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Drs. Muhammed Saif and Myra Jehangir want their young patients to feel safe and welcome at their pediatric dental practice.

New Practice Focuses on Dental Care for Children

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
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Peak Smiles is located on Canal Street in Lee. 
LEE, Mass. — A new dental practice is focused solely on ensuring Berkshire County children have bright smiles.
 
Husband and wife duo Drs. Muhammed Saif and Myra Jehangir, both board-certified pediatric dentists, will open Peak Smiles Pediatric Dentistry on March 2. 
 
They had been working at a dental office in Chicopee when they realized many families were coming from the county to see them.
 
"We saw a vast majority of patients. And what we noticed pretty quickly was there was a huge need in the Berkshire County, because a lot of our patients were actually commuting from Pittsfield, North Adams, Great Barrington, to get to our office in Chicopee," Saif said.
 
They decided to open an office in Lee, feeling it was a middle point in the county for the patients they were seeing.
 
They obtained the space in June and began the transformation into a dental office. The only challenge was a plumbing issue that has since been fixed.
 
Saif trained at New York University's College of Dentistry and did his residencies at NYU Langone Dental Medicine and Johns Hopkins. Jehangir graduated from the University of Maryland, and did her residencies at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and NYU Langone Health in Holyoke. 
 
They currently practice in New York's Hudson Valley and live in Albany. They loved their time in Western Massachusetts and knew they would like to work here again.
 
"We did enjoy our time in Western Mass, which is why when this space opened up, my husband was really excited," Jehangir said. "Everything just worked out in our favor — the space was big enough, like we could put the seven chairs that we wanted — and then Massachusetts was just somewhere he really likes, so we wanted to be here." 
 
They are credentialed at Berkshire Medical Center and will be taking patients there once they have gained their footing.
 
"Once we get the systems down, we'll be scheduling patients to get, like, full-mouth dental treatment if they need it," Saif said. "If they're like, superanxious, they're superyoung, they have a lot of dental care needs in the hospital system. We'll be doing cases."
 
Saif has focused on innovative treatments for children and patients with special needs in his practice. He said he does his best to accommodate everyone and wants children to feel safe in his care.
 
"We're here to make sure that your child keeps smiling and has good oral care," the dentist said.
 
The practice is currently accepting patients, including walk-ins and emergencies. 
 
Hours will be every Monday and every other Saturday, with plans to expand later this summer. The office is located at 35 Canal St.
 
You can book appointments through the website.
 
Editor's note: an earlier version of this article mischaracterized the use of nitrous oxide, which is a safe and commonly used sedative used in pediatric dentistry.

Tags: new business,   dentist,   

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Reps. Leigh Davis, Bud Williams Filing Legislation Honoring Freeman

SHEFFIELD, Mass. — State Reps. Leigh Davis of the 3rd Berkshire District and Bud L. Williams, of the 11th Hampden District, are filing legislation establishing Aug. 22 as Elizabeth Freeman Day of Equality, Healing, and Remembrance in the commonwealth.
 
The legislation would direct the governor to annually issue a proclamation recognizing the courageous contributions of Elizabeth Freeman, an enslaved Black woman known as Mum Bett, whose landmark freedom suit helped spark the legal end of slavery in Massachusetts.
 
"Elizabeth Freeman's story began here in the Berkshires, but its impact reached every corner of the commonwealth," said Davis. "More than two centuries later, her legacy continues to inspire us. Establishing Elizabeth Freeman Day will ensure that future generations learn not only about her extraordinary bravery, but also about the power of one person to change the course of history."
 
In 1781, Freeman, of Sheffield at the time, challenged the institution of slavery by filing suit against her enslaver, Col. John Ashley. In the landmark case Brom and Bett v. Ashley, a Berkshire County jury ruled in favor of Freeman and her fellow plaintiff, Brom, granting them their freedom. The case demonstrated the power of the Massachusetts Constitution's declaration that all people are born free and equal and helped pave the way for the Quock Walker decisions that ultimately ended slavery in the commonwealth. 
 
"Freeman's courage changed the course of history in Massachusetts," said Williams. "At a time when the odds were stacked against her, she stood up and demanded that the promises of liberty and equality contained in our Constitution apply to her as well. She risked everything to challenge an unjust system, and her victory helped lay the foundation for the end of slavery in our commonwealth. Her legacy deserves to be recognized and remembered by every resident of Massachusetts."
 
Although unable to read or write, Freeman understood the meaning of freedom and equality and took extraordinary action to secure those rights for herself and others. Her story remains one of the most powerful examples of individual courage in the face of injustice. 
 
Elizabeth Freeman Day will provide an opportunity for reflection, education, healing, and remembrance, said Williams. 
 
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