Monthly Archives: January 2014

Designs For Dental Health VIP Plan

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Starting this month, we will be offering our Designs For Dental Health VIP Plan!!
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The Designs For Dental Health VIP plan* offers new and existing patients more affordable dental care on the most common and necessary dental services. This discount plan will save patients 15% off treatment fees for most of our services at no extra cost to you! In addition, there is no yearly maximum coverage limit, no deductibles, or waiting periods

What’s included in the plan?

  • 15%* discount on fillings, periodontal deep cleanings, crowns, bridges, implant crowns, dentures, extractions and root canal therapy.
  • Two regular exams per year, regularly $122.
  • Two regular cleanings per year, regularly $230.
  • All x-rays included with your cleaning visits, regularly up to $153
  • Oral Cancer screenings
  • One Fluoride treatment per year (up to age 16), regularly $48        (15% courtesy does not apply only to in-office bleaching or bleaching products, Invisalign Orthodontics, SixMonthSmiles Orthodontics, All-on-4 procedure, TMJ therapy, Sleep Apnea appliances, Arestin treatment, and full-arch or full-mouth rehabilitation)

With Designs For Dental Health’s VIP Program there are NO worries!

  • No yearly maximum coverage limit
  • No deductibles
  • No waiting period
  • No pre-existing condition exclusions
  • No ID cards necessary
  • No Insurance consultants

What is the cost of membership?

Only $325 for one entire year beginning on your registration date. That’s an automatic savings of up to $180 on your regular exams, cleanings, and x-rays alone!

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Making high-quality dentistry even more affordable!

 Designs For Dental Health has many options to help you pay for quality dental care. We accept cash and checks. We even offer a 5% prepayment discount for all treatment prepaid in full with cash or check when scheduling a service, and when dental insurance isn’t being billed.  That means when you use the Designs For Dental Health VIP Plan and pay in full you can save 20% on treatment! 

We also honor Visa, Discover, MasterCard and American Express. And, we offer 0% financing (if paid in full over 12 months*) and flexible payment options through CareCredit and Springstone. For those with insurance, our team will file all your claims and work with you to receive the absolute maximum benefit from your dental insurance.

How do I sign up?

Come on into our office and we will be happy to sign you up ASAP! No appointment necessary, and new patients are always welcome. And if you have any questions about the Designs For Dental Health VIP Plan and would like to get more information, just ask us and we will be happy to help.

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Call us at 908-359-6655 or visit our website at www.DesignsForDentalHealth.com

*This plan is subject to change without notice

*Discounts cannot be combined with any other offers

*Fee discount is limited to 5% with any financing offer

Is the “Clean” Program for You?

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On January 2, as has been the case for many years, I began a nutritional program in order to rid my body of all the excesses which have been inevitable during the holidays. In the office, we truly appreciate the many gifts we receive during December, and are always amazed that 95% of them are either sugar–laden delectables or adult beverages. In addition, there are the holiday parties and family celebrations all of which involve lots of wonderful food and wine. Couple the opportunity for all this overindulgence with under–performing self-control and I face the usual weight gain coupled with some minor gastric distress and a subtle feeling of malaise.

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So, this January 2nd I began the twenty-one day cleanse known as “Clean”. This is the same program that I wrote to you about last year. It’s a program designed by Dr. Alejandro Junger which is rather strict yet uncomplicated. Basically, I have given up all gluten, dairy, alcohol, and specific other foods as outlined in the book. During this three-week period, there is one solid meal at lunchtime. Breakfast is a smoothie and dinner is a soup. All foods are organic whenever possible.

I had forgotten much about the experience during last year’s cleanse. I can truly say that the results are amazing. I am sleeping so much better and perhaps that is the main reason why I have so much energy. Even my mood is different. I feel much more optimistic and upbeat than in the recent past. I have already lost six pounds and my osteo-arthritic knees are feeling better.

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I had first heard about this program from a fellow dentist who had been battling cancer. In addition to his regular cancer treatment, this man also began the Clean program. He too shared his feelings about how wonderful he felt after the initial three-week cleanse. And, I am happy to report that he is totally healthy with his cancer in remission. I am not saying that this program is the single cause of his current health, but his impassioned description of his experience while on the program had convinced me to give it a try.

Anecdotally, I had been rather ill during December with the upper respiratory infection which was being passed around at that time. Since beginning the Clean program my health has continued to improve and I now feel one hundred percent. Around me, however, are people who had similar illnesses which continue to linger or even seem to resurface. I wonder if this program might be helping my body to better fight disease.

If you have put on some weight, just feel a bit sluggish, or have any interest in getting a body tune-up, perhaps this program is for you. You can find the book entitled CLEAN with the subtitle The Revolutionary Program To Restore the Body’s Natural Ability to Heal Itself written by Alejandro Junger, M. D. You may also Google this program to get a better sense of what it’s about. A series of products are offered online but not necessary. For what it’s worth, I only use foods and beverages which are easily available in your grocery store.

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If you have any questions about this program, feel free to contact me in the office at 908.359.6655 or via our website at  www.DesignsForDentalHealth.com   .

Is It Really A Migraine??

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Last week in the course of a routine examination, I asked a standard question of our young woman patient: “Do you have any problem with headaches?” She replied that she does have “migraines”. So I asked a few relevant questions about the headaches, and as is often the case, this patient’s answers led me to believe that her headaches are, in fact, not migraines.

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In our office, we often treat patients with head and neck pain who have been diagnosed by their doctors as having temporomandibular joint dysfunction. Oftentimes, such patients visit their doctors because they assume that the headaches from which they suffer must be migraines.

What are the typical signs and symptoms of a migraine headache? A typical migraine may last several hours to as many as three days. The pain is moderate to severe, pulsating, and usually on one side of the head. Typical associated signs of migraines include nausea and/or vomiting, as well as sensitivity to light and noise. Many migraine patients describe an “aura” just before the migraine begins. Auras are exhibited as a change in vision or hearing. Episodic migraines occur fewer than fifteen times per month with only some of these headaches being actual migraines. Such headaches occurring more than fifteen days per month with pain lasting four hours or more over a three-month period are considered to be “chronic migraines”.

Migraines may be triggered by various factors, and three out of four migraine sufferers describe specific triggers. Common examples of these triggers are physical exertion, stress, hormonal changes, weather changes, and others.

Tension headaches are the most common primary headaches. Such headaches may be misdiagnosed as migraines and vice versa.

Cluster headaches are severe attacks of pain on one side of the head lasting between fifteen minutes and three hours. These headaches may occur every other day or as often as eight times each day. Cluster headaches may be associated with facial sweating, restlessness, agitation or nasal congestion.

Other types of headaches include those brought on by exertion or coughing.  They may be described as feeling like stabbing pain or other equally unpleasant feelings.

If you or someone that you know suffers from headaches, we can generally help determine whether or not migraine headache is a proper diagnosis. The determination is made based upon the patient’s history and description of the pain as well as a screening examination to rule out the possibility of TMJ-type pain. We even have a computerized evaluation system to diagnose which muscle or muscles may be causing the problem. Patients often find it hard to believe that their headaches may be related to their jaw joints or their bite. The truth is, the connection between head and neck pain and the muscles involved in moving the jaw as well as those holding the head erect are commonly the source of such pain.

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If you have a question about headaches or would like additional information please feel free to contact us via our website www.DesignsForDentalHealth.com or by calling our office at 908.359.6655.