Rock and jazz band Steely Dan crooned about smiling for the camera back in the 1970s when the baby boomers were in their teens, 20s and 30s. And who doesn’t smile when hearing this whimsical lyric. Possibly those same boomers, who are now in their 40s, 50s and 60s say doctors Christian Yaste and Joseph Hufanda, two Charlotte-area dentists and owners of the Ballantyne Centerfor Dentistry.

      In 2001, Yaste and Hufanda took a risk by opening their own niche dental office where they could practice general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry and pain-free dentistry using the latest technology available. Today, their patient roster numbers approximately 2,000, about half of a typical practice with two doctors. But they see approximately 80 new patients each month, mostly boomers, who want a bright smile and the confidence that goes along with it. Why boomers? “These people very often had a horrible experience at the dentist office as kids,” says Yaste. “We target people who have given up on ever feeling comfortable at the dentist office.”

       These are not your parents’ dentists. The Ballantyne Center for Dentistry office occupies a second story suite in the Ballantyne Commons Shopping Center. A cozy elevator crawls its way up one story. When the doors open, they reveal sunlight streaming in tall windows with a surrounding view of the tony Ballantyne Resort area. The waiting room is large, but warm and filled with comfortable furniture. Music ushers patients into this space, where they are asked if they would like coffee, tea, spring water or juice. A foot-massage machine rests at the foot of a waiting room chair. “Is this a spa?” Yaste speculates. “Well, sort of. We’ve decided it’s important to provide a safe and comfortable environment. Based on our philosophy, we offer five-star, VIP service to everyone who walks in the door. We go the extra mile and then another mile, and another.” Patients take their minds off of procedures by listening to music via headphones. Dental chairs are plush; patients rest in a massage chair and use ergonomic pillows, and warm towels are offered at the end of a visit.

      Hufanda sits comfortably beside his partner during the interview, a dental tool in one hand that he uses to “pick” at a tooth mold resting in the other hand. He apologizes for continuing his work, but also laughs for just a moment. “Just have to keep going,” he says as he leans back in the waiting room chair closely inspecting the mold.

      Neither doctor wears dental regalia and they nearly finish each others’ sentences as they discuss their practice. “There is an emotional component to teeth. Without a nice smile, people look and feel older; they are self-conscious, covering their hands over their mouths when they smile. Very often they don’t realize how much it bothers them and they are so reserved when they laugh,” says Yaste. Hufanda sits up suddenly, drops his hands, and becomes quite serious as he discusses their philosophy. Leaning forward, he says, “This is more like practicing psychology. It speaks to self-worth. People say, ‘Now, I can finally smile for the camera.’ What we do really changes peoples’ lives. We find that very gratifying.”

No Pain, Much Gain

     Both dentists speak frankly about the reputation of their profession and the 180-degree turn they are trying to make. Picture entering a dentist’s office – you open the door and are hit in the face with those strong medicinal smells, says Yaste. The waiting room is dim, the staff reserved and you’re convinced it’s going to hurt. People understandably put off going to the dentist or don’t seek optional treatment that improves the quality of their lives.

      This behavior is called dental anxiety and is well-known in the profession. According to an article in the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), “...Dentistry has changed over the past three decades by adopting lasers, bonding procedures and other less technically threatening methods in treating patients...these efforts appeared to have had an impact on the problem of dental fear in our society and may be why 63 percent of adults surveyed in 1997 felt that less pain was involved during a dental visit as an adult than it was as a child.” [JADA, August 2003]

      Yaste and Hufanda agree that the future of dentistry centers on pain-free dentistry. “In fact pain-free is already here,” says Yaste. He speaks of technology in which a cavity is removed using a laser which requires no injection for pain-control and which shortens the time it takes to remove decay. They also see dentistry focusing more on adult preventative care with increased elective procedures and techniques that can save patients thousands of dollars during a lifetime. “The reality is that dentistry does wear out. Those 20, 30 and 40-year-old fillings break down, fall apart and need repair. Adult preventative procedures are needed to keep teeth healthy and people want to keep their teeth. They remember a parent or other family member who had plastic clicking in his or her mouth. Nobody wants dentures today,” says Yaste. “Our goal is to educate our patients and create an individual strategy, or plan, for their dental care.”

No Mere Veneer

     There is little pretension between the two dentists who readily share those past experiences that have shaped their approach to dentistry. One is “Joe”, the other is “Christian,” and it’s been that way since they first met in high school. From the time they attended a small, private boarding school in Michigan, they were fast friends. “Yeah, it was prison!” says Yaste. “No, no, it was just really small and everybody knew everyone else,” says Hufanda. “Of course we knew each other and we became close friends.” But like many high school friendships, it waned when they went their separate ways in college. Mostly, they knew what the other was doing through mutual acquaintances. Yaste went on to complete his graduate work at the University of Michigan Dental School. So did Hufanda and, thanks to those same mutual friends, they figured it out and became close friends again, and roommates, as they pursued their degrees. Their education was in no way limited to the classroom.

      While in dental school, Yaste was a bicyclist. Roaring into the dental school parking lot one winter day, he hit a patch of ice at 30 mph – black ice – impossible to see, but the injuries were obvious and the setting was ironic. He had knocked out his two upper front teeth. Yaste describes the accident as incredibly painful and emotionally shocking. “Here I was, going to be a dentist and my best advertising would be my own smile, and now I had ruined my front teeth,” he shares. One might think that if such an accident had to take place, what better place to be than the parking lot of a dental school. “No,” says Yaste. “It wasn’t the best place to be. Don’t get me wrong. I received outstanding care, but no emotional support. Trust me, there was no hand-holding when I really needed it.”

     Yaste’s smile is intact and quickly available as he finishes the story of his and Joe’s journey into dentistry. After graduating from dental school in 1996, Yaste moved to Charlotte to complete a two-year residency in oral medicine at Carolinas Medical Center. He enjoyed the lifestyle the region offers, so much so, that he encouraged his friend to move to Charlotte. “I called Joe and told him to come down, and he said, ‘Sure, why not,’” says Yaste, as they both laugh recalling the simplicity of their first days as dentists. They began their careers with a large dental practice in the region where they remained for three years. “It was discouraging,” says Yaste. “We were criticized for spending too much time with our patients. The bottom line was just that, the financial bottom line. It was the ugliest side of dentistry.”

      Yaste and Hufanda decided they could do it differently if they opened their own practice. Yaste knew he had a prototype for the dentistry they wanted to provide. His mentors were Dr. Lorin Berland, of Texas, who coined the term “spa dentistry” and Dr. Tom Orent, of Massachusetts, who describes spa dentistry as comfortable, painless, high-service dentistry. With this as their mantra, and the aid of a hand picked staff, they have been able to embark on their vision for VIP 5-star service.

Breaking Barriers

     An American Dental Association timeline of the history of dentistry includes approximately 100 entries on significant events and progress in the field. It begins with a notation on a Sumerian text dated 5000 B.C. which describes “tooth worms” as the cause of dental decay. During the Middle Ages in Europe, monks, as the most educated people of the era, practice dentistry, although a Papal edict soon prohibits monks from performing any type of surgery and barbers assume the role. As the timeline continues, it reveals advances in extracting teeth, treatment of decay, root canals and restorative techniques, and even esthetics as early as 1746. Prior to his Revolutionary War fame, Paul Revere advertises his dental services in a Boston newspaper. In 1842, the first reclining dental chair is invented and four years later the first use of ether anesthesia for surgery is demonstrated, although in one case, it was considered a failure when the patient cried out. Finally, in 1905, a local anesthetic, eventually marketed as Novocaine®, brings pain relief, although it requires a wincing injection. In the 1990s, new tooth-colored restorative materials escort in esthetic dentistry which includes implants, veneers and tooth-whitening systems. This is the same era in which the Food and Drug Administration approves the use of lasers on teeth to treat decay.

      The Ballantyne Center for Dentistry and its staff embrace esthetic dentistry. “Cosmetics is our first love,” says Yaste, although he is just as passionate for general dentistry. “But we do see the boomers more than anyone else.”

       Yaste and Hufanda are also passionate about making dentistry – preventative, cosmetic or otherwise – affordable. While they choose not to participate in managed or preferred provider dental insurance plans, they do know that their prices fall within typical dental insurance policy guidelines. They describe their prices as competitive and their location as fortunate. “We may be in a resort area, but we do not charge resort prices,” says Yaste. “In fact, we consider ourselves patient advocates when dealing with insurers. If a patient feels that financially he or she faces a barrier, we’ll find a way to make our service affordable. Financing is much easier to fix than teeth.”

     Their office is a work in progress as is their practice. Likely, it will never be complete in that they are constantly learning, spending 40 to 50 hours annually in continuing education. On a tour, Yaste explains that this room, when it is finished, will be a location for patients to relax and enjoy a beverage, and in that room will be more lab facilities. As the tour continues, Yaste recalls who created the spaces, curved walls, and subtle lighting; his father who is an architect and carries a dreaded fear of going to the dentist. “I knew if anyone could create a soothing atmosphere, it would be him,” says Yaste.

     Yaste and Hufanda each have a consultation area in which they meet with patients, but their private office reveals the friendship and camaraderie that is the hallmark of their practice. Computer keyboards and monitors sit at angles, and papers are piled on their desks. The remnants of a snack and drink litter their tables. It looks like a dorm room where two school boys developed plans for their dental practice.

Members of:

American Dental Association

North Carolina Dental Society

Charlotte Dental Society

General members of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry