The Laser Dental Group

Happy Holidays to you and I hope all is well!  Since our last newsletter, there have been some new additions to our office. First, Dr. Min Kwak has joined part-time as an associate in the Westfield office. Second, Dr. Michael Saba has also joined full-time as an associate in both Union and Westfield offices.  Both Dr. Kwak and Saba are Invisalign certified.   The Westfield project is finally underway, and I expect to be in the new location at 147-149 Elmer Street in the summer of 2015. Yes, it took 3 years of planning to cut through all the red tape, and now we have a green light to begin, and construction should begin shortly.   On the equipment front, the new upgrade on the E4D system works like a charm. The new NevoScan has reduced the time it takes to make a new crown down to 2 hours from start to finish! Our digital x-ray systems also got a boost with the new Schick 33 system. This is comparab...

Happy Holidays from Dr Hwang, Dr Kwak, Dr Louie and Dr Saba. 

Dr. Injung Ivy Hwang   Dental implants are the best option of all to replace your missing teeth, and they are the only option to provide you the function of natural teeth without damaging your other teeth. For the best result with the minimal discomfort possible, every dental implant treatment needs a thorough diagnosis and proper treatment plan prior to start. At the Laser Dental Group, we have a team of doctors with extensive training and experience to give you the honest answers to your questions regarding your needed treatment for missing teeth. 3 Myths About Dental Implants Implants Are New  Dental implants have been around since early 1980, and they have been showing over 98% success rate  on average. Implants Are Painful Dental phobia is not uncommon, but properly planned and handled dental implant treatment is as easy as getting a tooth filled.  Per my actual patient’s quote, “I didn’t feel anything during or after. It was so ...

Tooth Decay As you might guess, the number-one dental problem among preschoolers is tooth decay . One out of 10 two- year-olds already have one or more cavities By age three, 28% of children have one or more cavities By age five, nearly 50% of c hildren have one or more cavities Many parents assume that cavities in baby teeth don't matter, because they'll be lost anyway. But that's not true. Dental decay in baby teeth can negatively affect permanent teeth and lead to future dental problems. Teaching Good Dental Habits The best way to protect your child's teeth is to teach him good dental habits. With the proper coaching he'll quickly adopt good oral hygiene as a part of his daily routine . However, while he may be an enthusiastic participant, he won't yet have the control or concentration to brush his teeth all by himself. You'll need to supervise and help him so that the brush removes all the plaque—the soft, sticky, bacteria-...

Do you already have Care Credit?  If so, you may be eligible to enter their Care for Sharing Sweepstakes .  If you use your Care Credit card between September 15 thru October 31, you are entered to win $200.  In addition the winner gets $100 to give to the charity of their choice.  Care for Sharing Sweepstakes Thank you for your interest in the Care for Sharing Sweepstakes.  The promotion ended on October 31, 2014.

We are pleased to welcome Dr Michael Saba to our staff at The Laser Dental Group.  In our effort to provide maximum service to our patients, he will be working Mondays and Tuesdays in Union and Thursdays and Fridays in Westfield.  He will also be available at least once a month on Saturdays in each office.  Dr. Michael Saba is a Union County native that graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers University in 2008. He earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in the historic city of Philadelphia at Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry.  You can read more about Dr Saba and our available hours at www.thelaserdentalgroup.com.

It's that time again!   Every year thousands of dollars in dental insurance benefits is wasted, unused by patients.  If you are paying into a dental insurance plan and not making use of the plan the insurance company pockets those savings.   Here are some reasons using those benefits today saves you money. 1. Your deductible .  Every year most plans take a deductible, $25-$100 usually.  This is the dollar amount you must spend before the coverage “kicks in”.  If you have already had work done this year you would not have to pay it again, but wait just 1 day after the new year, and you will. 2. Your maximum .  99% of plans have a maximum they will pay out each year.  If you begin the year by using up your benefits, you have no benefits remaining for that emergency you may have later in the summer.  3. Maximize your benefits If you are one of those patients whose treatment plan is larger than your maximum benefits, you may be able to ...

We had an adult female patient come in with deep decay in her tooth as shown.   Dr Louie was able to restore her tooth, eliminate the decay with only composite filling as shown here. 

Dental implants have been known to exist for more than 2000 years according to historians. Earliest known implants took the form of carved stones evolving to carved ivory, casted metal and eventually into titanium placed in place of the extracted tooth, drilled screwed or hammered into place.   Modern day dental implants were pioneered by a Swedish professor Per-Ingvar Branemark in the early 1980’s, and are surgically placed in the jaw. They are known as endosseous or root-form implants made of titanium.   Once placed, they become fused to the bone, and the implant fixture or fixtures can be used to restore a tooth, several teeth or all the teeth by either, cementing, attaching by screws, or having a detachable appliance that snaps into place. There are several components and instruments needed in order to restore a dental implant fixture. There is no denying the fact that implants are successful and last many years when properly maintained by your dentist.   Becau...

Westfield Dentist Volunteers to Restore Smiles in Dominican Republic WESTFIELD, NJ – On a wall in the waiting room of his dental practice in town, Dr. Peter Louie displays a plaque commemorating the three days he recently spent in the Dominican Republic, donating 35 clinical hours of his time to repair teeth and restore smiles. “It was just an amazing experience,” said Louie, now back at the Westfield Avenue office of The Laser Dental Group. Working with the International Dental Implant Association, Louie traveled to the Dominican Republic with a team of about 20 dentists from around the United States in late May. He spent three days removing infected teeth, performing bone grafts and implanting new fixtures with the help of local dental assistants and students at a clinic about 30 minutes from the capital city of Santo Domingo. He estimates that the group of dentists saw 300 to 400 patients over the three days at the clinic. Louie, who lives in Westfield with his wife, ...

The Union office will be receiving a landscaping update.  Among the new shrubs will be evergreens and flowering shrubs.    Waterfall Japanese Maple    Gold Threadleaf Cypress   China Girl Holly   Mountain Fire Japanese Pieris     Hino-Crimson Azalea We are excited about the changes.  It should result in beautiful surroundings year round. 

By LAUREN S. BARR Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times WESTFIELD – The planning board approved a subdivision and a new dentist’s office at its Monday night meeting. ... Dr. Peter Louie was approved to renovate and expand the building at 147-149 Elmer Street. Dr. Louie, a dentist currently practicing in Westfield and Union, will move his practice from Westfield Avenue to the Elmer Street location once construction is completed. The building currently houses two offices on the first floor and two apartments on the second floor. The apartments will remain, and Dr. Louie will take over the entire first floor for his dental practice, with a 397- square-foot addition.   The board approved Dr. Louie for a parking variance to allow him to have four parking spaces where 14 are required. Keith Westerhold, representing the First Congregational Church, said that the church has had problems with residents and employees of neighboring properties using their ...

Never underestimate the importance of x-rays...

In case you need another reason to quit...  Though conventional pairing has cigarettes and coffee going together, researchers have found that the toxic chemicals in tobacco may hamper taste bud regeneration, resulting in smokers not being able to adequately taste the bitterness of their regular cup of joe. The researchers, led by Nelly Jacob of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital APHP in France, published results of their study in the journal Chemosensory Perception. They note that tobacco’s chemicals are already known to cause a loss of taste in smokers, as well as structural changes to the fungiform papillae of the tongue – where taste buds are found. What has been unknown is to what extent smokers’ taste range is affected, whether it returns to normal upon quitting smoking and if so, how long that takes. Taste buds are largely responsible for conveying sweet, sour, bitter, salty and metallic sensations. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventi...

The Laser Dental Group, P.C. 1205 Coolidge Avenue, Union, NJ, (908) 686-2080, laserdg@comcast.net 581 Westfield Avenue, Westfield, NJ, (908)232-2136, laserdgofwestfield@comcast.net ·          Dentistry is changing and much has happened since my last newsletter. ·          First, you may have noticed, both offices participate in many more dental plans. I feel it is the right thing to do for my patients since it has been very difficult for the past few years. ·          My Westfield office is nearly organized, which has been two years in the making, and still needs help. ·          Implementation of the new Dental software management system has been underway, and progress is being made fixing the glitches caused by the conversion in both offices. Celebrations will be in order when this tedious process is complete...

Los Angeles, CA -- The International Dental Implant Association, an alumni organization for influential clinicians who are have attended Implant Seminars dental continuing education programs with world renowned Arun K. Garg D.M.D., today announced that Dr. Louie has recently reached the status of fellow.  Fellow status marks the continuation of an exciting journey that indicates to clinicians and patients that the admitted member has achieved excellence in the field of implant dentistry. Acceptance into the IDIA as a Fellow requires completion of at least 150 continuing education (CE) hours of dental theory training, passing a written examination and successful placement of over 25 dental implants on live patient with hands on training supervised by Dr. Garg and his qualified staff.  Dr. Garg and his Implant Dentistry Continuum Education program have provided this training to thousands of dentists for over two decades.  The IDIA's annual symposium encourages alumni and ...

In February, the American Dental Association updated its recommendation to caregivers of young children.  The old recommendation was using water to brush the teeth of children younger than 2 years old and to brush the teeth of children 2 to 6 years old with a pea-size amount of fluoride toothpaste.  The Council on Scientific Affairs (CSA) is updating its guidance to caregivers that they should brush their children’s teeth with fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first tooth comes in.  To help prevent children’s tooth decay, the CSA recommends that caregivers use a smear of fluoride toothpaste (or an amount about the size of a grain of rice) for children younger than 3 years old and a pea-size amount of fluoride toothpaste for children 3 to 6 years old. The new guidance is intended to provide children with the full benefit of cavity protection while limiting their risk of developing fluorosis, which is a mild discoloration of teeth usually appearing as faint lines...

We are pleased to welcome a new doctor to our staff in our Westfield location.  Dr Kwak just recently relocated from Georgia.  However, she received her dental degree at Columbia University in New York City and finished her general dentistry residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital- Columbia University. With her help, we'll be able to schedule patients sooner.  We hope this makes it more convenient for patients to get their work done when they need it.  You can read more about Dr Kwak at our website , www.thelaserdentalgroup.com. 

Have you visited our Facebook page lately? Right now when we reach 200 followers, we will raffle off a free take-home bleaching kit worth $295 to one of our followers.  So be sure to like our page and watch for news and updates from our office. You never know when we might be giving something away!

Every February the American Dental Association sponsors National Children's Health month.  It's a good time to make sure that the children in your life see a dentist for regular cleanings and checkups.  All children should also be taught to brush their teeth 2x a day for 2 minutes at each time. With the new Obamacare laws, medical insurance will now be required to provide pediatric dental care so make sure you take advantage of this benefit.  Even if you don't have dental, your children may be covered. 

Did you know that there may be dental benefits that you aren't taking advantage of?  Dr Hall explains the Cigna benefit.  Check with your health insurance to see if there are medical benefits you could be taking advantage of.

Did you know that 100 million Americans fail to see a dentist each year, even though regular dental examinations and good oral hygiene can prevent most dental disease?  Neglect of dental care can have serious consequences like decay,  inflammation , and loss of teeth, and an increased risk of  malnutrition .  Gum disease  has been implicated in an increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease. In addition, oral examinations can be the least invasive method of diagnosing types of cancers and other diseases.  Ask Dr Louie or Dr Hwang more about this at your next visit. The uptake rate of preventative dental care increased over a ten-year period in the United States, but there remains a large disparity among ethnic groups, reports one of the largest and most comprehensive studies on the subject, published in the open-access journal   Frontiers in Public Health . Neglect of dental care can have serious consequences like decay,  inf...