Dental Education Programs - Shadowing 

* A Pre Dental Education Program is the appropriate name for what pre dental school students may refer to as a dental internship or shadowing. This is an informal program for college students and college graduates who have not yet attended dental school. This program is described below.

* Our Advanced Dental Education Program is for American-trained and foreign-trained dentists and dental students from around the world who want to increase their knowledge of dentistry. This informal program teaches multi-specialty diagnosis, treatment planning, behavior management and treatment skills. Our focus is on super premium Oral Rehabilitation Dental Reconstruction. This program is described below.

* For over ten years The Center for Special Dentistry separately offered a formal dental internship to third and/or fourth year dental students from Columbia University and/or New York University dental schools, but this program will end May 2010.  Please read their blog.

      The Center for Special Dentistry in New York City welcomes patients from around the world who seek a simple solution to complex dental problems.  We are a Multi-Specialty Cosmetic and Reconstructive dental practice that offers super premium dental care quickly and comfortably in a low volume, non-managed care environment.

     Our office location is in the very center of New York City in mid-town Manhattan.  We are in the center of the mid-town Financial District and one block away from The Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Saks Fifth Avenue, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center.  We are two blocks away from the Diamond District and four blocks away from Broadway theatres.

Pre Dental School Education Program

Session I:  May 1st through August 31st - $475.00
Session II:  September 1st through December 31st – $250.00
Session III:  January 1st through April 30th – $250.00
Session IV:   Any one week (Monday – Thursday) session - $100.00
 
     Fees are due the first week of each period and will allow students the opportunity to participate within our program.  The fees cover the basic expenses incurred by your participation during these time periods and will not be prorated nor refunded for partial attendance.  Please note that we typically work a four day week so students have long weekends from Friday to Sunday to enjoy all that New York City has to offer - or have more time to study for the DATs!  We also take many full weeks off during the summer so it the student's responsibiliby to make their plans with this in mind.  We cannot guarantee the type or amount of dentistry that will be seen during any time period. Volunteers who become full time paid staff may request reimbursement of up to one paid Session fee after six months of full time employment.

     Please read this information and our website carefully.  We will not respond to applicants who do not follow these instructions.  You may click on the "Office Staff" section in the left margin of this page to learn more about our students.  You may also visit NYCdentist.com/blog to read our student experiences.

Advanced Dental Education Program for Dentists and Dental Students

     The Center for Special Dentistry offers an informal non-degree, non-CE Program for American-trained and foreign-trained dentists and dental students.  Our focus is super premium multi-specialty cosmetic reconstruction with an emphasis on treating phobic patients.  This program does NOT offer dentists the ability to actually treat patients.  A University-based program (which we are not) will typically have a different patient population than a super premium private practice.  Understanding the heart and mind of a patient is the first step in treatment; differential diagnosis, case presentation and the mechanics of dentistry come later.  People seeking super premium dentistry typically have different expectations of how they want to be treated; learning what we do will apply to ALL patients in your practice.  At his discretion, Dr. Dorfman can provide assistance to extraordinary students in applying to various dental school programs (e.g. Advanced Placement, Residency, Post Graduate); participation in our program may or may not facilitate a student's acceptance.

     The expected duration of these programs can vary based upon individual needs; starting dates can occur throughout the year. Summer visits are welcome but check on our holiday schedule in advance.  The intention of this program is to increase the knowledge and skills of dentists for when they return home to practice.  Our program does NOT grant a university degree or a license for U.S. dental practice.  If you are seeking an American dental degree (DDS or DMD) and/or an American dental license (to practice dentistry in the U.S.) please visit www.ADA.org for information from The American Dental Association or www.NYU.edu/dental; we cannot help you.

     There is not an application form.  You may send your resume, three recommendations and photo via email, US mail and/or fax (212) 754-5731.  If using email please send your resume and recommendations contained within the body of your email; only your photo may be a jpeg attachment.  We don't open attachments from unknown sources.  Your references must NOT be from family or friends.  A check for the $65 application fee should be made to 1dentist, LLC and sent via US mail before your application will be processed.  An invitation to interview does not imply acceptance into our program so applicants should make travel plans accordingly.

     Fees are $875 per month (on a monthly or annual basis only) and this is due on the first day of attendance of each month or $8,750 for 12 months paid in full on the first day of attendance. Checks should be made payable to 1dentist, LLC.  Please note that we typically work a four day week so Advanced Dental Education students have long weekends from Friday to Sunday to enjoy all that New York City has to offer. We cannot guarantee the type or amount of dentistry that will be seen during any time period.  These fees will not be prorated nor refunded for partial attendance.  Tuition discounts are possible with documented financial need; this can be discussed if you are invited to an interview. 

     In special cases, a foreign-trained dentist who intends to apply to a U.S. dental school Advanced Placement program and who seeks long term employment with us may apply to our Pre Dental School Education Program to reduce their cost.  The application must convey this intention and the decision rests with Dr. Dorfman.  Applicants cannot apply to both programs so choose your application wisely.

     We cannot provide assistance to international applicants in obtaining a visa so please don't ask.  Please read this information and our website carefully.  We will not respond to applicants who do not follow these instructions.  You may also visit NYCdentist.com/blog to read our student experiences.

Dental Education Job Description for Pre Dental students

      Our multi-specialty group offers comprehensive, cosmetic dentistry quickly and comfortably to primarily a Wall Street and Entertainment patient population.  The practice also has a significant focus on treating phobic dental patients.  It is composed of about ten dentists and specialists and a great group of students.  Our pre dental school program offers pre-dental training as well as guidance regarding the business aspects of dentistry.  Students from local dental schools are frequently in our office as well.  It is a fun and stimulating, high energy, private practice/academic environment.

      Our office is the only private dental practice in New York State wherein dental students may treat patients for greatly reduced fees with their informed consent because Dr. Dorfman is a professor at two NYC dental schools.  [see NYCdentist.com/faculty].  We also offer significant assistance to our full-time paid students when applying to dental school, residencies and/or post-dental school specialty programs and in ultimately getting a job.

     The world headquarters for 1dentist, LLC, the largest family of free dental content websites in the world, is also located in this office.  1dentist, LLC owns 600 of the best dental urls worldwide and provides over 4,000 pages of content created in-office (and seen on NYCdentist.com).  This family of websites receives over 300,000 monthly unique visitors and two million page views.  1dentist has been online since 1998 and has over ten years of internet data collection including SEO.

     A pre dental student will be immersed in daily discussions on differential diagnosis, radiographic interpretation, treatment planning complex cases, case presentation and behavioral studies. There is no formal curriculum so you can learn at your own pace and enjoy yourself.  Our students are involved in every aspect of our practice.  New students are first required to carefully study The Student  Handbook and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Manual before being allowed to observe patient treatment. 

The primary responsibilities of a pre dental school student are:

·            Acquiring and applying new dental knowledge and skills including working carefully & safely.

·            Exemplifying punctuality, reliability, cleanliness, and initiative.

·            Maintaining a smooth flow for effective transitions in the office environment.

·            Recognizing that the office can quickly change, demanding flexibility & organization under pressure.

·            Being able to perform and track several tasks simultaneously with accuracy.

·            Exhibiting courtesy and friendliness to all patients.

Dental duties:

·           Helping with lab work including pouring up good study models.

·           Prep for teeth whitening.

·           Taking full mouth series x-rays quickly and efficiently, and taking digital photos, i.e. both internal and external.

·           The set up of the Nitrous Oxide unit in all rooms.

·           Setup and assisting all dental specialties that requires developing an understanding of what is being done and why.

·           Cleaning and disinfection of treatment rooms.

·           Sterilization of instruments

·           Stocking of all required materials for all aspects of dentistry.

·           General office maintenance.

·           Confirming patient appointments, patient follow up, patient recall for dentistry.

·           Learn how to perform diagnosis and treatment plan patient cases, and offer varying case presentations.

·           Ability to read and understand radiographs.

·           Know the different types of numbering/notations for teeth and terms related to dentistry i.e. instrument names, tooth names, tooth surfaces.

·           Understand how to review oral hygiene with patients.

·           Understand and implement all procedures to help make phobic patients comfortable.

Office duties:

·           Scheduling patients.

·           Prosthetic cases - dealing with lab, the technicians, and scheduling.

·           Entering in the computer new patients, insurance information, patient treatment.

·           Print insurance forms and submit claims with the appropriate documentation.

·           Understanding insurance benefits, percentages, usual and customary fees, and deducing the patient's co-payment for certain procedures.

·           Getting payment and dealing with outstanding balances, e.g., old insurance, aged receivable, and billing.

Some personal experiences written by students:

E.W. said:

I was a full time student with Dr. Jeff Dorfman for about a year and met many students who had stayed for two or three years full time. The Center for Special Dentistry is a unique place that has offered dental internships for 25 years. I don't know of any other place like it where college students with no experience can be allowed to watch and learn how to treat some of the most complicated cases in dentistry. I've been exposed to multi-specialty cosmetic reconstruction that I don't believe I could have learned elsewhere. There's a great group of cosmetic dentists and specialists in the office who are willing to teach you. Dr. Dorfman wants to see which students make the most effort before he decides to spend his time teaching them individually. 

Do not interview with him unless you are fully prepared and know all about the program and the practice from the website. Otherwise, you might get grilled and won't be invited back. 

I said I had some experience working in a dental office. Dr. Dorfman then asked me some questions that I should have been able to answer, such as the name of the final filling material used during root canal treatment(gutta-percha). Though I'm typically very calm and collected during interviews, on this particular day I froze and couldn't come up with the answer. Dr. Dorfman could tell that my knowledge of dentistry was very limited despite what I claimed. I was fortunate to be invited back, but being honest with your experience and background can go a long way.

Dr. Dorfman can be really nice and funny despite new students being frequently intimidated. He was always willing to help me. He wrote a nice letter of recommendation for my dental school application and even personally called each Dean of Admission before each interview.

P.C. said:

Hi, I am currently an intern at Dr. Dorfman’s Center for Special Dentistry and I also wanted to add a few insights:

The intention of the practice is to offer patients extremely high-end dental care. All dentists & specialists in the office are encouraged to take as long as they need to perform dentistry as well as possible. Patients leave happy, well informed and with a new friend; Dr. Dorfman really cares about the patients and their dentistry. 

You cannot work for what you don't know exists. I never even considered that a world outside of insurance dentistry existed before I came to this office. It’s a hard thing to achieve, and you have to work really hard to make it work, but it opens up your options as a dentist. Dr. Dorfman has been a pro bono professor (teaching for free) at both Columbia and NYU dental schools for nearly 20 combined years.  For over 12 years dental students were legally allowed to treat charity dental cases in the office for extremely low fees; this program ended in June 2010.  A high school mentorship program also exists in the office to help educate inner city kids. 

I have learned a ton of dentistry and have made some potentially life long friends. Dr. Dorfman offers a great deal on a partnership track to the very best of the former interns after dental school graduation. A small fee is charged to students to cover the cost of their participation, but it is well worth it. I really recommend this program!

D.W. said:

I worked in Dr. Dorfman's office for 3 years and learned more than I ever could have imagined when I applied for the program. Just like any other job you gain more responsibility and a greater understanding for things as time goes on. 

You get out of the program, what you put in it. The more days you spend in the office, the more you will learn. Dr. Dorfman observes the learning curve of each of the students and pays attention to your willingness and efforts in the office. When he can, he will share with you what he is working on and introduce treatment planning and educate you on different cases. He practices intelligently and teaches you about the business side of dentistry as well. Before this program I did not realize all that it took to run a practice and am extremely grateful for everything that I have learned. I will use all the skills that Dr. Dorfman has taught me for the rest of my life and implement many of them in my career!

In turn, the students that were more active took advantage of what the program had to offer and got to know everyone in the office. Dr. Dorfman is EXTREMELY giving and wants his students to succeed. I HIGHLY recommend this program and encourage everyone to apply! There is nothing else like it.