A successful local dentist, Dr. David Konikoff understands the importance of all sorts of education, and uniquely, that of dental education. Konikoff also believes in helping others where and when he is able. And so, he and his family made a $1 million gift to the Touro College of Dental Medicine (TCDM), enabling the school to officially open its highly anticipated Konikoff Digital Dental Studio located within Touro Dental Health, the clinical training facility in Hawthorne, N.Y
The state-of-the-art Konikoff Digital Dental School joins other education-focused commitments by David Konikoff including the Sofia and David Konikoff Dental Hygiene Care Facility at Old Dominion University and the Konikoff Learning Center at United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
“I wanted to honor Sophie, my B’Shert (soulmate), with this gift,” says Konikoff, whose son, Josh, is now a dental student at Touro.
In appreciation, Touro honored Konikoff last month with the Visionary Achievement Award “in recognition of his “generous support of Touro College of Dental Medicine and…dedication of making the world a better place.” The award was presented at TCDM’s fifth annual Gala at The Rockleigh in New Jersey, which approximately 500 supporters of the school attended.
In 2022, TCDM will also open the Konikoff Education and Broadcast Center. This 3,500-square-foot space will be designed to accommodate teaching methodologies geared for today’s changing educational landscape focusing on small group learning, distance education, and teaching, along with the ability to professionally broadcast.
Konikoff’s gift will further strengthen the school’s progressive education in digital dental technologies and enable faculty at Touro Dental Health to perform “same day dentistry” which reduces multiple patient visits into a single visit—not commonly practiced in a dental school environment.
With the aid of his invaluable gift, TCDM will honor Konikoff’s life’s work and the memory of his late wife, Sofia A”H, by providing dental education at the highest possible level, so that students, in turn, can give back and support their communities with integrity, professionalism and compassion.
“Through the immense generosity of the Konikoffs, we have taken an incredible step forward to deliver dental education in the most advanced setting,” says Ronnie Myers, D.D.S., Dean at TCDM. “Since our founding, we have been committed to providing our students with the technology, education and hands-on training essential to the delivery of exceptional patient care. The addition of the Konikoff Digital Dentistry Studio, and eventually the Konikoff Education and Broadcast Center, will allow us to continue that mission for years to come.”
Initially housing multiple 3D printers, 3Shape intraoral scanners, and a number of other advanced digital instrumentation, the Konikoff Digital Dental Studio will be both an onsite laboratory as well as a space for small-group classes, allowing dental students to gain hands-on experience with the technology and manufacturing processes that will prepare them for the future of dentistry.
The sizeable space will accommodate four new CAD/CAM milling machines and MillBox by CIMsystem software, a state-of-the-art dental CAM solution that simplifies nesting and toolpath creation. With the addition of four multi-purpose design and implant planning workstations, it will also be home to sophisticated DGShape Corporation dental mills designed to rapidly cut and shape dental crowns, bridges, and other prosthetic devices. Two automatic sintering ovens will provide finishing to the prosthesis being manufactured onsite. Well positioned on the third floor of TCDM’s dental training facility, the studio is outfitted with a viewing window so that TCDM students, patients , and visitors alike can see the multitude of innovative digital systems in action.