What to do when in need of an emergency dentist

Andrew ArnoukEmergency Dentist, General DentistryLeave a Comment

Many have experienced the frantic waiting room of the ER at a hospital. It is often scary to need an emergency room to care for you when your health has taken a downward turn. We are all trained to rush to the ER at the first sign of a medical emergency, yet have we ever been trained to deal with a dental emergency?

Today, I was chatting with a patient of mine who is a registered nurse in a hospital, working in the emergency room. She brought up that they have many dental emergencies despite their inability to help them. She proceeded to mention that some patients in pain have a waiting time of 5-8 hours before being seen and when they are finally seen, the doctors have no training whatsoever in dental care. The most they are given is an anesthetic to help with pain which ultimately only eases the discomfort for 2-3 hours.

When faced with a dental emergency, we will do our best to accommodate the same day. Dental emergencies often happen after business hours. Because the cause and treatment of your emergency can vary, the best way to alleviate your discomfort is to be seen as soon as possible. However, regular check ups at a dental office could someday save you this trip to the ER.

 

From your Dentist in Laurel, MD.

 

How much value do you put on a smile for years to come

Andrew ArnoukGeneral DentistryLeave a Comment

When you go to a post-graduate school to get higher education, after you graduate, do you keep talking about how much your tuition was each year? Or instead do you focus on the opportunities that the degree would open for you? Do you hope make a difference on people’s lives for many years to come?

During the school year, you just have a debt that you have to deal with, and once it is paid, you don’t think about it again.

I strongly believe that having a natural and pleasing smile, is like getting a university degree. It takes time, effort and cost, but once it is done, you can enjoy the rewards for years to come.

For the first time in years, this patient can enjoy a smile that will make her want to smile more often.

As a bonus, this smile make-over was done very conservatively, to go with our belief of practicing conservative dentistry.

From your cosmetic dentist in Laurel,

Before and After images

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How does dental insurance work?

Andrew ArnoukGeneral DentistryLeave a Comment

Hi all,

Dental insurance is somewhat different than medical insurance. Usually most dental insurance companies give you an annual maximum of $1000-$2000. This is usually the normal situation. Your max could be slightly more or less depending on the company, but this range is again the norm.

Most insurances start Jan 1 to Dec 31 of each year, which means that if you didn’t use your insurance for any specific year, you lose your  money for that year, and then in Jan 1 you start new benefits again.

Many people can go 4-5 years or more without using their dental insurance, and while they are losing their max each year, they are paying premium each month to keep their insurance.

Some people like to wait until the end of each year to use their insurance, and some ending up losing some of their benefits for that year, since they simply couldn’t schedule all of the work needed in such a short amount of time at the end of the year.

To maximize on the benefits of your insurance, you should plan it carefully in the beginning of each year, whether you come to our office, or you go to another office, it is your health.

People who come to our office are offered a complete break down on their insurance by our office coordinator as a courtesy.

From your Dentist in Laurel, MD

When dentistry becomes artistry

Andrew ArnoukGeneral DentistryLeave a Comment

When you go to a specific business to get some kind of service, how do you know what kind of value you are getting, do you consider  location is the main factor (how close it is to you), or maybe the price ( the less expensive the better), or maybe someone mentioned a business for you. Or it could be one of many other reasons.

I myself struggled with this question for the longest time, and eventually I found the answer ( regardless of the business), and that is:

How many continuing education hours did you have last year? This is the question that I ask now when I go to any place to get an important service, that has a lot of value, and everything else is details for me, like distance, price, convenience to my schedule, and so on. I just make it happen.

My endeavor is to become the best I can be in what I do, it takes me to many destinations each year including many international ones, I believe that  setting a limit on your development is limiting yourself from achieving what is possible for you in the future.

And after all, every single thing you do in life, you put your seal on it, whether you are aware of this fact or not. Have you watched nature in action, and the beauty it leaves behind every time?

From your cosmetic dentist in Laurel MD

 

banias13

Correcting imperfections

Andrew ArnoukGeneral DentistryLeave a Comment

Hi All,

Most people have some sort of imperfection  that they would rather not have. It could be in weight, diet, smile or a variety of things. And you can just ignore it, or do something about it.

In this case, I addressed the front tooth only, even though there are still issues to be addressed in the back area.   I corrected the imperfection in the smile which addressed the following four flaws:

1- Inaccurate form and shape proportion in relationship to the adjacent teeth.

2- Color is off and monotone (sameness of  color, sometimes to a boring degree) in reference to the adjacent teeth.

3- Margin of the old restoration has an overhange over the adjacent gingiva.

4- Black triangle between the old restoration and the adjacent teeth, which cause the proximal gum to shrink.

 

It take a high level of skills, case analysis and excellent communications with a master ceramist to produce these kinds of results.

It all started with a  courtesy consultation to discuss the different options available.

I hope that you enjoy the makeover for before and after.

From your cosmetic dentist in Laurel, MD

 

 

DSC_1295  Before

 

 

 

DSC_7322 After

McDentistry

Andrew ArnoukUncategorizedLeave a Comment

Hi all,

If you were hungry, and wanted something fast to fill your stomach, you can go to McDonald’s and order a fast meal, and I’ve done that many times…

When you get your order, few things you can almost be sure of: The meal is inexpensive, you will get it  with almost no waiting time, it will be hot, will taste good, and it will make you full. However, the whole visit would be something average that you can go and experience  any day of the year.

You can even use the drive through, and get the same thing…  and after you eat you will never go and tell everyone you know that you just ate at McDonald’s, and the food was hot, fast and inexpensive, because everyone knows that, and that is called the McDonald’s experience.

But if you want to enjoy the experience, the environment, and the food, or wanted to invite someone you know, you would like to go to a better place than McDonald’s, you want something that has a lot of value.

At our office we deliver that special experience every time. When you come in, you can be sure that we (the whole team) will listen to you, we will take our time, we will deliver high quality product backed up by an incredible warranty (60 months), and you will feel that the environment is completely different, and you will know without a doubt that we as a team are here to serve you beyond your expectations.

At the end of a consultation visit of a new patient yesterday, I asked the patient: Were we able to meet your expectations, to which she replied: Beyond, beyond, beyond.

I call the McDonald’s experience in dentistry: McDentistry, and in reality everyone can choose the kind of experience he wants.

Since if you try to be cheap to attract more people to whatever you do, eventually someone will be cheaper, and attract those people back. Here at Key West Family Dentistry, we lead the way for being different, so much different, that your new experience would be an experience of its own.

Andrew Arnouk

Your dentist, Laurel md

 

Our dentistry and the environment

Andrew ArnoukGeneral DentistryLeave a Comment

Hi All,

Since Key West Family Dentistry was opened, we always had the environment on our mind. Today, we are no different than the first day we opened.

Mercury is a heavy metal, and discharging it into the environment can cause serious damage, especially to the Chesapeake Bay, and all the sea creatures that live there.

Even though we don’t use any amalgam fillings at all in our office, replacing an old metal filling still can cause damage to the environment. We would like to assure you that we use an advanced suction system that traps all of the mercury and metal debris associated with removing a filling in a special container that is discarded periodically by a special company that handles biohazard materials.

As we strive to be on the cutting edge of dentistry, we do our dentistry with the environment in mind always.

Andrew Arnouk

Dentist Laurel MD

 

Bird-on-Chesapeake-Bay

Conservative Dentistry

Andrew ArnoukEmergency Dentist, General DentistryLeave a Comment

Hi all,

This is a case that was approached ultra conservatively. This patient came in complaining of sensitivity on a back molar. Clinical exam and x-ray confirmed an ill-fitting filing that the bonding broke loose, and a recurrent decay spread under.

-The filling was removed, and another small decay was noticed on the adjacent molar, it was cleaned coservatively from the side without touching the top of the tooth, then filled.

-The proximal gum between the two molars was removed with a laser beam, then the large cavity was cleaned, till solid dentin was reached.

-The large cavity was covered with a sensitivity preventing material, insulated, then built slowly using the advanced layering technique ( 30+ layers of multiple material  till the tooth was filled).

-Both teeth were polished to a super smooth surface to prevent any staining or  food trapping, and both looked like they were never touched.

-All the pictures were taken in single visit.  Within few days the gum would fill the area between the two teeth, and the whole area would look like untouched teeth.

– No crown or root canal treatment was done to the tooth with the large cavity.

-The patient couldn’t be happier, he was spared a long and expensive treatment, that was totally avoided.

-This treatment is not cheap ( yet it is just a fraction of what would have cost if the tooth were treated differently), it takes a long visit to do, but it is very rewarding for me and for the patient.

– This is the type of conservative dentistry that we practice daily at your Dentist Laurel MD, and that is why we have patients who are willing to  fly to MD from different states.

The pictures were published in sequence of treatment.

From your Dentist Laurel MD

 

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How valuable is your time on the dental chair

Andrew ArnoukUncategorizedLeave a Comment

Hi all,

When you come to our office whether for the first time, or you have been here before, you will clearly notice that we take our time to see you. In fact, we block more time than really needed for each one of you, just in case.

And for those who are flying from out of state or from abroad, it is not unusual to see someone the whole day, and sometimes for more than one day.

With the large majority of our New Patients come from word of mouth from our existing patients, it is obvious that people appreciate the unique experience when they visit us.

Time spent is directly related to high quality, the job that needs 2 hours can’t be done in 40 minutes.

Whether listening to patients, working on them, or just teaching other dentists , I totally engage in the event.

From your dentist in Laurel MD