Successful Clothing Drive!

Our third annual clothing drive to benefit the YWCA Working Wardrobe just finished and was wildly successful. Many women will be able to “shop” for an entire working wardrobe to help them gain the confidence to interview for and hold down a living wage job. The donated clothes were amazing and the accessories donated this year were the best ever. It felt so good going into the store and talking with the volunteers. They expressed their appreciation for this support and emphasized that many women will be helped. A huge and sincere “Thank You” to all of you who got the word out and donated. A tip for the upcoming year that worked really well for me…every time I got clothes back from the cleaners or out of the laundry, I put them in at the left side of my closet. When it came time to pull out clothes for the drive I started at the right side of my closet where the less worn items had worked their way down. It made for a quick sort. The YWCA volunteers let me know that they need shopping bags from department stores (Macy’s, Nordstrom, etc) to help complete the “shopping” experience. They also need more suits in size 14’s and up. So please keep this in mind as you save items for next year, or if you have items that you would like to donate throughout the year, feel free to bring them in and we will take care of delivering them. Once again thank you for supporting our community in such a meaningful way.

Annual Clothing Drive for Women

It’s time for one of my favorite team activities of the year. The Dream Team and I will be hosting our 3rd Annual Clothing Drive on November 6-9. Our goal with our clothing drive will be to make a great contribution to the YWCA Working Wardrobe Clothing Drive.

This worthwhile cause helps properly clothe women who are re-entering the workforce. Your donations of clean, pressed suits, dresses, blouses, sweaters, slacks, jackets, shoes and accessories are welcome for this cause. Women who receive these donations will be able to interview with confidence and know that they are well prepared for their new jobs.

You can drop off your donations at our new location: 1704 41st St., Suite A-1 in Everett.

I ask you to participate with donations of gently used work clothing.

Thanks for the honor!

Earlier this month, I was featured in The Puget Sound Business Journal as one of the young business leaders in the community. The annual 40-Under-40 feature supplement in The Puget Sound Business Journal honors 40 young business owners in the area. It is a real honor to be considered.

I think this is an excellent time to recognize my wonderful team. Every day, we work together to make my vision of a patient-centered practice a reality. I hope that you, as my patients, notice the difference in how you are treated at my practice. I was recognized by The Puget Sound Business Journal; I hope you will join me in recognizing my team the next time you get a chance.

Periodontal care and your overall wellness

Periodontal care is one of the most important aspects of dental health because periodontal disease (or disease of the gums) has been linked to several other health problems. We are interested in your general wellness and that means remembering periodontal care.

A few common facts you may know are that there is link between periodontal disease and heart disease. And, surely, you know that proper brushing technique includes brushing the gums and that you should floss regularly as part of your daily care for you gums.

What many people do not know is that certain conditions can increase the likelihood for periodontal disease. For instance, if you are in a high stress life style or career or if you have poor coping skills in dealing with stress, you are at higher risk for periodontal disease.

So what do you do about that? Go back to the basics in caring for your gums. Take that extra few minutes while brushing to make sure you are doing a good job on your gums, in front and behind the teeth.

And, while you are doing it, take a breather. Try to relax and take care of yourself!

Our New Office!

After much consideration and research we finally found a new space for our office! My practice philosophy has always been to focus on one patient at a time, take great care of that patient, finish the appointment and then begin the next client. This is a stark contrast to the offices that practically wear roller skates as they zoom from room to room and patient to patient. Our sincere goal is to continue to offer the customized one to one service that you have come to know and prefer. We do, however, find ourselves needing a bigger space. Our need is based primarily on the fact that we have added so much technology and so many new services to the office; computerized office systems in each studio, Britesmile Whitening, Lasers, the Wand Computerized anesthetic delivery, Conscious Sedation, digital photography, paraffin wax dips, K7 TMJ monitoring equipment, Invisalign and much more! We need space to house all these fun things!

We searched and searched for a location that would give us the added space but also the other amenities we desired. We wanted to stay close to our current location. We know some of you travel from great distances and you were lobbying for us to move closer to you but we all really like Everett. Also, we wanted plenty of PARKING! Free parking. So that you can zoom in 2 minutes before your appointment and KNOW you will get a parking spot.

Our goal will be to move into the new space this summer. Permits, design and soon demolition are underway and as soon as we have a more concrete finish date we will tell you. Look forward to the grand-daddy of all office-warming parties when we move in.

Our commitment to personal attention

I hope that my patients know my commitment to personal attention. This is one of the important elements that I think separates my practice from other dentists. It has always been my intention to make patients feel at home in our dental office. This goes well beyond simply being polite while performing your dental care.

There is an obvious, warm quality that goes along with genuine personal attention. It is our goal for our patients to experience this when they come to us for a visit. Why? It's how we really feel. So, it is important to us that you know this.

How many times do you go to a business or a professional service and you feel like a number? You are the next one in line, so now it is your time to get your service. That is not how we operate here and, every once in a while, I like to make it a point for our team to focus on this fact.

When you visit us for your dental needs, we want you to feel our genuine interest in your care. Call it personal attention… but it is all about caring.

It’s surprising so many people live with this kind of pain

Part of the continuing education I have taken courses on treating Temporomandibular Joint Disorder. Many people know this condition as TMJ, which is usually known for causing jaw pain. However, TMJ is much more complicated disorder and many people live with the pain.

Basically, TMJ is a misalignment of the jaws and it can cause a lot more than jaw pain. TMJ can manifest itself in the form of head, neck and shoulder pain in addition to jaw pain. It can also cause a ringing in the ears.

Because there are so many symptoms that are not associated directly with the jaw, it is common for people to see a doctor for their pain instead of a dentist. This is often the reason why TMJ goes undiagnosed. The sufferer complains about headaches and a battery of tests for severe headaches may not turn up TMJ unless the doctor is looking for it. This is why many TMJ sufferers have been told the pain is “just in their head” after a visit to their general practitioner.

I have learned advanced treatments for TMJ and I help people with this disorder all the time. If you are suffering from these persistent pains and just living with it because you cannot get your pain diagnosed properly, please call me or email me here. The same goes for anyone you know who might be simply living with TMJ pain. I can help.