A father-daughter dental team shares the many reasons to love Kuraray Noritake Dental restoratives, especially the speed and accuracy of KATANA Zirconia ONE

Generational ties in dentistry aren’t unusual. But what about finding 2 dental families working together under 1 roof? While it’s certainly a rarity, at Gallery57Dental in Midtown Manhattan, that’s exactly what you’ll find.

Father-Daughter Squared

It all began with Dr. Andrew Koenigsberg, also known as “Dr. K,” who cofounded Gallery57Dental nearly 2 decades ago. The practice later welcomed Dr. Robert Rawdin, followed by his daughter, Dr. Samantha Rawdin. After earning her dental degree and practicing in Boston for a few years, Dr. Rebecca Koenigsberg returned to New York City to join her father’s practice, completing the rare pairing of 2 father-daughter dental teams under 1 roof.

“We get to have lunch together every day,” Dr. Rebecca shared. “But we’re busy, too—there are days I don’t really see him. He’s a prosthodontist, and he’s been practicing for 40 years, so it’s so fun to consult with him and get his point of view and guidance. I’ve never met a dentist like him who is just always investing in the future and technology.”

The unique opportunity to treat patients—along with their kids and grandkids—who have been with her father for 4 decades has been especially endearing for Dr. Rebecca.

“I have a long-standing relationship with a lot of my patients, and they were excited when they heard my daughter was going into dental school,” Dr. Ksaid. “I think that distinguishes a practice like ours from more corporate types. We offer a continuity, and we don’t feel like we have to sell anybody any-thing. We feel they’re going to be our patients for a long, long time, and it’s just a different experience.”

While Dr. Rebecca didn’t always dream of being a dentist, after working in various roles at her father’s practice in high school, and pursuing premedical coursework in college, it suddenly clicked.

“I thought, he loves what he does, and dentistry also encompasses everything I love to do—work with my hands, help people, socialize, be my own boss,” she shared. “I think he’s got the greatest office in the world, so at some point, it just became a no-brainer to practice with him.”

A Seamless Fit—Every Time

Another factor that sets the practice apart is its state-of-the-art in-house lab, which allows the doctors to offer an incredible same-day service to their patients. In fact, Gallery57Dental was the first integrated CAD/CAM dental office in the world.

That explains why 2 of the Koenigsbergs’ favorite dental products are Kuraray Noritake Dental’s KATANA Zirconia and PANAVIA cement family.

“There’s just a tremendous volume of restorative work going through the practice, and in the posterior, we’ve made the switch almost exclusively to using KATANA Zirconia ONE,” Dr. K shared.

A multilayered block that consists of 4 layers of zirconia in gradated shades, KATANA Zirconia ONE allows the doctors to create natural tooth-colored restorations for their patients. Paired with Dentsply Sirona’s CEREC Primemill and SpeedFire oven, they can mill in less than 5 minutes and sinter a full zirconia restoration in 18 minutes. And with KATANA Zirconia ONESPEED, the use of a new zirconia powdercuts sintering time down to just 9 minutes.

“It’s so easy to work with, and I find the fit to be so seamless,” Dr. Rebecca added. “It’s just a nice flow. I prep for 10 or 15 minutes, and then the patient gets a half-hour break. I try the crown in, and it’s ready to cement. It’s shaved down my appointment times by half an hour.”

A Workflow with Less Work

In a typical flow, Dr. Rebecca will walk into the room, where the patient has already been scanned and the tooth segmented out, which means she can sit down and start prepping right away.

“Once I’m done, they can take a break and relax,” she said. “I’ll probably see another patient in the meantime, and by then, the crown is ready, and I’ll try it in. With the KATANA Zirconia, it always fits. I rarely have to adjust anything. Then, the lab will get it ready, and I cement it in with the PANAVIA.”

Dr. Rebecca loves using PANAVIA V5, a strong and esthetic dentin bonding cement that she finds has everything a dentist is looking for.

“It’s just so easy to clean up and work with, and I get so little patient sensitivity,” she shared. “I’ve had such good long-term results, and you want your work to last without worrying about recurrent decay.”

Speed Where It Matters

When you practice in Midtown Manhattan, anything is possible, which means the practice often sees patients from all over the world.

“I have a group of patients from St. Lucia who are all friends and women entrepreneurs from London. I have a patient who lives in Japan, and I have patients who come in from Philly,” Dr. Rebecca said.

Another patient was dining at an upscale Japanese restaurant next door to Gallery57Dental when he accidentally swallowed his No. 8 tooth. “He’d flown in all the way from Europe and had a meeting that night,” she said. “About an hour later, he walked out with a new final crown.”

Putting Patients First

Ultimately, if a patient in hygiene has an urgent restorative need, both doctors are motivated to squeeze them in.

“We definitely prioritize our patients’ time, so that’s why we both love KATANA Zirconia, because it’s saving time,” Dr. Rebecca said. “They’re in and out of the chair quicker and everything fits better. So, it’s just a great add to our flow.

“We love Kuraray products—we love their team, their innovations, we’re just big fans,” she added. “To have these Kuraray products in my hands every day, I feel very good about all the work that I do.”