HADLEY — A Hadley dental practice founded in 1967 and run for more than a decade by a Belchertown resident is closed, apparently leaving some patients without dental care.

At the 63 East St. site of River Valley Dental, signs on the door indicate the practice is closed, while the voicemail message on the office phone line states, “Due to unforeseen circumstances, the office is permanently closed.”

Emails sent to the business were returned as undeliverable, while the website has also been taken down.

Since 2010, River Valley Dental has been run by Dr. Babak Gojgini of Belchertown, whose license with the state was renewed in March 2022 and remains active through March 31.

In an email Monday, Dr. Gojgini said he isn’t able to share any details about his practice yet. “Until then any communication with patients is confidential and between us and them,” Dr. Gojgini wrote, citing possible violations of federal laws, such as HIPAA.

Gojgini bought the business and the property from Dr. Edward Smola, who founded the practice in 1967. Over the years, the practice has been at 8 River Drive, moving to 59 East St. in 1984, and then relocating to space in a remodeled home at 63 East St. around the turn of the century.

The website, before it was taken down, described Dr. Gojgini as having skills in restorative and cosmetic dentistry, and having “a longstanding commitment to providing optimal dental care utilizing the most current dental techniques and products.” He earned a doctor of dental medicine degree from Tufts Dental School in 2000.

If the business doesn’t reopen, Gojgini will be required to help patients transition to a new dental practice, based on state Department of Public Health regulations, and also must continue to provide emergency treatment as needed during the 30 days after notifying patients that the practice will be closing.

Those regulations, in Section 234 of the state code, also spell out the availability of dental records for patients.

Whether the closing is related to a GoFundMe appeal seemingly set up by Gojgini last summer is uncertain. In that, he wrote that he was in a hospital and had three surgeries after December 2022, following a diagnosis of non-benign tumors in his lower back. That fundraiser also noted he was being treated with chemotherapy and radiation.

A homeowner in Belchertown since 2009, according to property records, Gojgini bought a condominium in Ludlow last November.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.