ARTICLES ° Filler Up ° Beauty by the Bite ° Conveniently Advanced ° Reality Check ° What's New ° Beauty Binge PREFERRED PHYSICIANS ° Dr. David Brothers, MD, FACS and Dr. Mark E. Crispin, MD, FACS ° The Center for Specialty Medicine at Saint Joseph's' Hospital ° Dr. Mark Beaty, Milton Hall Plastic Surgery and Dr. Laura Beaty ° Dr. Alan Larsen, MD, Buckhead Plastic Surgery ° Dr. Pradeep Sinha, MD, PhD, FACS, Atlanta Institute for Facial Aesthetic Surgery PREFERRED SPAS AND SALONS ° Aya ° Old Edwards Inn ° Vis-a-Vis ° William David Salon PREFERRED DENTISTS ° J. Fletcher Jernigan Jr., DDS ° Susan G. Rifkin, DDS PREFERRED INSTITUTE ° Hilton Head Institute HOME

SUSAN G. RIFKIN, D.D.S Northpark Town Center 1000 Abernathy Rd. NE Atlanta, GA 30328 770.393.0800 Dr. Susan Rifkin began her dental career at the University of New York at Buffalo and then joined the faculty at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. "You might say I migrated south with the birds," she explains. By springtime, there was no turning back. She handed in her wings and made Atlanta her permanent home. In partnership with Dr. Alan Kuehn (retired), she enjoyed a busy neighborhood practice in Sandy Springs where she watched both the practice and the community grow exponentially. Over the last 18 years, she has also seen the science of dentistry evolve from one focused on maintaining healthy teeth to one that now encompasses a wide variety of cosmetic dental procedures. "My knowledge also grew from a patient awareness standpoint," she says. "Cavities are not as prevalent in youngsters now and Baby Boomers are looking for enhancements." Bleaching, veneers, all-ceramic crowns, bonding are popular procedures. "There's nothing more rewarding than changing a person's smile," she says. To hone her craft, Rifkin took courses from Dr. Bill Dorfman of ABC's "Extreme Makeover," a program that proved a shot in the arm for cosmetic dentistry. "If they skipped the plastic surgery and did just the teeth, hair and clothing, the results would be amazing," she says. According to Rifkin, the most dramatic changes come about with porcelain veneers, a thin shell of porcelain permanently bonded to the front of the teeth. Crooked teeth can be "straightened" without braces and the color can be dramatically changed to create a totally new smile in a short amount of time. The office's state-of-the-art computer imaging allows patients to see what they will look like even before the procedure begins. Rifkin feels that one of her greatest assets is to be the female in a male/female partnership, first with Dr. Kuehn and currently with Dr. Charles Hill. "My patients become my family and friends," she says. "Their trust and confidence in me, creates a wonderful bond". Another reason for the office's success is the stress-free, welcoming environment where patients can relax. Located in a comfortable, contemporary high rise, patients tell her they enjoy coming. "We cater to cowards," she laughs. Rifkin and her husband, David, a Fulton County school teacher and part time musician, have two children, Zach and Dani, ages 16 and 14. Each holiday season from the day after Christmas until New Year's day, the family is on the move. They've traveled to a bevy of states and Canada and look forward to each year's adventures. "My husband is star struck," she says. "We attended the GRAMMY and the EMMY Awards this year and when we walked the red carpet, people screamed and waved. We waved right back," she says with a chuckle. The American Dental Association Georgia Dental Association Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity Thomas P. Hinman Dental Society Northern District Dental Society SUNY Buffalo Alumni Association HOME | ATLANTA HOMES & LIFESTYLES | CONTACT