Serving Mind, Body and Spirit in the Dental Chair
Walk into Dr. David Kurtzman's dental office, and you know immediately you are not visiting your average dental practice. There's not the usual administrative atmosphere, bland decor, antiseptic smells, or a waiting room packed with people. Step into Kurtzman's office, and you feel as though you are walking inlo a boutique art gallery or a day spa. Full of warmly decorated rooms, unique furnishings, and soothing music, Kurtzman's office was designed specifically to make the patient feel comfortable and at ease.
But the office environment is not the only unique aspect of Kurtzman's practice. His practice is an expression of who he is and what he believes - an approach to dentistry that he views as a form of personal artistic expression both in quality of work and patient care. "I believe every artist is attempting to express themselves in their own particular medium, and just about everything we create can become such an expression," Kurtzman says. Even dentistry.
The art of dentistry, for Kurtzman, involves a holistic approach to respecting the mind, body and spirit of each patient, according to the personality, health goals and desires of that person. In so doing, he has structured his practice to allocate more time for each person, for talking and getting to know people - as well as for working closely with his staff, dental hygienist Kristi Westhoven and assistant Kelly Frey. "We all come together as a team working toward the goals of personal growth, creation and excellence. We are all involved in the evaluation, planning, execution, and maintenance of the service we provide," Kurtzman says.
In his office practice, Kurtzman provides a full range of general, cosmetic and restorative services to help people maintain or improve overall dental health and appearance. His work includes the most state-of-the-art techniques available to assure long-lasting results for procedures including crowns, implants, bridges, and tooth-colored fillings, tooth whitening, porcelain veneers, and cosmetic bonding.
Kurtzman also has carved out a special niche in dentistry that few other dentists have tackled - working with dental phobics. "Some people are so afraid of the dentist that they can't even walk into my office, much less sit in the dental chair for a procedure," Kurtzman says. After many years of working with these patients, he discovered that the best way to treat them is with compassion and individualized care. Kurtzman is the only dentist in the state to offer comprehensive dental services to adults under general anesthesia in an outpatient hospital setting. "With the hospital program, we can treat virtually all of a patient's dental problems in one day. These are procedures that might take many hours and several visits to the dentist's office - something a dental phobic could not tolerate," Kurtzman says. This hospital program also is an excellent option for those with specific heallh concerns (heart or back problems, severe gagging) or time constraints that prevent them from sitting in a dental chair for multiple procedures.
In addition to his work as a private practice dentist, Kurtzman serves on the board of directors of the Ben Massell Dental Clinic, where he also works as the assistant clinic director. His artistic expression in dentistry extends to his personal interests as well. Kurtzman enjoys cartooning and calligrapy, music (he plats the violin, trumpet, tuba and banjo), and has twice rebuilt a 1975 Triumph TR-6 sports car. He is avid about fitness, having run many marathons and races; and he enjoys bicycling, racquetball and yoga.
Kurtzman's mission statement for his practice expresses his life philosophy of artistic expression and passion for excellence. "Our practice is committed to providing an environment of healthy personal growth in which to deliver exceptional dental care to people who embrace and enjoy life!"
