Nothing but the tooth, for dad and daughter

Drs. Kenneth Magid and Sabrina Magid-Katz are not only partners of Advanced Dentistry of Weschester but also father and daughter.

But in their Harrison office, that family relationship doesn’t cloud the work at hand.

As Magid-Katz said, “I call him Doc. It’s not Dad here.”

The family bond, though, is a thread that runs through the practice, which Magid founded 41 years ago.

The partnership of some four years got off to a smooth start and continues to thrive – by design.

“I know of a number of family businesses that are disasters,” Magid said. “I know of a number of family dental businesses that are disasters.”

So Magid took steps, including consulting a psychiatrist, to ensure their relationship – and the business itself – would not be harmed by the move.

That led to a very specific move that made all the difference.

“She came in as a partner, not as an associate,” he said. “I kid about the fact I couldn’t find a partner that would live up to my standards so I cloned me. She looks like her mother, but she’s very much like me.”

And both are clearly driven.

Magid, who received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hunter College and a doctor of dental surgery from New York University College of Dentistry, is director of Pre Doctoral Laser Dentistry and associate clinical professor at the NYU College of Dentistry. He continues to be a respected author, clinician and holds a number of patents.

Magid-Katz, who got her undergraduate degree from Duke University and her doctorate of dental medicine from the University of Pennsylvania, completed her residency at New York Presbyterian-Methodist.

Though she calls herself a fourth-generation (“if you count my mother’s side, as well”) dentist, Magid-Katz was not set on the family business all along.

“I was always inclined to do the medical field,” she said. “I really wanted to find what I wanted to do.”

She decided on dentistry during her junior year in college.

Magid said he never suggested his only daughter follow in his footsteps.

“I did not encourage her,” he said, as he had seen too many who “are pushed into it and hate it.”

And for him, it has been especially rewarding to have his only child join him at work.

“I’m extremely proud of her,” he said. “I love having her here.”

And that appreciation is mutual, as Magid-Katz said: “He’s an amazing mentor. And I wouldn’t get that anywhere else.”

Often, coming into a new business situation there is a period of adjustment, a time to build up trust.

But for Magid-Katz, she was already ahead of things, or as she summed it up: “He’s my dad.”

Magid-Katz said the family bond is something many patients recognize and appreciate.

“It’s comforting for patients, to some extent, as well,” she said.

It helps, they agreed, that they each have their specialties.

“We each have carved our own niche in the practice,” Magid said. “I do the surgery. That’s my thing.”

Among so many other specialties, he’s especially proud of his work detecting oral cancers, as well as screening for and treating snoring and sleep apnea.

Magid-Katz has created a thriving specialty, offering services tailored for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Across the board, the practice is known for its cutting-edge procedures and offering the latest technologies.

Magid-Katz said she often hears from friends that she must have had to introduce her father to the world of computers.

“He takes a computer apart for a hobby,” she said with a laugh.

The company indeed has a well-developed website (ADofW.com), but she did add a number of things.

“Now I’ve taught him Facebook,” Magid-Katz said.

When it comes to dentistry, though, Magid said “This is a very unusual practice,” Magid said. “It’s extremely high-tech.”

As he is involved in the creation of so many technologies and procedures, when things are touted as new, Magid has already been working with them for years.

“We get to use these things beforehand,” he said. “That’s the fun of being on the cutting edge. You get to do that.”

And for Magid-Katz, it’s a practice she’s proud to be a part of.

“It’s a good way to treat people,” she said. “I hate to be biased, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s an optimum level of care.”

For Magid, it’s all proven successful.

“We prepared well,” he said.