Wow, What an awesome week in Haiti!

Our trip to Haiti was a success. We saw 101 patients  in 4 days.  We did 147 fillings, 10 root canals and 10 extractions.  That is a lot in such a short amount of time. We spent time with the kids at Grace Village. It was fun to see the local children walking to school each day. Their uniforms are so cute. They didn’t have uniforms 2 years ago. Grace Village now teaches around 300 kids.  We also spent some time with the kids from Isaiah’s orphanage. This orphanage is located just down the hill from Grace Village.  We spent one of our lunch breaks there playing soccer and painting the girls’ fingernails. We brought them some snacks and a suitcase full of supplies that they needed such as shampoo, soap, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrushes and vitamins.  Things we take for granted every day.

We really had some great translators again this year. This is the 3^rd year Emmanuel has been with us. Valery joined us for the first time. They look pretty cool in the sunglasses we brought for them.  They are such a great help to us.  Emmanuel requested to work with us each year. Hopefully Valery will join us again too.
Water delivery was just a crazy as always. We did see some kids that were so very dirty. But, with a little water on their face, we could now see there adorable faces. While doing our water delivery the UN came and took pictures of us.  However, when I went to speak to them I was disappointed to find that they spoke French.  My knowledge of French is non-existent and their knowledge of English was the same.   It was cool to see that they were interested in what we were doing.

I saw so many changes in Haiti that it made me feel better about leaving this year. Growth is seen all around. We didn’t see any tent cities anymore.  There are more buildings made out of cement blocks.  People have fresh paint on their businesses.  Two years ago you couldn’t drive down a street that didn’t have a broken down car that was abandoned, now they are all gone and a lot of streets have new pavement. Changes are seen everywhere we went. It made me Smile.

I already can’t wait to go back next year. The trip was filled with great changes. I thank the people of Haiti for being some of the greatest people I have ever met. Friendships are made every year we go.   – Michelle

The Haiti Mission

   

Once again, we have a team headed to Haiti to provide dental care to one of the world’s poorest populations. They will be staying at Grace Village which is an orphanage run by the locally founded Healing Haiti organization.  For more information about this fantastic group, check out HealingHaiti.org. 



The 2015 Haiti team

Our group of seven, led by Dr. Zollinger will leave for Haiti on Monday, February 2^nd.   Michelle and Chance will be returning for the second time.  There are another three staff who are venturing there for the first time. 

 

 Dr. Zollinger’s first trip to Haiti was in the Fall of 2011.  His daughter, Karen had been on several trips and he was excited to accompany her and set the ground work for a dental clinic. When he returned he was excited about the idea of bringing a group from his office down there to do good things.

 

Chance in 2013 working in odd conditions

Michelle, our orthodontic assistant and Chance, our hygienist went in 2013 on our first dental team trip.  There have been many changes since this trip. Last time Michelle and Chance were there, they were working on patients in lawn chairs while sitting on exercise balls!  Since then, the medical/dental clinic has been completed.  They are excited to see the changes.

 

 

 

Although it is tough for Chance to leave his family for a week, he knows there is such a huge need for trained hygienists there.  Dental cleanings are not something available to Haitians. It is easy to understand the importance of regular cleanings when you witness the problems that doing without can cause. He will have a lot of work to do!

Here are Chance and Michelle with her young Haitian friend.

Michelle had a very personal reason for returning.  There was a girl in the orphanage who she grew close to while she was there last time.  She promised this girl that should would return one day.  She never forgot her promise.

 
Our first timers, Tea, Rylie, Katie and her husband, Cole have been spending time getting trained on how to they can be the most helpful in Haiti.  They are all excited to help in whatever way they can. 

When they return we will, of course, share any pictures and stories from their trip.  The team is hoping to post some blogs while they are there too. 

 

Once again, we want to thank our community of patients, as well as the community at large for your incredible support! 

Who knew what a difference such a small group of us working together could make in the world?  Thanks again!

 

Do you have questions about renewing your dental insurance?

It is that time of year where decisions about dental insurance options need to be made.  Should you go with Option A or Option B?  Sometimes understanding all the implications of your dental insurance choices is difficult.  Right now more employers are trying to save money and pass on the costs in the form of higher deductibles, lower coverage percentages and less coverage on the most common procedures.  Here are a couple of things to keep in mind as you make your dental insurance decisions.

·      CLEANINGS.  If you have dental insurance, you will have coverage at our office for 2 regular cleanings per year.

·      FILLINGS, CROWNS AND ROOT CANALS.  When evaluating the best insurance coverage for you, look for coverage on procedures that you will most likely need.  For a lot of people these are fillings, crowns and root canals.  Fillings are usually under “Basic” coverage and crowns are usually considered “Major”.  Root canals are considered “Endodontics”.

·      ORTHODONTICS, IMPLANTS AND OTHER EXCLUSIONS.  If you have more specific concerns, look at the coverage or possible exclusions for those items.  If you have children that are going to need orthodontics, check for the orthodontic coverage.  If you've been told you need a dental implant, check the implant coverage.  It may be worthwhile to pay a little more in premiums to have coverage's for these items.
  

·      RESTRICTIONS ON CHOOSING A PROVIDER.  Watch out for dental coverage's that make you go to a specific clinic or dental office.  We have had many patients come to us that are disappointed to find out that they need to go to a specific dental office and they didn’t understand this when signing up for their insurance.

·      COST EVALUATION.  The cheapest plan is not always the best one-neither is the one with the lowest deductible or highest yearly maximum.  It is like anything else, you get what you pay for and if it seems too good to be true, it likely is. It’s most important to make sure you get coverage on the dental procedures that you need the most. 

·      ALTERNATE OPTIONS.  If your employer doesn't offer dental insurance, keep in mind that we offer an affordable dental plan to help our patients get quality dental service at a price that they can afford.  Check out our AFD In-Office Dental Plan by clicking on this link.   

If you want to find out what dental work you may need in the future, stop in for a free consult.  Dr. Zollinger can take a look at what is going on in your mouth and give you a full treatment plan of your dental needs.  That can help you plan for your dental insurance needs for next year.

We would be happy to answer any of your questions about your treatment needs and your dental insurance.  Feel free to give our office a call to speak to our insurance specialist. 

 651-482-1122

Think Spring!

With the snow melting and temperatures rising, it's safe to say that Spring is finally here! The first green buds on the trees, the sound of children playing outside, and driving with the windows down are the joyful signs that the long winter is over.

Not only is Spring a time to enjoy the beautiful weather, but is also a time to get our lives in order.  We start working on our lawns, washing our cars, and doing our spring cleaning. 

It is also a great time to do some spring cleaning on your teeth.  If you haven't been in to see us over the long winter, you may be overdue for your six month hygiene appointment.  Or maybe it has been too cold and snowy to get in to have those fillings done. 

We find that spring is a popular time for kids to start their orthodontic treatment.  It is nice to get them started right before their summer break. And with our Fastbraces, they could be done with treatment in six months to a year!

Whatever your dental needs, Spring is a great time to get organized and make an appointment.  We hope to see you soon!

Your insurance money does not carry over to next year and what you don’t use you LOSE

Our goal is to help our patients get the most out of there insurance money. I am in the process right now of sending out letters to let you know how much benefit you have left for the year and how we can prioritize your treatment to use it wisely. Give us a call and we and we can get you scheduled or answer any questions you have about your remaining insurance benefits or treatment.

This time of year our schedule fills up fast, due to patients wanting to make the best use of the insurance money they have left, so call soon so we can reserve a spot for you.

Kelly CLDA

Treatment Coordinator

Haiti

Our staff is working on plans for a return trip to Haiti to provide dental care to the children of Grace Village, as well as members of the community.  They will be going the week of February 2^nd.  Grace Village is an orphanage outside of Port au Prince that is run by an organization called Healing Haiti.  To learn more about the Healing Haiti organization and Grace Village, go to HealingHaiti.org. 

Last January, with help and support from our patients and other members of the community, Dr. Zollinger and six Advance Family Dental staff members traveled to Haiti to provide needed dental care to many there. It will be four years in January since an earthquake devastated areas of Haiti, particularly the capital city of Port au Prince.  Although progress has been made, our group saw first hand last year that a lot more needs to be done in the city.  Hundreds of thousands still do not have adequate shelter.  The conditions there were shocking for our group and many found it really troubling to see.  However, they were glad they were able to help in their own way.  As many of our patients can attest to, having dental pain can severely affect your quality of life.  They were able to use their skills to do what they do best, fix teeth! Although, it was tough to leave knowing there is much more to do, they were comforted knowing that they would be back to continue their work.  

Once again, we need to thank those who make this possible; whose donations are able to directly make a difference in many lives in Haiti.  Those are the people who have made what we do possible.  Thank you so much! 

Top 5 reasons people put off going to the dentist and how to solve them

One to the main reasons people avoid the dentist is:  Fear

People have many different fears associated with going to the dentist.  We listen to our patients and hear that many are afraid it’s going to hurt or that they will get harassed by the dentist for not coming in often enough.  We find a lot of fears can be associated with bad childhood experiences with the dentist.  This is one reason we strive to make sure kids have pleasant visits at our office.

How we deal with fears:

You can control your experience here

If you are afraid because you’ve had a bad experience in the past or if you think we are going to cause you pain, we will work with you to make your experience as enjoyable as possible. We will explain everything you need done and why. If you need to just talk for your first visit and get to know us, that’s fine. We will help you work through your fears until you trust us enough to work on your teeth. We are very patient people here at AFD and want to ensure a positive experience for you.

The truth about pain

The truth is about dental pain is that most people who have pain come in to the office already in pain.  We help to fix it.  However, a lot of people associate the treatment with the pain. Dr. Zollinger is very skilled at giving pain free injections, and with the new technologies in dentistry we have the most advanced systems that allow treatment to be faster and pain free.  

No judgments in our office

If you are embarrassed to come in because it has been a long time since your last visit, please don’t let that stop you.  You may think you have bad teeth or that they are a lost cause but that isn’t how we see things. We only focus on the fact that we are glad you decided to come to our office. We look at how we can help you get to a place where you are healthy and proud of your smile and we will never make you feel bad about what has happened in the past. Dr. Zollinger is the best at solving dental issue’s that may seem hopeless and he loves to see his patients keep their own teeth for their lifetime.

Stay tuned for the #2 reason people put off going to the dentist: money