From First Tooth to Forever: Inside Westfall Dental Studio

10 minutes ago
4 min read

A Rochester practice that has been here a while

Westfall Dental Studio has been caring for Rochester families since 1972. That is a long time for any small business, and it is longer still for a dental office, where patients tend to stay for decades and then bring their kids, and eventually their grandkids. Walk through the office on a normal Tuesday and you will see all of it happening at once: a two-year-old on a first visit in one room, a retiree getting a crown seated in another.

"We are a family dentistry, a pediatric dentist, orthodontics, general dentistry," says Dr. Sari Manap, the practice's pediatric dentist. All of it sits in the same building, by design.

That mix is the whole idea. Most families end up splitting their dental care across two or three offices, because the practice that treats mom and dad does not see small children, and the pediatric office hands teenagers off the moment they graduate. Westfall was built to avoid that handoff.

Care for every age, in one building

The tagline on the door reads "from first tooth to forever," and it is meant literally. Children are seen by a pediatric specialist. Adults are seen by the general dentists. Orthodontics is here too, so the braces conversation does not require a referral across town.

Three doctors share the practice. Dr. Sari Manap handles pediatric and family dentistry, with additional training in caring for patients who have medical and developmental needs. Dr. Peter T. Clement, a Rochester native with more than three decades of experience, focuses on family and restorative dentistry. Dr. Kathleen Andrews, a University at Buffalo dental graduate who completed her general practice residency at Rochester General Hospital, provides general and family care for patients of all ages. Because everyone works under one roof, families often book back to back appointments and clear the whole household in a single morning.

The part that is harder to put on a website

Ask Dr. Manap what she actually wants from a visit and she does not start with technology or treatment.

"My personal focus is that everybody who comes to this office is really happy. They don't feel rushed. We get to know them. We get to know their life, we get to know their family, not only just taking care of their teeth. That is very important, to build this relationship with them."

That shows up in small, unglamorous ways. Appointments have room in them. Questions get answered before the instruments come out. Treatment is presented as options with tradeoffs rather than a single plan handed down. "Comfort and trust is everything," she says. "We cater your treatment based on your needs."

Modern tools, used for a reason

Nobody chooses a dentist because of the equipment list, but the equipment does change what a visit feels like. The practice uses cone beam CT, which produces a three-dimensional view used for implant planning and other cases where a flat X-ray leaves questions, along with panoramic imaging that captures the whole jaw in one pass.

Digital impressions replace the old putty trays for many procedures, which is a mercy if you have ever gagged your way through one. Those scans then feed digital restorations, so crowns and similar work are designed from an accurate digital model rather than a physical mold. Less guesswork, fewer remakes, fewer appointments spent adjusting something that did not fit quite right.

And then there is Milo

Milo is Dr. Manap's therapy dog, and he is at the office for one job: helping nervous patients settle down. He greets people at the start of a visit, and for patients who want him, he will sit on a lap through the appointment.

"In dentistry there is always a lot of anxiety, not only for children but also adults," Dr. Manap says. "We wanted to make this office really calming. A lot of patients are really, really helped by Milo."

It sounds like a gimmick until you watch a seven-year-old who was crying in the waiting room go quiet with a dog in her arms. Anxiety is one of the biggest reasons people avoid the dentist for years at a time, and years of avoidance is how a small cavity becomes a root canal. Anything that gets someone through the door is doing real clinical work.

Coming in for the first time

New patients are welcome at any age, starting at age one. The office is at 1901 Lac De Ville Blvd in Rochester, open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

"We would love for you to come to our office, because everybody can come, from age one all the way to forever," Dr. Manap says.

To schedule, call (585) 461-1200 or book online. If it has been a long time since your last visit, say so when you call. It is a more common phone call than you would think, and nobody here is going to make you feel bad about it.