Even in the throes of a harsh winter blizzard and the protracted scourge of a coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Todd Bertman has one of the brightest smiles in New York City – and it is infectious.
For almost two decades, Bertman – the owner of Advanced Dental Arts – has been sculpting smiles and calming those in crisis – and that hasn’t changed even amid a global pandemic.
“At has been very interesting just to observe how different people are coping,” said Bertman – whose boasts a “family style” practice nestled into the snowy streets of Greenwich Village. “Some of my patients are coming in super scared to be back in the chair, and others are laid back.”
And the homely feel hits you the very moment the glass doors open. It is a practice speckled by state-of-the-art technology and familiar faces ready to serve – but it’s a different kind of place during a global crisis. It is the dentists’ new normal. Hand sanitizers adorn the benches like bunches of flowers, and the once scattered selection of toys have been cleaned and closeted from view.
After shuttering the doors in the early months of the coronavirus onslaught, Bertman re-opened in the late Spring and is steadily bringing smiles back to life – with a myriad of twists. The team – even the receptionists – are now minimizing aerosols in a bid to destroy bacteria and relying more on the use of laser tools than the ultrasonic water sprayers, all to ensure patients that a trip to the dentist is a safe and soothing one.
“Statistically speaking, dental offices have had minimal infection rate. All our precautionary measures are working. Compared to many other places, the dentist is a safe place to be,” Bertman continued, emphasizing that his office has not had a single case of COVID-19. “Patients should feel comfortable to come in and get whatever they need to get done, done.”
From his lens, the protracted pandemic is somewhat reminiscent of the overhaul the industry endured during the AIDS epidemic in the 80’s – uncertainty over transmission and hygiene protocols – which led to increased measures such as masks and gloves. Three to four decades ago, such basic provisions weren’t even taken – how times have changed.
“Training in recent decades has been pretty intense, now precautions are just a universal thing,” Bertman surmised.
Indeed these days, it’s a far more complicated closet of personal protection equipment (PPE). Think goggles, gowns, head shields, suits and slippers. And while a trip to the dentist may seem ever-more laborious in such strange times, Bertman stressed its more crucial than ever.
Like many of his colleagues, he said he has seen a disturbing uptick in emergency cracked teeth, likely induced by increased grinding and clenching – likely a result of increased stresses triggered by everything from loss of loved ones and COVID fears, rising employment, and homeschooling, to lack to recreation and heightened uncertainty. Fractured chompers and gum inflammation can also spawn from stomach issues, muscle spasms, and poor posture as a consequence of long days working from home.
Yet even in the darkness that has cluttered New York City – which in the early stages of the coronavirus mayhem served as the world’s contagion epicenter – Bertman has observed firsthand the silver linings that emerge during tough times.
The small victories we as humans mark in a bid to take back some semblance of self-care and indulgence when the horizons appear bleak.
“What is happening now is that more people are coming in wanting to do cosmetic procedures, and there are few reasons that play into that,” he explained. “People have been stuck at home. They haven’t been able to go on their regular vacations; they have to stare at themselves a lot more on Zoom meetings. So people are putting money into themselves. They are going and getting the braces or Invisalign they have long wanted; they use their stimulus checks and improve the way they look and feel about themselves. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Bertman also pointed out that he has witnessed a leap in patients in the 60-70 year demographic taking action to fix the dental woes that have plagued their pasts for too long.
“Once you hit that age and start losing your teeth, your quality of life really goes down,” he conjectured. “You lose the simple pleasures of life – like enjoying a nice meal. People are now taking matters into their own hands, taking back control of their lives and health.”
Nonetheless, the uphill battle of the past year has also functioned as a poignant reminder of why the University of Pittsburgh graduate got into the business in the first place.
“I always liked the idea of working with my hands, and I loved exploring the art of what is behind the smile,” Bertman noted. “Creating a beautiful smile is a lot of fun; you can change someone’s life with their smile. That is the most rewarding thing for me.”
And for that, he said, he refuses to charge patients extra despite the acerbated costs associated with the ancillary protocols surrounding PPE and cleaning now required, and the reduction in the number of patients that can come through the doors each day, as per Centers for Disease Control guidelines. But from Bertman’s lens, the layered costs, the donning of something akin to a “spacesuit” to go to work, the restricted patient stream and the extensive cleaning measures are poised to become the “new normal” in the medical industry even after the coronavirus comes under control.
It is a bullet Bertman said he simply has to bite – so to speak – to keep his community thriving.
“The dental industry is going to change for the long-term. A lot of these things are going to become standard,” he added. “And the most important thing is making sure our patients feel safe.”
