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]