Current News
October 2008
Hooray! We have a new bouncing baby boy! Jean brought us Landon Dean Voss. He arrived on November 5th—absolutely gorgeous with a full head of hair. And we sure miss Jean; she’s taking some time to settle in with her new family. It’s been a very busy year-A wedding in October, a new job for husband, Jim, in July and a new baby in November. Wow! Congratulations for all…
A huge thank-you to all the goblins, ghosts and ghouls who made our Halloween candy buy-back a success. On Monday, November 3rd from 3-7 p.m., kids from all over Holt and the surrounding area brought their candy to our office and we paid them a dollar per pound! Then, we matched each dollar with a charitable contribution to Ele’s Place, a healing center for grieving children.
Have you been diagnosed or treated for osteoporosis? Let us collaborate with your physician for your future dental health. Bisphosphonates such as Fosomax, Fosomax D, Actonel, Boniva and Reclast are prescription drugs that are commonly prescribed to treat osteoporosis. If you have ever taken these drugs you will be have an increased dental surgery risk of jaw bone infection (osteonecrosis). So it is critical that you inform us if bisphosphonates have been part of your medical history. And if you are considering this treatment option, let us help you forsee any surgical needs such as implants or extractions. We want to keep you strong and healthy!
We want you all to be healthy and fit! So… it only seems natural that Dr. Susan was asked to write a column for “Healthy and Fit” magazine. “Healthy and Fit” is a locally published magazine that features great articles on exercise, nutrition, and over-all wellness. Dr. Susan would love your input on ideas for future columns. Pick up a copy in our office-they’re FREE- and let us know what you think!
Speaking of Health and Fitness…Usually, we tell you about our latest growth areas but now we’re getting smaller! Every Wednesday morning, we host a Weight Watcher’s meeting in our Staff Meeting room. What a wonderful, fun and collaborative way to learn to fuel our bodies and our families well. In just a few short weeks our group has lost over 150 pounds! – That’s a whole person!!!! We’re so excited…feel free to ask us more.
Is this economy bad or what? Our team is making a concerted effort to increase the “fun factor” here. If you’re having a particularly “down” day, please stop by and we’ll help cheer you up. It’s all about attitude and we’ve certainly got a fun one we’d like to share. We also want to remember that Michigan is a wonderful state! Our perimeter is made up of beautiful fresh water lakes and white sandy beaches. We are the Land of Hospitality. With that in mind, let’s support our locally owned businesses! From restaurants to retailers let’s honor the motto “Buy Michigan” and we’ll get through this complicated economic time together!
We’re so happy that so many of you are enjoying our complementary comfort services. We all love to spoil you. And sometimes there’s just not enough of Shannon to go around—for that we’re sorry. We all wish she could honor every request –because after all, you deserve it! Be assured that she’ll do her very best to pamper you at every opportunity.
We are students of our own successes and …set-backs. And you are our teacher. Did you know that we engage in 11 strategic activities to gain your feedback about how we might improve our service to you? We want to be unique and awesome for YOU! Without your opinions we have no compass. So… If you have any ideas about any little thing we could be doing better, we’re BEGGING you to let us know.
Have you seen our new “No Cavity” club? When we learned that Kodak would no longer be making Polaroid film, we had to brainstorm about a different way to show off our gorgeous cavity- free kids! Dr. Susan found an innovative artist to design a custom digital photo frame! We love seeing your/our kids pictures all day. Hope you like it as much as we do!
May 2008
Do I really need x-rays today? We are very sensitive to your concerns regarding radiation as well as the cost of radiographs. Our new digital radiographs have greatly increased in diagnostic value and reduced your exposure to radiation by 90%! Please be assured that our recommendations for x-rays are based on individual patient circumstances and scientific (statistical) evidence—NOT by insurance “standards”. Please feel free to ask us how we form our recommendations for you personally.
Congratulations to Danielle White and Missy Mohr! They are the winners of the first annual Susan Maples Health Careers Scholarship. Each application included an essay, two letters of recommendation as well as a minimum GPA. The top four finalists were interviewed here in our office. What a treat for us to meet with such awesome young people! Missy will be attending Northern Michigan University and plans to major in pre-pharmacy. Danielle’s passion is people and she will pursue a career in psychology at Grand Valley State University.
We’ve discovered more and more links between oral health and overall health. We complete a thorough assessment of your gum health or disease at every cleaning appointment because periodontal disease predisposes you to all of these: pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema, diabetes, alzheimer’s and coronary artery disease. Also women with osteoporosis may be at higher risk for periodontal disease and vice versa. Periodontal disease during pregnancy has been associated with toxemia, pre-term delivery and lower infant birth weights. Feel free to ask us for more details—we’re totally dedicated to helping you be as healthy as you want to be.
Implants are a great dental solution for missing teeth. Dental implants can replace a single missing tooth or several missing teeth. They can also be used to anchor a full or partial denture, giving patients the ability to chew and smile confidently. Dental implant crowns are personally customized to match your natural enamel, tooth size and shape. Sound like space age dentistry? Actually, dental implants were invented in 1952 and have emerged to be the most predictable and non-invasive way to replace teeth.
Did you know that five of our team members have a tooth that has been replaced with a dental implant? They are a great resource for information on the dental implant experience.
We’re headed back to camp again… It’s time to boost our learning by studying with national experts in patient facilitation. We’re studying with other high achieving dental team members from all over the US. Our camp takes place at a beautiful private retreat center in Harrison, Michigan. We’ll be honing our communication skills and clinical savvy so that we can serve you better. Our aim is to uncover our true potential in order to provide the very best care and service. If you want to hear more about camp, just ask us…
It’s Techno time! Do you find our telephone reminders for your upcoming appointments helpful OR would you prefer to receive a personalized e-mail and then e-mail us back to confirm? It’s now just as simple as a couple of clicks. Just let us know what works best for you.
News flash… The No Cavities Club is going digital!! Kodak has discontinued making Polaroid film so we have been forced into the 21st century. We value good nutrition and careful home care and we don’t want our star patients to go unrecognized. We’ll now take pictures with a digital camera and you’ll see our “no cavities kids” on a digital photo frame in our reception area. Let us know if you have other ideas for recognition!
Take me out to the ballgame… Are you or your children involved in sports? How about wearing a custom athletic mouthguard? Each year mouthguards prevent more than 200,000 oral injuries among athletes. Custom fitted athletic mouthguards are a sure way to increase compliance in all contact sports such as football, basketball, hockey, soccer racquetball and lacrosse. Let us help you protect your beautiful smile.
January 2008
Our gift to you this year? Digital Radiographs. Changing technology is never easy but this one is important to us because of you. Our new digital x-ray system will significantly reduce your personal exposure to radiation and deliver a faster, higher quality image to improve diagnostic detail. As always, we’re excited to bring the excitement of new technology to you.
For our team evaluations this year we will work with the book “Now Discover Your Strengths. Each team member will learn from the Strengthfinder instrument more about her unique abilities. From there we will design personal ‘field trips’ as learning activities that further maximize each person’s unique potential. By focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses, and building a well-rounded team, we strive to serve you better and better every year. Please feel free to ask more about our strenghtfinder results and personal field trips!
What do Jean, Corri, Georgie, Sherry’s son and Kelly’s daughter have in common?
They have all had a tooth successfully replaced with a dental implant. Dental implants are an amazing way to reclaim the natural feeling and appearance of having your own teeth. Please ask us personally if you would like to discuss the possibility of a dental implant for you or your loved one.
If you were to ask Susan what her favorite dental procedure is….she’d tell you “dentures”, hands down. Susan loves helping people regain their youthful appearance and chewing ability. In our office we use a very sophisticated approach to complete dentures called the branching technique. We strive to recreate all the superior qualities that nature intended in a perfect smile and stable bite. If you hear someone complaining about loose, unattractive or ill-fitting dentures, feel free to refer them to our office for a complementary consultation.
Our ultimate goals for children are to help them experience by the end of high school, as few fillings as possible and dental health behaviors that will secure for them a lifetime of healthy smiles. At each visit your child will participate in their own personal skill development, focusing on a behavior approach called “self prophy”. We help them make good choices about the tools they want to use to clean their teeth and how to use them effectively. Please ask what he or she learned after each prophy visit. When they tell you out loud, it helps reinforce their learning.
Can you help us? This year one of our team projects is to rejuvenate our website. If you get a minute to click on www.DrSusanMaples.com to view our current website, we’d love your feedback. We want to know how we might improve our “look” and make our website more user friendly. Thanks for your time and your opinions.
Did you know that 4.6 million Americans smoke cigarettes and one third of them will die because of it? If you are ready to quit smoking please let us help you. Many people think they can quit “cold turkey”, but statistics show that is only 5% effective. And the nicotine substitutes are not much better, at a 10% success rate. Fear not. With hypnosis, acupuncture, and medications such as Chantix and Zyban, there is plenty of hope. We can help you chose a method that makes good sense to you and increases your chances for success right from the start. Let us know when you’re ready.
What every woman needs to know: Growing evidence suggests that gum inflammation and poor oral hygiene during pregnancy can adversely affect the health of newborns. The research has definitively linked gum infection to such pregnancy complications as miscarriage, premature birth and inhibited growth and development of the unborn child.
If you are planning a family, let us help you reduce the risk factors and give you peace of mind for normal, healthy and “on time” delivery.