Dr. Tal Lebel of Haworth Dental

from Health, Beauty & Fitness Winter '23

Speaking In To Time

Converting the Non-believers, One Patient at a Time

By riChard posluszny

When you drive into Haworth, you’re struck by the expanse of woody terrain and the rolling green grass in sedate neighborhoods. The town is known for its excellent school system and that it’s a safe place to call home.

What isn’t it known for? Having a bustling downtown area, like Ridgewood or Englewood. Driving down the village’s Terrace Street, you’ll find a dozen — maybe two dozen — storefronts for local businesses. There’s an apothecary, a sushi restaurant, a convenience store and a recently added coffee shop. Additionally, there’s a couple of banks and some office space sprinkled into the quiet landscape.

So, it’s no surprise that when you arrive at Haworth Dental it too has modest curb appeal. But, beauty is more than skin deep. Now, I am well aware that trips to the dentist are at the bottom of most folks’ to-do lists. This was only amplified when I asked my significant other when her next visit was scheduled.

Trick question! It wasn’t.

Getting her to book an appointment and see Dr. Tal Lebel felt like watching an episode of the Looney Tunes. You know, the scene where the cat is being dragged and it leaves claw marks in the ground.

For me, this hasn’t been a hurdle. In fact, I like going for my routine checkups. It all comes down to having a positive experience, which has always been the case since I began working with Dr. Lebel. And that’s the beauty of the Haworth Dental team.

To better understand how and why Dr. Lebel delivers such high-quality care, I sat down with him to get to know the driving force behind Haworth Dental. At the peril of sounding like the opening crawl to Star Wars, it started a long time ago in a country far away — Israel, more specifically.

Dentistry is in the Lebel family’s DNA. On his maternal side, his grandmother was a dentist. Adding to that, on his paternal side, his grandmother and grandfather were dentists. That’s not all: His father originally started his career as a dental technician (e.g., the professionals who craft crowns and other appliances). Eventually, Tal’s father would receive the education to practice and open his own office. With two generations in the field, Lebel grew up around dentistry.

But, that wasn’t the only thing vying for his attention. Music was also in the picture. Since age four, Lebel has played the violin, which led him to become a classically trained violinist. With the aim of becoming professional musicians, he and his siblings spent much of their youth practicing their craft.

This eventually led to a watershed moment: Tal’s oldest sister was accepted into The Juilliard School. As the mecca in the music world, his mother and sister emigrated to the U.S. for this massive opportunity. Soon thereafter, Tal, his father and his other sister arrived in The States to reunite the family.

It was then that Lebel was confronted with the commitment and intensity required to hone one’s musical skillset. After all, that’s all his oldest sister did nine hours a day — practicing her musicianship consumed her life. Because Tal was scientifically inclined and dentistry was engrained in him, he didn’t focus on music as much. That said, he still attended the Mannes College of Music where he earned a music degree and, additionally, had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie, Avery Fisher (now David Geffen) and Alice Tully halls.

From there, he delved into his studies on his path to become a dental professional. In the background, however, Lebel became involved in the New York City nightlife scene as a DJ. This would actually pay dividends down the road as he had to build his social While, on the surface, the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) scene seems like a glamorous gig, spinning at formerly well-known spots like Sound Factory and Tunnel is actually a lot of work. From promotion to working within the actual business to learning about the music industry, it’s not for the faint of heart. And then there’s the hours. Essentially, you work 8-8 — just overnight.

Ultimately though, Tal had to put music aside to squarely focus on his dental studies. After enrolling at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), his eye was on the prize as he buckled down. For Dr. Lebel, attending a state school was a “no-brainer.”

Why? Because he wanted to exit academia with as minimal debt as possible.

After graduating in 2006, he spent one year in San Diego as a resident at the Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. Its purpose was simple: To provide Tal with the technical background and real-world experiences required to start refining his craft.

“Working from 7:30 a.m. to around 3:00 p.m., you see as many patients as you can. Frequently, you find yourself doing dental procedures you haven’t done before or you’re simply aware about only from textbooks,” says Dr. Lebel.

Clearly, residency served as an intense training grounds for Lebel. But, this was merely the start.

That’s because when Tal returned to New York to work at his father’s Brooklyn-based practice, he decided to fully immerse himself in what he calls “continuing education.” Not only did he work at the family office, he also began practicing at four other locations scattered across Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Manhattan.

“You become an expert in something when you spend 10,000 hours doing it, or you do the procedure 10,000 times,” says Dr. Lebel.

Something tells me that the intensity he applied in his training regimen as a violinist must’ve played a part in this way of thinking.

According to Lebel, there were also emotional intelligence (EQ) benefits to this approach as well. That’s because not only was he able to get plenty of hands-on dental experience, but Tal was also able to work in a variety of office environments. Keep in mind, not all practices are created equally.

With patients spanning various cultures and economic statuses, this bolstered Dr. Lebel’s alreadystrong soft skills. This way, when anyone sat in his chair, he would have the ability to connect with an individual, put them at ease and ensure they received the highest quality of care possible. In a business that can be very transactional and cold, changing the dynamic goes a long way.

Eventually, Tal began spending more time at his father’s office as demand increased. Unfortunately, not too long after this pick-up in activity, Dr. Lebel’s father was stricken with a health ailment. By 2010, Lebel fully took over the practice — at a fairly young age. This brought forth an entirely all-new Now, Dr. Lebel had to not only continually refine his technical skills as a dentist, but he had to learn the business side of running a practice. Fast.

“From there, I started picking up all the business things one really doesn’t get exposure to until you’re in the trenches. You have to quickly get a handle on things like, ‘How do I even get paid by an insurance company.’ Otherwise, you won’t be around for long,” says Tal.

It didn’t take Lebel long to realize that becoming fully engulfed in the business elements wasn’t going to be a winning strategy. He then decided to hire professionals with experience that could take on the day-to-day business challenges of running a practice.

“I love being a dentist but I can’t do all of the other work that comes along with operating a business at its full capacity,” says Tal. “So, I quickly found the right team members so we could continue growing our practice.”

All the while, in the background of his professional pursuits, Tal found love with the woman that would become Mrs. Lebel. After a handful of years successfully running his own practice in parallel with starting a family, it became clear that Brooklyn may not be the best place to settle down. Soon, Lebel and his wife relocated to Haworth — the quiet town with expansive yards and an excellent school district.

At first, Tal was doing the daily commute to and from Brooklyn. But if you’ve ever made that trek yourself, you know that it’s a long haul, especially as a daily commute. With a wife, toddler and newborn, it became crystal clear to Dr. Lebel that you can’t work that kind of lifestyle and be there for your blossoming family. It was then that he decided to find a practice in the Northern New Jersey area.

After starting a local dental study group with a friend, Tal met a materials representative who introduced him to Dr. Robert Harris — the former owner of Haworth Dental. The two got along famously and in 2015, Dr. Lebel formally purchased the practice. And because of that, I like to think that my entire family is lucky to have been working with Dr. Lebel ever since. Why? It’s because each and every one of us has had a positive experience with Tal.

“I love working with families,” says Dr. Lebel. “From my perspective, not only am I applying my skills to each person, which allows me to solve for their dental needs, but I also become a member of that family. By remaining consistent with my work and having an excellent bedside manner, I am able to earn their trust. And, once I am fortunate enough to do that, it’s my job to perform perfectly so I don’t lose it.”

To me, that’s exactly how Lebel is able to convert non-believers.

Case in point: Remember my significant other that hated going to the dentist? Now, it’s not a problem thanks to Dr. Lebel’s ability to deliver a positive experience with the utmost care.