Dental Practice Opens
By Ted Hayes

      Barrington has a new dentist, a 13-year veteran of the field who opened shop last Monday, Aug. 19, in the Prince's Hill Plaza.
      Dr. H. Michael Sefranek, DMD, FAGD, opened his practice, Barrington Family Dental, last week after working nearly two years to build the business from scratch.
      "It was a long process, and now we're finally underway," he said.
      Dr. Sefranek and his wife, psychologist Mahzad Hojjat, moved to Rhode Island last year from Manchester, CT. They decided to move to Rhode Island after Mrs. Hojjat received a job offer to teach psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. The offer afforded Dr. Sefranek, then with another private practice, a chance to build a new practice from the ground up. Starting from scratch was a longtime dream, and he said Barrington seemed like a good place to do it.
      "It's a wonderful town, great schools," said Dr. Sefranek, who has two young children. "Plus it's on the water and I have a boat. It's perfect."
      "It's also a friendly town," he said. Last year, he was driving through town when he began experiencing car trouble and had to pull over. In minutes, several passers-by stopped to help him, even though he waved nobody down. That would never have happened in his old town, he said. "But people are just friendly."
      Dr. Sefranek practices general dentistry, and he believes his practice will fill a niche that's not currently being met in Barrington. Besides general dental services, he offers implants, root canal therapy, and skill in several other areas, including orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry. Even though he's not an orthodontist, he said his training in the field can come in handy for parents who bring their children in for cleanings and other services but have questions about orthodontics.
      "It's convenience," he said. "Many times we are able to perform speciality services in our office so patients won't need to travel to another office."
      For those times when he can't help, he said, he has relationships with many area specialists and can refer patients.
      Barrington Family Dental's offices are large and housed in a former business office. Transforming the office space has taken over a year, and in doing so Dr. Sefranek drew the blueprints and designed the new room layout on his own. He has always been handy, he said, and that's one of the reasons why he got into dentistry in the first place.
      "I love working with my hands, and I was always good at science," he said. "I enjoy dealing with patients."
      He considers the practice's name to be fitting; he specializes in patients of all ages.