Avon Family Dentistry welcomes Dr. Griffin Udelson of West Granby

Avon Family Dentistry has said good-bye to a co-founder and hello to a new doctor. Long-time Avon resident Dr. Collin Sanford, who founded the practice with Dr. Sheldon Hausman in 1990 when they merged their individual practices, has retired and relocated with wife Mary to Chicago, home to one of their three sons.

“The move was primarily to be closer to grandchildren, otherwise I don't think I would have ever left our hometown,” Sanford said.

The practice, which includes Dr. A. Liam Doran of Avon and Dr. Eric Ruiz of West Simsbury, wasn’t without a fourth dentist for long. Dr. Griffin Udelson, who lives in West Granby with her pediatric dentist husband and adopted greyhound Charlie, joined the team in January.

Udelson received her dental degree from the University of Connecticut in 2014, receiving the Academy of Osseointegration Outstanding Student in Implant Dentistry Award as well as the Kohrman Award for Excellence in Complete Dentures. She previously graduated cum laude from the University of Miami in Coral Gables while competing as a Division I volleyball player.

Following dental school, Udelson pursued a General Practice Residency at Danbury Hospital to obtain advanced training in fields including endodontics, oral surgery, and prosthodontics.

“Griffin has well-rounded experience,” Avon resident Hausman said. “We felt she was prepared to meet our standards at Avon Family Dentistry.”

Udelson said she was working for another group when a colleague from UConn told her about the opening and set them up. “I asked around about the practice and heard they have a wonderful reputation,” she said. “We met and clicked.”

Her male colleagues agree having a female dentist is an advantage because some patients feel more comfortable with a woman.

“I interviewed Griffin for a residency and wanted to hire her,” Ruiz said. “That didn’t happen so I’m glad I finally get to work with her.”

Like Hausman and Sanford before him, Ruiz was on the faculty of the UConn School of Dental Medicine. Ruiz joined the practice in 2017 and Doran in 2004 after completion of his residency.

“Having four dentists, we can be available six days a week with early morning and evening appointments, and for families, we can get them all done at the same time,” Doran said.

“Some of our support staff have been with us more than 20 years, even before Collin and I merged,” Hausman said.

Asked what it’s like to be without his original partner, he said there are mixed feelings. “We’ve known each other since dental school, for over 40 years,” Hausman said. “I feel the absence.”

Sanford agrees that leaving the practice has been sad in many ways. “Shelly and I are at the same point in our lives and he has been a great friend,” Sanford said.

Avon Family Dentistry, Inc., located at 44 Dale Road, provides a full range of dental care to patients of all ages. For information, call 860-677-6405 or visit www.avonfamilydentistry.net.