Dr. Freinberg-Trufas receives AGD Fellowship award
by Barbara Reina / Barbara Reina Productions, LLC (posted by Barbara Reina)
Valatie resident, Dr. Cristi Freinberg-Trufas, DDS, of Hudson Valley Dental Care, PC in East Greenbush, NY, was honored with a Fellowship award from the Academy of General Dentistry at a July 15, 2017 Convocation ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dr. Freinberg-Trufas was the only Fellowship award recipient (FAGD) this year, with a practice located in Rensselaer County. He was one of nine honored from New York State among the overall 281 listed in the AGD 2017 convocation program.
Born in Romania, Dr. Freinberg-Trufas’ love for education, dentistry, travel and family, led him to the Capital Region to base his family dentistry practice in Rensselaer County. He joined his father-in-law, long-time Valatie resident, Norman Freinberg, at Hudson Valley Dental Care in 2002. His father-in-law’s example as an FAGD and mentorship spurred him on to following in his footsteps.
To be eligible for the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) Fellowship award, dentists must earn a minimum of 500 approved continuing education (CE) credits, pass a comprehensive exam, be an AGD member for three consecutive years, apply for the award and attend the AGD Convocation Ceremony.
Today, recent graduates of dental institutions can rack up to 250 CE credits in residency toward an AGD Fellowship. That wasn’t the case when Dr. Freinberg-Trufas started his practice in 2002. Although starting with zero CE credits, maintaining his practice and raising a family, he continued climbing toward the 500 credit destination of continuing education.
“In addition to my patients, I speak to kids at schools about dental health and careers. I’ve also traveled a bit around the world doing the same,” Dr. Freinberg-Trufas said.
Reaching new destinations with education and dental care has become part of Dr. Freinberg-Trufas’ lifestyle. In October of 2015, he voluntarily traveled to Zambia, partnering with International Caring Hands to provide free dental care, train nurses and staff.
“It’s amazing to see how even in the poorest of conditions the fundamentals of dentistry are similar,” he commented.
In Zambia, Dr. Freinberg-Trufas worked in a fully-equipped mobile van with a local assistant, an interpreter and a mission nurse. “I was there for just over a week and easily treated 100 patients a day. Hundreds of people lined up every day and waited patiently for care. There was no commerce involved, just care and a two-way understanding and appreciation between me and the people I treated,” recalled Dr. Freinberg-Trufas. “I provided mostly emergency dentistry. I trained the staff and nurse as needed. My hope was that they could continue to educate others about good dental health,” he added.
In December of 2016, he traveled to Portugal to attend a course in new techniques in orthodontics. In May of 2016, he traveled to Haiti to visit the Faculte D’ Odontologie-Haitian Dental School. Dr. Freinberg-Trufas donated dental supplies, met with the Dean and toured the school.
“Haiti has had its share of misfortune lately and I wanted to see how I could help. I brought dental supplies to the school and talked to staff and students at Dental School about practicing dentistry in the United States in a typical private practice. I continue to encourage other dentists to help Haiti.” Dr. Freinberg-Trufas said.
Dr. Freinberg-Trufas is committed to providing the highest quality patient care, dedicated to the dental profession and highly self-motivated. He graduated the New York University College of Dentistry as a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) in 2002. He earned a Masters in Physics and Material Science from the University at Albany in 1997 and a Masters in Solid State Physics from the University of Bucharest, Romania in 1992. He is an AGD Fellow, affiliated with the American Dental Association, (ADA), the New York State Dental Society and Third District Dental Society.
Dr. Freinberg-Trufas continues to meet the New York State Dental Association (NYSDA) requirement of 60 CE hours every three years.
Hudson Valley Dental Care, PC serves more than 10,000 patients in all phases of general dentistry for patients of all ages. Providing family dentistry for two decades, Hudson Valley Dental Care offers treatment options including Invisalign, veneers and dental implants.
Photos: Valatie resident, Dr. Cristi Freinberg-Trufas, DDS, of Hudson Valley Dental Care, PC in East Greenbush, NY, was honored with a Fellowship award from the Academy of General Dentistry at a July 15, 2017 Convocation ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada. The three velvet bands or chevrons, on the sleeves are lilac, which is the official color of dentistry. The front panels are trimmed with blue, the color of education.