions, “Is it going to look too fake?” and “Am I going to be losing some of my own tooth structure?” Dr. Sheikh explains, “No procedure is done without an extensive consult because we’re changing the patient’s face, and we’re kind of changing their business card. I do believe that a smile is a patient’s business card to the world so we really want to focus on the aesthetics of that person, where their lip line is, how big their smile is, how much gum they’re showing and give them a natural smile customized to them.”
Dr. Sheikh and his colleagues do a “trial smile,” essentially a mock-up that serves as a blueprint. The patient is always part of the process, addressing what they like and don’t like, further enhancing the customization process. “It’s very much patient-centered and patient-focused, minimally invasive and comfortable for the patient,” he says.
Another concern for patients is cost. Dr. Sheikh says, “You want your teeth for a lifetime and you are using them for eating, smiling, social interactions—and with proper care and giving health the overall longevity, it works out to a few cents a day, it's an investment." And it's hard to argue that an investment in your smile, your calling card in life, isn’t worth every cent.
In addition to his practice, Dr. Sheikh’s commitment to his profession includes his role as a clinical associate professor at UPenn, where he teaches one day a week. He explains, “I wanted to give back to my profession because I do have a passion for dentistry. I like sharing dentistry, and I like teaching other people about dentistry. So for me, going into UPENN was a nice transition.” In his role as associate professor, Dr. Sheikh works with third and fourth year students supervising, guiding and helping them through procedures they’re learning about and performing for the first time. Dr. Sheikh is happy to give back and share what he’s learned over the past ten years in the profession.
Dr. Sheikh's teaching has also allowed him to stay a “forever student.” “I am with other faculty members who have been practicing for way longer than I have and I can pick up on procedures that they’re doing with their practice or their patients that I can bring to our office. Being in this environment also keeps him up to date with the most current trends in the dental profession.
Dr. Henrickson, who also taught at UPENN veterinary school and MCCC, says, “I enjoy teaching what I learn and know to others.” In addition, Henrickson has spent countless hours taking continuing education courses and has obtained her fellowship in the Academy of General Den-tistry which requires over 500 hours of continuing study beyond dental school.
Since 2007 Dr. Sheikh has served the dental community on the local, state, and national levels where he is a clinical director and active participant in the Special Olympics, providing quality immediate and emergent dental care to the athletes as part of the Special Smiles/Healthy Athlete program. He’s worked with patients from all over the world, including the summer games in Athens, Greece. It’s another way to connect to patients and to colleagues across the world.