Going Green: Eastchester Dentist Starts Eco-Friendly Practice

From the annual Green Day festival held in June, to the opening of an all-organic spa that same month, to the sharrows on California Road for bikers, this summer has seen a lot of eco-friendly initiatives come to Eastchester.

And now there's one more to add to the list: the opening of Westchester's first eco-friendly dental practice. 

On August 2, began seeing patients in his new office at 311 White Plains Road. 

Noting the harmful effects of paper waste and global warming on the world, Dr. Manzi says, "If there's an opportunity to do something about it that makes sense, I want to be part of it."

The Eastchester resident, who has been practicing for over 20 years—most recently in White Plains—is the first dentist in the County and he says, in a 100-200 mile radius, to open an eco-friendly practice.

And what is it that makes it green?

Walking through the various exam rooms, Dr. Manzi notes that the office is practically paperless.

"Instead of paper bibs and tray covers, we use cloth," he explains. In addition, all patient charts are maintained digitally, there are washcloths in the bathroom instead of paper towels and if paper is used, it's recycled.

According to Dr. Manzi, there are fewer chemicals and solutions used as well. X-rays are done digitally and instruments are cleaned using steam sterilization.

And as an office, eco-friendly cleaners are used, a recycling program is in place and patients can bring expired medications so they're disposed of properly.

To help set up the practice, Dr. Manzi became a member of the Eco Dentistry Association, a California-based organization that provides information for dentists looking to become more green, including training.

"I did some investigative work, pretty much online, to see what [was] available," Dr. Manzi explains.

And the décor of the office, with earth-tone browns and greens lends itself to an eco-friendly feel.

"The reaction when [patients] walk in the office is 'Wow, this place looks fantastic,'" Dr. Manzi says, "And that was important too, because that tells me that patients, when they come here, can be a little more comfortable. Because dentistry is a very trying experience for a lot of people."

As a family practice, Dr. Manzi sees patients with a variety of needs, including extractions, root canals, teeth whitening and general dental hygiene.

He also notes the importance of preventative care.

"Dentistry and medicine get to be quite expensive and we just want to get patients in, teach them how to cut down costs, basically by taking care of their mouths," he says.