About Us
Meet Dr. Scharf
Dr. Scharf was raised in North Massapequa and graduated from Plainedge High School with honors. He attended both college and dental school at Boston University where he graduated cum laude. Dr. Scharf was enrolled in an accelerated honors program where he earned undergraduate and dental degrees in six years instead of the usual eight. He was one of only three students selected nationwide for this prestigious program. He was elected to Omicron Kappa Upsilon (the "Phi Beta Kappa" for dentists), and received the Boston University award for Excellence in Periodontology, the Boston University Predoctoral Prosthetic Award for Excellence in Prosthetics, and the Academy of General Dentistry Outstanding Senior Student Award, the Boston University Operative Dentistry Special Achievement Award, and the Quintessence Publishing Company Outstanding Senior Award for Excellence in Clinical Practice.
Following dental school, Dr. Scharf completed a year long General Practice Residency at The Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. As a resident at this top New York program, he gained extensive clinical experience in such fields as prothodontics, periodontics, endodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery, management of the medically compromised patient, and general dentistry. This experience was completed by clinical rotations in the departments of general medicine, anesthesia, and emergency medicine.
While completing his residency, Dr. Scharf was asked to join a group practice in general dentistry in Plainview, New York. He feels the years he spent practicing family dentistry have given him a unique perspective as a specialist working together with general dentists to provide the best care for his patients.
Dr. Scharf returned to school full-time for specialty training in the field of Periodontics while continuing his general practice on a part-time basis. He was one of four dentists chosen out of over 200 applicants for the highly competitive position as a postdoctoral resident in Periodontics at New York University. He received exhaustive training and did extensive clinical research in the fields of both Periodontics and Implants. Dr. Scharf developed a new surgical technique for soft tissue ridge augmentation and his research has greatly simplified implant surgery. In May 1995 Dr. Scharf became a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. This was the culmination of years of preparation and involved both written and oral examinations. Nationwide, less than 25% of periodontists ever reach this level of achievement.
Dr. Scharf held the rank of Clinical Assistant Professor in Periodontics at New York University where he trained dental students in Periodontics. He held the position of Clinical Assistant Professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook where he educated dentists training to be specialists in Periodontics. Dr. Scharf is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Implant Dentistry at New York University. He is responsible for providing advanced implant training to other dental specialists.
Having published numerous articles in major dental journals in the fields of both Periodontics and Implants, Dr. Scharf is frequently called upon to lecture to his colleagues. He has lectured on the local, national and international level. In addition, he is the founder and President of the Integrated Dental Group, an organization he created to further the continuing dental education of local dentists. Dr. Scharf is committed to continuing his own education. He is one of a handful of dentists on all of Long Island with over 1350 hours of continuing education credits.
Dr. Scharf is known by his patients for his kind and gentle manner. He is especially good with apprehensive patients. His sense of humor and light touch puts patients at ease. Please visit the patient letters section of this site to read what Dr. Scharf’s patient have to say about their experience in his office. Dr. Scharf divides his time between his practice in Babylon, New York and his teaching and research responsibilities at New York University.
Dr. Scharf lives locally with his wife, Karen, and their three young children. He enjoys tennis, boating and travel in his free time.