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Dr. Jones loves a good pumpkin spiced latte, but she loves summer more. Let's keep her mind off the cooler temperatures by keeping her busy! New Faces In our Spring Newsletter, we let you know that we hired a Chairside Assistant. Please welcome Janette! She joined us in May and has been a fast learner! She is caring, funny, and can entertain you during Dr. Jones' exam breaks with her knowledge of TV shows, and good food! Also new to the office is Elizabeth! She is working alongside Courtney as an additional hygienist on Mondays and Tuesdays. These two-hygiene days means that we will soon be able to offer more efficient scheduling for families*. She is a sweet addition, and we are so thankful to have found her. *We highly suggest booking family appointments in advance. If your college student is headed home for winter break, please be sure to make their appointments soon! There are appointments available, but those may not last long. --- --- --- On the Calendar November 24th - 8 AM to Noon November 25th - CLOSED Thanksgiving December 23rd - 8 AM to Noon Week after Christmas - Normal Hours Week after New Year's - Normal Hours --- --- --- Custom Sports Mouth Guard If you or your child plays a sport (football, baseball, soccer, basketball, etc.), we encourage getting a custom sports mouth guard. Research has shown that some custom sports mouth guards can improve athletic performance by allowing more of your energy and muscle force to be directed to your intended motion, rather than spent on muscles of the head and neck that clench jaws. More importantly, they protect dentition and decrease the risk of concussion and other dangers associated with a blow to the face, like jaw fractures. If you have more questions, or would like to make an appointment, please call, text, or email us. --- --- --- Breathing is Important Dr. Jones is interested in knowing how you and your family are breathing. Did you know that the way you breathe during the day and night can affect your overall health, and even shape your face? The next time you are scheduled for an appointment, I encourage you to arrive a little early and read a book that we have in the Waiting Room called Always Breathe Correctly by Patrick McKeown. While it looks like it was written for our younger patients, it is an easy read that covers how to unblock your nose, stop mouth breathing, control asthma and more. --- --- --- Maximize Your Benefits It is time to remind you to maximize your dental benefits. We know that you (and your employer) spend a lot on your premiums, so make sure that you are getting the most out of your benefits! If you've put off fillings, a crown, or dental cleaning, be sure to give us a call. We can even check to see how much your portion will be before scheduling. --- --- --- Speaking of Benefits... This is a reminder that we are in-network providers for Delta Dental PPO and Premier Plans only. We will file claims for all patients, regardless of your plan, though. Some people think that they HAVE to see in-network providers. While this is true for a select group of people, we believe that your dental care should be your choice and that your dental treatment is a discussion between you and Dr. Jones. --- --- --- Are you stressed? I am sure the answer is YES! Is the stress that you experience affecting your jaw, mouth or teeth? Possibly! Daily stress (work, traffic, kids) can cause you to clench your teeth. Take a deep breath, reset, and rest that jaw! Resting Tongue Position 1. Lips closed. 2. Tongue gently resting on the roof of the mouth behind the front teeth. 3. Teeth are slightly parted. We added helpful jaw exercise documents to our website. However, please be sure to talk with Dr. Jones if your problem continues. TIP from book mentioned above: Nose feel blocked? Take a small breath and gently plug your nose so no air gets in. While holding your nose, nod your head up and down for as long as you can. Let go of your nose and slowly breathe through your nose. You may need to repeat a couple of times. Homecoming, Halloween, and HorrorHere is a photo bomb covering all the fall happenings. Dr. Jones' oldest was able to go to Homescoming this year! Our children trick-or-treated with the best of them and leveled up in the spooky costumes. And...beware of some news from Dr. Jones' recent surgery (not a Halloween trick...below is a full explanation). Dr. Jones wants to encourage everyone to wear sunscreen, and to see a dermatologist. In 2020, she was diagnosed with pigmented basal cell carcinoma on her nose. After having to reschedule her Mohs surgery FOUR times due to scheduling conflicts, Dr. Jones completed surgery in October and is healing. They were able to get everything!
Dr. Jones was also recently diagnosed with narrow angle glaucoma in both eyes, which needed immediate laser eye surgery. While still healing from Mohs, she went to get that repaired in two separate appointments. Thankfully, this type of glaucoma is treatable. We appreciate all the hygiene patients' understanding when Dr. Jones was away and not able to see them for exams. Lessons? Keep seeing all your doctors! Your physician, your eye doctor, your dermatologist, your dentist! Prevention and early detection is crucial. Being able to treat things when they are small/minor is always optimal.
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We are well into Spring, and loving the longer days, warmer weather, and flowering trees! We aren't acknowledging the random snow day. Another reason we are loving this Spring is because we are seeing so many returning patients. The pandemic kept many people at home and delaying routine appointments, like dental cleanings. With vaccines getting more prevalent, our schedule is getting more and more full. In fact, at the time of writing this, our spring and summer hygiene schedule is nearly full! Don't worry, if you have an emergency, we usually can get you in with Dr. Jones within the week. COVID VACCINATIONS We know that it is important for patients to be assured that our entire team has been fully vaccinated since early February. *Before including this into our Newsletter, I did ask every member if it was okay, because of HIPAA. WHITENING PROMOTION A few weeks ago, we sent out an email about our Spring Whitening Promotion. From now until June 17th, current patients that have had a dental cleaning and exam within the last 12 months can save 25% on whitening services and products. Please call or email us if you want to know more about pricing or have other questions. DENTAL CONCERNS & EMERGENCIES In 2013 we wrote a blog (yes, we have a blog!) about what to do if you experience a dental emergency and it is after-hours, or on a weekend. This blog has since been updated, but still is a great resource to determine what we consider an emergency and a non-emergency. For those of you that I know won't click the link above, here is a short version:
COVID PROTOCOL UPDATES We are no longer requesting patients wait in their cars and call to check-in before appointments. If you arrive for your dental appointment, please come right into our office. We will still ask you if you are feeling well that day. We also still have hand sanitizer at the front desk for you to use, too. DENTAL TEAM CHANGES For the last few weeks, Ashleigh has been doubling as our chairside dental assistant in addition to her usual duties at the front desk. We have a new team member starting in May and she is going to be cross-trained to be able to work up front and also as Dr. Jones' chairside assistant! Please bear with us a few more weeks while we get our team member started, trained, and us back to a normal routine. We know you are going to love our new team member and can't wait to introduce you to her! VACATIONS Every one deserves a little break now and then, and that is no different for Dr. Jones and our staff. Dr. Jones, Courtney and Ashleigh have time-off planned over the summer months. We appreciate your patience and kindness to whomever is filling in that day! I know that everyone LOVES a Courtney hygiene cleaning and may only want to see her. However, due to our full hygiene schedule, we may not may be able to move you to another date near your pre-scheduled appointment. When Dr. Jones is out of the office, we will still be able to see most patients for hygiene visits. Dr. Jones always reviews Courtney's notes and any x-rays taken. If something needs to be addressed, we will notify that patient and make an appointment for an exam or treatment. For pre-planned vacations, we notify patients that are scheduled during those dates. HAPPY 9 YEAR ANNIVERSARY! We are celebrating Courtney's 9 year work-a-versary! For years, she has put up with our bad jokes, stories from our childhood (if you don't know...Dr. Jones and Ashleigh are sisters), and Pandora playlist country songs. When someone new joins your work team, you never know how the dynamic will truly be. However, with Courtney, it's been great from the get-go and we are so lucky to have her! What are we up to in the spring time?
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting our small business! It is our pleasure to take care of your dental health and appreciate all the kind reviews, emails, and visits. You did it! You survived our crazy September hours. Thank you for your support, understanding, and positivity during this time. To all the patients that were rescheduled, we appreciate your kindness and willingness to be moved to a later time or another day. We are back to our normal hours! Monday: 8 AM to 5 PM Tuesday: 8 AM to 5 PM Wednesday: 8 AM to 12 PM and 12 PM to 3 PM (Cleanings/Exams Only) Thursday: 8 AM to 5 PM Friday - Sunday: CLOSED A little help from our friends! I am going to be very honest with you all. We are needing to fill in our schedule this fall! Because we were closed for 8 weeks in the spring (6- months ago), it has created a large hole in our mid-October to mid-November schedule. If you are due, or it has been 3 months and you are feeling like your professional cleaning is wearing off already, call us to schedule! Wait, come in for a cleaning sooner than 6 months?!?! I can't do that! Insurance won't let me. Or, I can't come in because I don't have dental benefits. Yes, you can. Now, your benefits may not pay because of the rules of your plan, but you certainly can come in. It will just mean paying out-of-pocket....you know, like we all do for a haircut or a manicure/pedicure or any of the other services that we do to keep us looking and feeling our very best! Do not allow your dental benefits (or not having benefits) dictate when you can come in for a hygiene visit. As dental professionals, we choose to get our teeth cleaned more frequently than every 6 months because we know it's better for our teeth, gums and over overall health! Many dentists, including Dr. Jones, recommend more frequent dental cleanings for many of our patients. Some of those people the fall into that category include: periodontal disease patients, patients in orthodontic treatment, patients that tend to get calculus build-up faster than normal, and older patients that have lost dexterity or have memory issues and are unable to brush their teeth regularly or effectively. If you or a child is in braces and you need help getting those hard to reach areas around brackets and wires, please give us a call. Courtney has all the tools to get plaque, tarter and food debris that you might struggle with. If you have a family member that has lost dexterity or has memory issues and may not be getting the help they need at home or in their care facility to brush twice a day (2-minutes each time), please call us. Accepting New Patients If you know of a family member, friend, neighbor, or co-worker that is looking for a new dentist, we welcome new patients with open arms! For people that aren't quite sure if they want to commit to a cleaning without meeting us first, we offer 30-minute complimentary visits with Dr. Jones. This is a great opportunity to see our office, meet our staff and Dr. Jones to see if we are the right office for their needs. We see patients of all ages. Thank you for supporting us as a small business. We truly and genuinely appreciate your business and our relationships with all of you. A Fair Alternative to Dental Benefits For patients that do not have dental benefits, or are retiring and losing benefits, or are turning 26 and getting kicked off your parent's plan, we have a great option called Smile Advantage. This is our in-office dental membership program for patients that do not have traditional dental benefits. We have a plan for Children (1 to 15 years old), Adult (16+ years old), and Perio Patients (patients that have had scaling and root planing). For more information, check out our website or call us at 913-491-0077. Schooling a Little Differently Okay...now that all that business stuff is out of the way...on to the fun! Let's talk about how fun the first few weeks of school have been! Just kidding, we know it's been rough. We are with you! If you need to get away from your students (or significant other) (or new quarntine puppy), you can always schedule a dental visit. The longest treatment available would be a full mouth restoration and will guarantee you being away for a few hours and several visits! Ha! Here are a few pictures of our students hard at work!  Here is Courtney's son showing her how he feels about Zoom calls. Don't worry...after the picture, Courtney made sure he was back to participating and listening to his teacher.  Dr. Jones' son is concentrating hard on the first day of high school. Yes, he is in the basement wetbar...it was quiet and had the best WiFi connection in the house.  Ready for 2nd Grade! (Dr. Jones' youngest)  Here we have a middle-schooler with all the things that you need for school.  A thumbs up from the 2nd grader!  This third grader (Ashleigh's youngest) posed himself and directed the First Day of School Pictures. This is called, "Looking into the distance with legs crossed."  And here are both of Ashleigh's sons. What you don't see is mom and dad smiling big because these two guys were dropped off for in-person learning! Cheers Park Hill School District!
We hope that you all are safe, happy, and getting into the groove. We look forward to your next visit! |
AuthorsAli Jones, D.D.S. - Dentist Archives
November 2021
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