About Our Office

By Dr. Negaar Sagafi

Serendipity.

The textbook definition of this word is “the development of events in a happy or beneficial way.” Some people might simply call this concept “good timing.”

In March 2020, when state and local health orders (and common sense) dictated that I stop serving patients, it seemed like particularly awful timing. I was relatively new to the Washington, D.C. area and was trying to build not one, but two practices. Dentists and orthodontists are small businesses. We have employees who depend on us and we are also trying to support our own families. It is estimated that employment in dentists’ offices in April 2020 was less than half of what it had been just three months earlier. There was no revenue because we could not serve the community.

I fretted about whether my practices would survive. I worried about keeping my wonderful staff. But I also knew I had to push toward the future. I had to believe that events would unfold in a way that would benefit my patients and employees.

They did. Just 16 months after shutdown orders went into place, I’m opening the second of two renovated offices.

When the pandemic began, I was in the middle of rehabbing my Spring Valley location. I also had secured permits for the renovation of my Bethesda office. Instead of shutting down construction (which was an essential industry during COVID), we proceeded.

It was scary. Not only did we not know when we would be allowed to serve patients again, we ran into the same rising costs and supply chain delays that families who were building and renovating homes did. Are you still waiting for that couch you ordered back in January? Ikea’s division in the United States ran out of the cabinets we had selected. The manufacturer that made component parts for my patient chairs went out of business.

While the headaches were real, the gamble also was serendipitous.

The Spring Valley site was ready almost to the day in May 2020 that officials in Washington, D.C. lifted restrictions on nonessential medical and dental care. My staff and I could welcome patients back into a brand new, spotless environment. I am so grateful for the patients and families who started out in Bethesda, but trekked across the Maryland-D.C. line to see us.

The Bethesda office renovation was originally estimated to take just five to six months. Instead it took 14. But this month we open the doors to our beautiful space near Bethesda Row. It is light and bright and I hope it reflects the optimism that most of us are feeling at this moment.

When patients and parents walk into these spaces I not only want them to feel welcome. I want them to feel energized. That is why you will see a lot of pop art and primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) in my offices.

The red represents my passion for what I do and my love for my patients. Yellow is associated with joy. Most people probably would not list the orthodontist’s office as their “happy place,” but we definitely take pride and joy in what we do. The blue? While some people associate this hue with sadness, interior designers regard it as one of the most soothing shades on the color wheel.

You will also see that painted over the doors of my personal office are the words “Creativity in Action.” This space is where I do everything from answer email to puzzle over tough cases to discuss best practices and new innovations with colleagues over Zoom. This phrase really is my mission statement. I approach orthodontics as a scientist and a researcher. I always want to stay active and engaged. I am always trying to learn something new. I believe people must always ask themselves if there is a better way to do our work and that we must push ourselves to be creative when times are tough.

I cannot wait to welcome you to our these beautiful spaces. The last year and a half has not been easy, but we persisted through it so we could serve you better. Come see us!

By Dr. Negaar Sagafi

After moving to the United States from Iran, my family settled in Massachusetts where Henry David Thoreau was born, raised, and wrote Walden. Thoreau said, “Kindness to children. Love for children. Goodness to children … These are the only investments that never fail.”

Every visit to my office is an investment. Not only because the time I spend with my patients will result in a healthier smile, but because compassionate care will form lifetime opinions about the importance of dental health and my profession.

Taking a few extra seconds to connect with a child matters.

We know an appointment with the dentist is anxiety-producing. A visit with the orthodontist can be even more so. As a result, according to a 2018 DentaVox survey, 61 percent of the Americans say they suffer from dental fear. Four percent said they were so afraid that they have never seen a dentist. These patients will be more likely to suffer from ill health.

As clinicians, it is imperative that we act with empathy.

I find that children’s anxiety disappears quickly when my staff and I connect what we are doing to their teeth to their unique interests.

This task is pretty easy when I’ve got patients who are excited about math, science, or the arts. For one very young patient, I simply talked explicitly about what tooth number I’m referring to and ask them to count along with me. For students interested in physics or technology, I discuss in detail how BRIUS uses artificial intelligence to help move teeth. With one teenage patient, we’ve gotten so deeply into the details that she’s interested in an internship! I hope the time we’ve spent together not only encourages her to pursue a medical degree, but to become an empathetic practitioner.

For my chess-loving patients, we focus on strategy. If I do this on the top row of teeth, how is that going to impact what’s happening on the bottom, or even their bite? And, trust me, if your child loves history, I can go way back! Did you know, for example, that the Etruscans (who lived outside of what we now know as Rome) are responsible for some of the earliest orthodontics?

My staff and I also just ask a lot of questions. I always try to remember what the Spanish cellist Pablo Casals said. He told children, “You are a marvel. … There has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything.”

Whether it is music, athletics, or academics, our patients have the potential to become anything. Simply asking kids to describe what they’re up to — what makes them smile! — is a great way to make anxiety disappear and to put them on a path toward a lifetime of good dental health.

Dentists and orthodontists also need parents’ help in our efforts to reduce dental fear.

According to a 2015 survey of parents with children 12 and under, 48 percent said they are nervous themselves about going to the dentist. It was no coincidence, then, that roughly the same number of children (47 percent) said they were nervous. As Dr. Bill Kohn, Delta Dental Plans Association’s vice president of dental science and policy, said, “It’s easy for kids to pick up on their parents’ anxieties … so parents should try to stay positive when talking with their children about dental visits.”

Parents must remain relaxed.

Especially since we’re actually seeing increased anxiety lead to dental problems. In an ironic and painful twist, while anxiety can keep people away from the dentist and orthodontist, it also can drive them to us. According to a ADA Health Policy Institute study, in February 2021 more than 70 percent of dentists said they have observed an increase in the number of patients experiencing stress-related teeth grinding and clenching. That number is up from just under 60 percent in the fall of 2020.

Americans are more anxious than ever. For the sake of their long-term health, we need to make a greater effort to connect with kindness.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog. Please check back often for weekly updates on fun and exciting events happening at our office, important and interesting information about orthodontics and the dental industry, and the latest news about our practice.

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