Teresa Reile

It’s that time of year once again and true to form, the staff of Gentle Dentistry is reaching out to help others and has decided to hold another food drive for the WNY Food Bank.  Gentle Dentistry’s food drive will be taking place from Nov. 15^th thru Dec. 15^th 2011.  Please bring your non-perishable food item to Gentle Dentistry’s Lancaster location at 5007 Transit Road, Depew, NY 14043.

“Last year’s drive was so successful and so rewarding, that we decided to do it again”, says Dr. Glassbrenner.  ”It’s so nice to see others reaching out to help another in need.  Whereas we are doing this during the holidays, we would like to let the people of WNY know that people need to eat 365 days a year and we encourage you to give to the food bank all year round.”

Remember to check the expiration date on all items donated as they will not be used if they are expired.

Some suggested non-perishable foods: Canned meat, Canned fish, Canned soups, Canned/ dry beans, Peanut Butter, Macaroni and cheese, Canned spaghetti, ravioli, Spaghetti sauce, Drink mixes, Milk: canned or powdered, Juices: canned or in plastic bottles, Tea, Hot chocolate, Coffee, Canned fruits and vegetables, Rice, Pasta, Cereals: hot or cold.

The Hunger Study completed in 2010 highlights the need for food assistance in our region with the following startling statistics:

Since 2006, the number of people who are turning to emergency programs for assistance has increased at 82% of food pantries, 63% of soup kitchens, 41% of shelters so the need is great.  Every month nearly 39,000 or 39% of clients the Food Bank serves are under the age of 18.

53% of households receiving emergency food assistance had to choose between paying for food and utilities.  34% of households had to choose between paying for food and rent or mortgage.

About Gentle Dentistry, PLLC – With two locations, Gentle Dentistry has been serving the Western New York area since 2002 and welcomes patients of all ages to take care of all your oral needs.  The staff contributes greatly to the community with outreach programs, charity events and being a part of the economic engine that drives this region. Serving a wide variety of patients with a vast array of services, our competent, skillful dental practitioners, will help you with a gentle, caring attitude. Log onto: www.WeAreGentleDentistry.com for more information.

About the WNY Food Bank: Located at 91 Holt St. Buffalo, NY 14206, the WNY Food Bank distributes millions of pounds of food to needy people throughout the region each and every month.  For every $1.00 donated to the food bank, seven pounds of food to those in need.   Visit the WNY Food Bank website at: http://www.foodbankwny.org/

Dental Care – Is it really necessary?

By Teresa Reile

If one has EVER had this thought, then read on.  Did you know that you can DIE from a toothache?

On Sept. 2, 2011 ABC news reported on the death of a 24 year old Cinncinnati man who died of a toothache.  Two weeks prior to his death, his tooth started hurting.  He went to the dentist who told him that he needed his tooth pulled.  He didn’t do it because he couldn’t afford it.  His face started swelling and his head began to hurt.  He went to the emergency room where he was prescribed pain meds and antibiotics.  He couldn’t afford the antibiotics, which could have killed the infection, so he opted for the pain meds.

The infection went to his brain and caused it to swell and killed him.

In my humble opinion, he couldn’t afford NOT to get his tooth pulled.  For approximately $80.00 he could have saved his life.

So, is dental care really necessary?  Yes,  undeniably so.  Many people do not understand that a dentist is often the first person to find a serious condition.  Oral problems are often the cause of many diseases that people think have nothing to do with their mouth – such as Premature birth, low birth weight, heart disease, stroke, erectile dysfunction, to name a few.

When a dentist tells you that you need to get your teeth fixed.  Listen to him.  It could save your life.  There are dentists out there who are reluctant to treat the whole mouth because they may be afraid that the price of the treatment will scare the patient away, so they just do a filling at a time.

In the grand scheme of things, this is ridiculous as it could cost you your life.  There is a thing called “comprehensive” dental care.  This entails examining the WHOLE mouth and the entire oral care needed to bring a person to complete oral health.  If one likens this to a car, if you had several things wrong with the car ie: a flat tire, low oil, and a leaking radiator, fixing only one of these things will not make the car adequate.  The car will still be broken, but will limp along.  The proper thing to do would be to fix all of the problems so that the car worked well together as a whole.  This is the concept behind comprehensive dental care.  Fix the whole mouth.  Reduce the risk of serious illness down the road and be healthy.

It has been found that the main reasons people forgo dental care is the cost, the time and the fact that they ‘just want to wait’.  What are they waiting for exactly?  For their teeth to start hurting like the 24 year old who died?

The money factor can be an issue for some, however, in the long run, doing all that is needed to bring you to health is actually much less expensive than doing a little at a time.  Just like in the example of the car, if you only fixed the flat tire and didn’t change the oil, you may be able to drive to work today, but your engine may be shot tomorrow…thereby costing you more time and money…and perhaps your job.

So, the operative phrase here is DO IT NOW.  Find a way to do it all. Waiting will undoubtedly cost you more, leave you prone to serious infections and disease and will take longer to fix.  Don’t die. Fix your teeth.

 

 

 

By Teresa Reile

The technical definition of Comprehensive Dental Care as per Mosby’s Dental dictionary, 2^nd edition, is ‘the coordinated delivery of the total dental care required or requested by the patient.” 

What that means is that one’s complete dental health gets evaluated.  Not just what is on the surface.  Even though one might have a toothache and want a filling, with comprehensive dental care, one will get thoroughly examined and get treatment planned for everything that is needed to obtain optimal oral health.

Whereas it may seem that this is an expensive option at the outset, comprehensive dentistry is actually a lot less expensive in the long run because not only is it comprehensive, but it is preventative as well.  If one takes care of dental problems at the outset and all at once, one will have less of a chance of dental problems further on down the road.

It’s similar to just living a healthy lifestyle of eating right, exercising and doing the right things.  If one does these things, he has a much greater chance of surviving better than those who do not do these things.

But, by the same token, when one is trying to come back to good health, it takes a bit of work to handle all of the areas that were compromised during the period of inattention. 

For instance, if one had an accident and needed intensive physical therapy but only went to a couple sessions just to alleviate some pain or to get back on ones feet, one will quickly realize that underlying problems will still be there and that the treating of the symptoms didn’t really handle the problem and may now even be getting worse.

In other words, one eventually would have to handle all the areas which were compromised, not just the ones that on the surface are acting up and this may entail many visits to doctors and specialists if it is allowed to go on for a long time.  And so it is with your oral health. 

When one area is compromised, it lays the rest of your mouth open to disease and decay.  That’s why comprehensive dental care which handles your whole entire oral health is really the way to go.

It’s that time of year again when the leaves are turning and it signals the busy rush of the holiday season.  We all know that during the holiday season we get busy and don’t always think about our insurance coverage. 

It is for that reason that this report is written so as to remind you not to lose your insurance benefits!  Most insurance benefits, if not used by the end of the year get lost and as the New Year begins, you have to pay a new deductible.

You are entitled to use the full amount of your insurance benefits allocated to you each year. If you don’t use the full amount by December 31st, any unused dollars will be lost forever. 

 Tammy Davenport, a guide for the About.com Dentistry section, wrote a very helpful article about why it is so important to use your dental insurance before the end of the year. 

She suggests maximizing your dental benefit dollars each year in the following ways:

 Yearly Maximum- Unused benefits do not typically rollover, so you should try to meet your annual maximum, if possible.  Remember, your 2011 dental benefits or flexible spending account will expire at the end of December.

 Deductibles- These can increase next year, so using your insurance now will ensure that you have locked in the current deductible until the end of the year.

Premiums- You are paying your premiums.  Most people pay them via employment benefits.  Why not take advantage of your benefits?  Remember, regular exams and cleanings are essential in preventing dental disease.

 Dental Problems Can Worsen- You may not think you have any dental problems right now, but unless you visit a dentist, you don’t know.  Why take the chance that a seemingly harmless condition right now could turn into something much more serious?  Keep in mind that a simple cleaning can help avoid future dental complications that may cause you to exceed future dental benefits. 

Don’t wait until your renewal date. 

Call our office today at

716 652-7080

or log onto

 www.WeAreGentleDentistry.com

 to set up an appointment at your earliest convenience.  We want your out-of-pocket expenses kept to a minimum, and your new year to start out healthy and happy.  We hope this reminder was helpful!

IN SUMMARY:

• YOU MAY HAVE UNUSED INSURANCE BENEFITS which will be lost forever if they are not used.

 Be aware that some insurance companies decrease your annual allowances without notice to you and that some insurance companies may increase the deductible without notice.  You can however complain to the insurance commissioner if this happens to you).

Dr. Leslie Glassbrenner of Gentle Dentistry has been nominated for the Rising Star Award presented by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Western New York which honors the area’s top young professional for their outstanding contributions to their organizations and the community and for their commitment to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  Awards will be presented on November 3, 2011 at Pearl St. Brewery in Buffalo at 6 pm.

This is an exclusive group of young professionals, ages 25-45, who are “rising stars” that can apply the success, leadership, and passion they exude in their careers to help us find a cure for cystic fibrosis

 “I am honored to be considered among this esteemed group of professionals.  I will do my very best to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of WNY in the hopes of finding a cure for this debilitating disease.  One of the reasons I wanted to get involved is because one of my staff members has a family member affected with this disease.  My whole staff is behind this project,” says Glassbrenner.

Gentle Dentistry is taking donations for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of WNY.  All donations are gratefully accepted but if someone donates $10.00 or more, they will get entered to win $1,000.00 worth of dental service. 

Gentle Dentistry, PLLC has made the Buffalo Business First’s Fast Track 50 list of WNY’s 50 fastest growing companies three years in a row and Dr. Glassbrenner was awarded the prestigious “40 Under 40” also presented by Buffalo Business First.  Some of her other achievements include adopting a rhino in Africa to save them from extinction, teaching African children oral hygiene, and helping other dental practices succeed by doing business management consulting.

Cystic fibrosis, a chronic  inherited disease affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States alone (70,000 worldwide).  A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus which clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections.  This disease affects pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

In the 1950s, most children with cystic fibrosis died before attending elementary school. Today, with advances in research and medical treatments the life expectancy has been greatly increased and many people with the disease live into their 30s, 40s and beyond.

• About 1,000 new cases of cystic fibrosis are diagnosed each year.
• More than 70% of patients are diagnosed by age two.
• More than 45% of the CF patient population is age 18 or older.

 Gentle Dentistry of Lancaster and East Aurora, PLLC have teamed up with Western New York Immediate Care to become the newest member of their Loyalty Club program.

Patients who become members  of  WNY Immediate Care’s Loyalty Club at any one of their conveniently located five locations can take advantage of a unique call ahead feature which allows the patient to be placed on the Immediate Care waiting list prior to arriving at the center.

Immediate Care is the alternative to Emergency Rooms at the hospital.  And the name means what it says – the Care is as Immediate as possible and now with the Loyalty Club it means even less time waiting!

 Patients also receive discounts at several participating business like pharmacies, dental offices, chiropractic offices, gyms, spas and others when they present the card to a participating vendor.

With Gentle Dentistry’s participation it means that when you present the Loyalty Club Card you are entitled to a FREE exam and cavity Detection X-rays just for being a member.  (No Cash Value/not good with other offers or for other services).

So, next time you need Immediate Care, so got WNY Immediate Care and join their Loyalty Club and then come to Gentle Dentistry of Lancaster or East Aurora and get a free exam and cavity detection X-rays!

Continue reading →