PRESCOTT DENTISTRY
Transcription
PRESCOTT DENTISTRY
Quarterly Newsletter - November 2015 PRESCOTT DENTISTRY M i n i m a l l y I n v a s i v e D e n t i s t r y i n a C a r i n g E n v i r o n m e n t Inside this issue: Diet and Tooth Decay Snack Smart 2 COMMUNITY OUTREACH 2 24 Hour Care 3 Dale J. Ring A Life Remembered 3 A Wicked Good Time 3 Introducing Jaimie 3 Leti’s Farewell Letter 4 We offer INVISALIGN! Call or come by the office to find out more… Enjoy our complimentary “Comfort Menu” and coffee bar at your next appointment We will be closed Nov 25-27 for the Thanksgiving Holiday and Dec 21-Jan 1 for the Christmas/New Year Holidays. The number for our on-call dentist will be on our answering machine. We have a new Hygienist! Read all about Jaimie McCain on page 3! GOOGLE REVIEWS! When you post a positive review about our office we will send you FREE movie tickets to The Picture Show! broken teeth. Root canal therapy and other oral surgery procedures allow us to remove infections. Dr. Sergio Montes Dental technology has come a long way. There was a time that the only cure to a sick tooth was extraction. George Washington, who could demand the best treatment available in his time, had his first tooth pulled at age 21 and by his forties had all false teeth. Well, we’ve sure progressed since then. Mainstream dentistry has since developed many ways to save teeth and remove disease. Many of our mature clients have most or all of their own teeth today. With Crowns, fillings and other techniques, we can remove dental decay and repair Of course, here at Prescott Dentistry, we’ve gone beyond traditional “drill-and-fill” dentistry by using BIOMIMETIC techniques which allow us to restore tooth strength and function with very minimal intervention, thus avoiding crowns and root canals in many cases. However, even with this more preventive/holistic approach, there are still times when we cannot save a tooth. THIS is where IMPLANT dentistry comes in. A dental implant is essentially a prosthetic tooth root, which we can build a crown or bridge on. After a tooth has been extracted, we place the implant into its place and allow it to heal. This implant eventually fuses to the jawbone and provides a solid foundation that a crown, bridge, or even dentures can be painlessly attached Q: “Do I need to take a pre-med”? A: According to the American Dental Association, two groups of patients need to pre-medicate with an Antibiotic prior to their dental visit: Patients with heart conditions (such as artificial joints and valves) that may pre-dispose them to infective endocarditis and patients who have prosthetic joints and may be at risk for developing hematogenous infections at the site of the prosthetic should pre-medicate. Q: “Why is it important to pre-medicate?” A: To prevent infection in the afore mentioned high- to. It used to be that we would refer you to an implant specialist to provide this treatment, but recently I participated in an advanced level training course which focused on placing dental implants. Most of our clients are finding comfort and convenience in the knowledge that we can now take care of their dental implant needs all in one place. Many of the more routine dental implant cases can be done right here at Prescott Dentistry and for a lower cost than the specialists. I am excited to be able to provide this service to my family of patients. If you have any questions about this stat-of-the-art treatment option and would like to see how this can be done for you, or if you know someone who could benefit from this procedure, I’d love to talk with you more about it. Just call Prescott Dentistry for a no-cost consultation. risk patients. During dental procedures, bacteria from the mouth can enter the bloodstream causing a bacteremia. Bacteremia is dangerous to patients with heart conditions because it leads to endocarditis and also to patients with artificial joints because it can potentially cause bone infection associated with the replacement joints. Q: “When do I need to take my pre-med?” A: You should take your pre-med 1 hour prior to all dental procedures that take place at the gum-line and/ or with the presence of bleeding. Your dentist can inform you which appointments you will need to premedicate for. Page 2 Did you know that certain foods can put you at risk for cavities and other oral health problems? The foods you eat and the beverages you drink can have a direct influence on the incidence and progression of tooth decay, depending upon: The form of the food—whether it’s liquid, solid, sticky or slow to dissolve makes a difference. How often you eat sugary foods and beverages and how often you eat or drink acidic foods and beverages. The nutritional makeup of the food. The combination of the foods you eat and even the order in which you eat them. Medical conditions you may have, such as gastrointestinal reflux and eating disorders, which can increase risk of cavities and weaken teeth. Studies show that limiting snacking between meals leads to a healthier mouth. Of course, sometimes eating between meals must happen - some medications or health conditions Dr. Nathan Thompson actually recommend it. Unfortunately, most people choose foods like sweets and chips for snacks; foods that harm teeth by promoting tooth decay. So if you do snack, make it a nutritious choice - such as cheese, yogurt, fruits, vegetables or nuts - for your overall health and the health of your teeth. Avoid frequent snacking when possible (especially the sticky and sugary things). If you can make a habit of treating your mouth right, it will treat you right! Dentistry alone provided an astounding $13,500 in free dentistry to our local Veterans. A very successful third year! On September 10, 2015 businesses across the United States joined Freedom Day USA, a national Thank You Movement for the members of our military and their immediate families, along with Veterans. For the third consecutive year, your Dental Family at Prescott Dentistry was honored with the opportunity to step up and give back to the local hero’s in our community. As most of you know, our own Dr. Nathan Thompson spent five years in the Army providing dentistry to our soldiers. CPT Thompson’s personal commitment to the US Military and the families that directly support them is one of the MANY reasons Prescott Dentistry and its’ team members were excited to participate again in the Freedom Day USA event. Prescott Dentistry was one of 700 businesses in 32 states to participate. Together we provided over 4 million dollars of free services to 20,000 military members and their families - Prescott On September 26th, 2015 our Dental team joined a group of Arizona Healthcare Professionals and volunteers to participate in the 25th annual ACT Kids Health Fair. The Arizona Coalition for Tomorrow (ACT) is a not-for profit organization of concerned citizens committed to im- If you have ever had a ”problem tooth” you know that there is almost nothing worse than a nagging, throbbing, wakes you up in the middle of the night, hurts when you breathe, toothache. We hope that you will never experience a dental emergency, but given the slight chance that you might someday, we want you to know that we are always available to help you and provide you with the highest quality of care. With two full-time dentists on staff we are available in any emergency situation. If an emergency should occur during office hours, please call us immediately at 445-1660. We will do everything possible to treat the tooth that is causing the problem. Should an emergency occur after office hours, the phone number for our on-call dentist will be on our answering machine. When you call this number, our on-call dentist will be happy to take your call and answer your questions. If necessary, we can arrange for immediate help. In most cases, a Limited Exam by the dentist and an individual x-ray will give us all the information that we need to be able to diagnose why you are having dental pain. proving the health and education readiness of low-income children. The goal: to help provide a healthy future for Arizona's children. The annual ACT Kids Health Fair serves at-risk children who are eligible for metropolitan Phoenix Head Start programs, but lack appropriate medical clearances. The all-volunteer event addresses the full spectrum of health requirements: transportation to and from the children's neighborhoods, all appropriate dental/medical screenings and immunizations, establishing and updating medical records, and arranging emergency or continuing care as needed. Over 20,000 children have been screened to date. Page 3 A WICKED Good Time Dr. Thompson and Dr. Montes treated our team to a “Staff Appreciation Day” over the weekend of September 25th. The evening began with a delicious dinner at Z’Tejas and an impromptu game of “Heads Up” that had everyone in hysterics. We even ran into a “mini” Glinda and a “mini” Elphaba! Dr. Montes couldn't resist a photo op with the little cuties! The play was wonderful, a real treat, and the time spent together as a Team was wonderful! Thanks again to our wonderful Doctors for a much deserved and much cherished “Staff Appreciation Day”! On May 11, 2015 our esteemed colleague Dr. Dale J. Ring, lost his battle with Cancer. Dr. Ring was many things to many people. To his patients he was beloved for the superior dental work and patient care that he provided them. In this he was second to none. Dr. Ring was endeared to his patients for such comedies as his “Elk Bugle” themed ringtone for his wife, Christine, his affinity for Nitrous Oxide, his countless stories of miss-adventures on his travels and his famous sayings like “I am finer than frogs hair” or “I guarantee this dental restoration for 30 feet or 30 seconds whichever comes first and I don’t insure it against fire and theft”. To his dental team - Whitney, Val and Toddie - he was so much more. He was a mentor, a confidant, a friend, he was just “Dale” - the right amount of funny and surly and a true brownie aficionado. He was a flu -o-ride spelling, bear fighting, speedo wear- When our Hygienist Leti announced in late August that she sold her house and would be moving we began the search for her replacement. As you can imagine, this was no easy task. However, when we met Jaimie, we knew immediately that she would be a perfect fit for our patients and our team. We are so excited to welcome Jaimie into our practice and cannot wait for you to meet her! Jaimie was born and raised in Southern California. She is married and has two handsome sons. Her family just relocated to Prescott AZ this summer and they all enjoy the beautiful outdoor recreation that AZ has to offer. Jaimie is involved in their church, loves to do volunteer work and help with her son’s school activities. Jaimie has over 18 years experience in the dental field. She was a Registered Dental Assistant in private practice and then went on to Dental Hygiene school at San Joaquin Valley College in Ontario California where she graduated with an AS Degree in Dental Hygiene she is also Laser Certified. Not only does she love to care for her patients and provide them with great oral health, she loves building relationships with her patients and makes sure they have a positive and relaxing experience. Dental Hygiene is truly her passion and is very dedicated to her patients and Dental Team at Prescott Dentistry. ing, cigar smoking, duct tape throwing, God fearing man who loved life and Arby’s roast beef sandwiches. The memories we have with Dale are treasured, the laughs shared are countless and the time spent is priceless. Heaven surely has one cantankerous angel on their hands! Thank you, dear patients, for making Dales dreams come true, for allowing him the honor of being your dentist and for giving us the privilege to work alongside him. To my Prescott Dentistry Family, I write this letter with very mixed emotions. The past eight years have been such a privilege for me... Getting to know you, watching your families grow and seeing you move through the seasons of your lives. But the time has come for me to make some changes, to grow and to also move through those "seasons". As many of you know I have been wanting to down-size for some time now and my home has finally sold! This change has presented me with the opportunity to pursue some long awaited adventures. As for my future plans...I'm still figuring it all out. In the meantime I plant to volunteer in November with "Global Family Philanthropy" an organization that hosts international humanitarian trips. I will be traveling with a group of medical and dental professionals to Haiti to provide needed care to Haitians in several small communities still recovering from a devastating earthquake in 2010. Next year (2016) I plan on traveling to Asia on another humanitarian trip. I will also continue to volunteer with the Tucson Chapter of "The Flying Samaritans" traveling to Baja, Mexico to work in their dental clinic. I'm also looking forward to spending some time with my son who is currently attending Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I am also looking into possibly working abroad with an organization that places dental hygienist in countries that either don't have dental hygienist or very few of them. I might even start a business or non-profit organization with the goals of improving oral health in our communities. So many adventures to come! I will miss the time we spent together (probably more than you will, lol). A few of you enjoyed getting your teeth cleaned but for most it was a necessary evil. Some even compared it to getting "waterboarded". My favorite is "I'd rather give birth than be here!" Seriously though, I hope our time together was a positive experience for you and that I was able to help you obtain a better understanding of the importance of your oral health and how it affects your overall health. Our visits together always left me feeling blessed, inspired, uplifted and fulfilled. Thank you for your friendships! I leave you all in very capable hands - Carrie and Jaimie are both excellent hygienist with caring hearts and a tender touch. They both share a passion for dental hygiene, with your health and comfort being their #1 priority! I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season and may God forever bless your lives! Leti Montes, RDH CONTACT US: Phone: 928-445-1660 Fax: 928-771-8169 E-mail: [email protected]