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Office Visit: Tailor Made Benjamin Lund, Editor, Orthotown Magazine

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Welcome to the newest installment of Office Visit, where we visit a practicing orthodontist's office and profile his or her equipment, design or unique practice philosophy. If you would like to participate or nominate a colleague, please e-mail ben@farranmedia.com.

This month we paid a visit to Dr. Adam Schulhof and his practice in Oradell, New Jersey. Dr. Schulhof, the developer and sole provider of the "Incognito Lite" system, is a strong proponent of individualized treatment, pushing past his own "orthodontic biases" and ensuring the end result for each patient is tailor made for their needs. We discussed his reasons for entering orthodontics, his practice philosophy and what the orthodontics profession means to him.

by Benjamin Lund, Editor, Orthotown Magazine

Photography by Michael Benabib

Dr. Schulhof, to begin, why did you choose orthodontics as your career path?
Schulhof: I sought a profession that helped people feel better about themselves. I majored in psychology and had first-hand experience with how a person's appearance can affect self esteem. I also wanted to work with my hands and always be challenged. Orthodontics seemed like a perfect fit.

What is your practice philosophy?
Schulhof: Individualization. Each person is unique and we customize treatment for each individual. It's important to look at the whole package, not just the malocclusion. We need to take into account everything about this individual, from motivation and chief complaint to lifestyle.

How do you cultivate this philosophy in your practice?
Schulhof: By spending the time at each consult to really listen to each patient. As orthodontists we tend to push our "orthodontic biases" onto our patients, it's extremely helpful for some of us to stop and listen to what this patient truly wants. It helps to understand a patient's lifestyle and to then tailor a treatment plan toward his or her unique needs.


Name: Adam Schulhof, DMD
Graduate from: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (dental school); Columbia University (orthodontics)
Practice Name: KinderSmiles
Practice Location:Oradell, New Jersey
Year When New Office Opened: 2003
Practice Size: 3,600 sq. ft.    Staff: 14
Web site: www.kindersmiles.com

What is the orthodontic competition like in your area?
Schulhof: It is extremely crowded, as is usual for a metropolitan area.

How have you weathered the current economic storm? Have you made any adjustments to your business or your clinical practice?
Schulhof: We have been fortunate in that our business and practice model was always one of differentiation. When a patient experiences our office they can't possibly continue "shopping" as they can't compare it to anything else around us.

What sets KinderSmiles apart from the other orthodontic practices in your area?
Schulhof: There's really so much. The newest 1,200 square feet that we've added was designed to instantly calm and soothe the patient. It combines cutting-edge design with the best of new technology.

Clinically, our niche is "customized orthodontics" with a concentration on aesthetic appliances. Every treatment plan is accomplished with either Clarity SL or Incognito Lingual braces. Incognito is 100 percent customized. If the patient opts for Clarity SL we customize using Variable Prescription and three different arch forms tailored to each patient.

Office Highlights
Bonding Agents
  • 3M Unitek SEP(self-etching primer)
  • Reliance Assure

    Brackets/Wires
  • Incognito
  • Unitek Clarity SL

    Patient Financing
  • ChaseHealthAdvance
    		•  Cements
  • 3M Unitek IDB
  • 3M Unitek Transbond

    Class II Correction Appliances
  • Forsus

    Class III Correction Appliances
  • Tandem traction appliance
    		•  Hygiene
  • WaterPik as patient gift with each bonding

    Technology
  • Macs
  • TOPS
    		•
    Click here to view Dr. Schulhof's Top 3 Products



    What piece of technology has the biggest "wow" factor for your patients?
    Schulhof: The biggest wow factor is Incognito. Patients are always wowed by the customization and about being able to treat any malocclusion truly invisibly. We constantly hear during our consultation, "You can do that?"

    How do you market your practice to new patients?
    Schulhof: Internal marketing, Internet, social media and local high-end magazines. With a product like Incognito there's a clear differentiating factor, so it's easy to market.

    You are the developer and only provider of what you call "Incognito Lite" braces treatment – can you tell our readers more?
    Schulhof: Allow me to clarify… We developed the term "Incognito Lite" to use amongst ourselves in the office to describe a new treatment type using Incognito, and pretty quickly – much to our surprise – we had patients walking through the doors asking for Incognito Lite!

    After using Incognito to treat many patients, we were so thrilled with the results and noticed that Incognito has wonderful torque control as well as extremely rapid leveling and aligning of crowded teeth. Many of the adults walking through our doors needed a more limited treatment to relieve moderate crowding or spacing in the anterior but had a relatively good occlusion. I had used many clear aligners and "social 6" type treatments but was very disappointed with the lack of control and the results. With aligners we found ourselves constantly "rebooting" the case to achieve our treatment goals. This all resulted in frustration and took up a lot of additional chairtime, which is expensive to the practice.

    Together with a wonderful team at 3M Unitek we quickly set up protocols to use Incognito only on the anterior 3-3 or 4-4 allowing for beautiful results. With this product we have wonderful three-dimensional control of the teeth. Most cases are finished to perfection in four to six months!

    Patients love it as it completely addresses their concerns and does so aesthetically, comfortably and in a timely manner. I like to call it "Limited Treatment" without the limitations.



    KinderSmiles staff from left: Michele Arencibia, RDA, head dental assistant; Angelica Cruz, DA, dental assistant; Joyce Giron-Papa, treatment coordinator; Dr. Schulhof; Nicole Simpson, orofacial myologist; Buseon Kim, RDH, hygienist & dental assistant and Anafaye Vandenberg, RDA, dental assistant.

    In your practice, what is a typical day's schedule?
    Schulhof: We see anywhere from 75-90 patients.

    What is the most unique treatment plan you've put together?
    Schulhof: As a lingual practice grows, it is only natural that the percentage of adult patients grows. Adult treatment is very fulfilling as well as extremely challenging. Many adults present with worn teeth and prosthetics and so many treatment plans are interdisciplinary. It is not unusual to lead a team of general dentists, periodontists and oral surgeons all working together to achieve a great result for a patient. With this in mind, almost every adult treatment plan seems unique.

    What is the most rewarding experience you've had as an orthodontist?
    Schulhof: When treating adolescents, a majority of them are in the chair because mom or dad dragged them there. With adult treatment, patients have made the time to come seek our help, putting aside their fears and concerns, so obviously their smile – or lack thereof – is really affecting them. On a weekly basis we see tears of joy and appreciation from patients. Successful doctors, lawyers, actors and powerful businessmen are reduced to tears telling us that we can't imagine what a change their new smile has brought about in their lives. To experience this is really powerful. In our office we are fortunate that we experience it so frequently.

    In your opinion, what is the biggest problem orthodontics faces today and what do you think should be done about it?
    Schulhof: The public is still not educated to the fact that orthodontics is a lot more involved than slipping an aligner into a patient's mouth. There are some general dentists who are good orthodontic clinicians, however there are many more that truly do not understand the intricacies of a proper orthodontic treatment plan. It seems that as the years go on I am seeing more and more "please fix this patient for me" cases from GPs.

    How has Orthotown benefited you and the way you practice?
    Schulhof: It is extremely helpful in keeping me abreast of what's new in the field and in seeing how others deal with some of the obstacles I run across daily.

    What advice would you give someone who is thinking about entering orthodontics?
    Schulhof: It's hard work but extremely rewarding. Spend a nice amount of time in an orthodontic office to really get a taste of the day to day. If it's to your liking work, work, work until you realize your dream.
    Orthotown Magazine
    September 2025
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