The Young and the Debtless - Westchester's rising Business Stars

by Will Romano

"They're determined, ambitious, successful-and 30 or younger.  Some have stared their own one-person companies; others have joined successful firms.  And they've only just begun.  Don't you just hate them?" - Westchester Spotlight.

Word of mouth has spread rapidly about Diamond Dental in Scarsdale. The practice has garnered more than 300 patients in one and a half years. Danny Salem, DDS, 30, (his business partner is George Lee, DDS, 29,) says he measures success not in dollar signs, but by the volume of happy customers.

"Dr. Lee and I want to treat patients as if they were our own mothers," Dr. Salem says. "Quality must come first."

Marge Lovero won't open her mouth for any other dentist.  "Once I had work done, I was convinced," she says. "They're the only dentists I know who take the time to call you after you have had work done."

Dr. Salem roomed with Dr. Lee, a former IBM chemical engineer, while attending Columbia University en route to a degree in dental surgery. The two began discussions about the possibility of partnering a business venture. "we wanted to offer a different kind of dentistry," says Dr. Salem. "Because we're young, we''re able to bring in new ideas." The dental duo recently opened an office near Grand Central Station in Manhattan.

In their Scarsdale office, they've installed state of the art computers with Internet access in their waiting area; they use computer controlled X ray machines which do not require patients to put film in their mouths; and they use huge television screens which magnify images of a patient's teeth so he/she can see for themselves the problem.

Says Dr. Salem: "Dentists who are just in it for the money are not going to make much of it. You have to love what you do. And I do."