Hi Everyone,
The summer is flying by but I hope that you have taken a moment to take a deep breath and enjoy the season and the people that are closest to you. I know that sometimes we think that things will stay the same forever only to have things change and we lose the opportunity forever.
A good example of that was my husband and I decided we wanted to go on a family cruise with both sets of our parents. We had a number of challenges going on in our lives but decided to ignore the pressures and take the trip anyways. We are so glad we did because less than one year later lung cancer came out of no-where and took my husband’s father. We will so cherish that time together and if we would have hesitated, we would have lost that opportunity forever.
So, whenever you have an opportunity to appreciate those around you, don’t take that opportunity for granted. Please know that my staff and I truly appreciate the fact that you have trusted us with your care and we will work hard to continually earn that honor. Thank you. Also, a special thanks for all those who filled out our survey. Your input has been extremely valuable.
New Things
We have always been counter culture when it comes to providing dental care. While others have cut the length of time with their patients and become more impersonal, we have taken the approach that people are unique and deserve to be treated with individual personalized care. As a result, we have added two new faces to our team.
Charlene Pfeifer joins us as our Scheduling Manager. She has 5 years of dental experience and 15 years of customer service experience giving our patients another valuable resource to assist them in the area of dental health.
You’ll hear her voice a lot when calling GFD. However, if you can’t hear, you can still talk to Charlene because she can sign American Sign Language (ASL). Having been born to deaf parents, Charlene was raised since her earliest days with sign language and has experienced first hand the many challenges that the deaf face. Charlene goes beyond interpreting—she’s lived it and that empathy can provide a level of understanding that we who hear can easily overlook.
GFD is excited about being able to better serve those who are deaf or hearing challenged. Make sure you meet Charlene the next time you come in and ask her to give you a “sign”.
Lisa Schmeckpeper joins us as our Technology and Systems Manager. She has Microsoft Certifications in “Systems Administration and Desktop Support” and HDI Certifications as a “Customer Support Specialist and Help Desk Analyst”. In addition, she has a dental assisting diploma and two years of dental assisting experience. (Finally a systems person that speaks dental language)
Lisa has been tasked to help keep our dental office on the leading edge of technology so that we can continue to provide you with the most advanced, comfortable, informative and most convenient dental experience in the region. Since GFD’s start in 1988, we have been on the leading edge of technology from lasers to software and you receive services that most other people won’t experience for the next 5 to 10 years. By the time others get there, we will be onto the next generation. As a result, I’ll venture to say that we are the first dental office in the metro area that has made this kind of human resource commitment to technology to assure that our patients have only the most patient friendly care.
You won’t see a lot of Lisa, but you’ll really feel good about what she does.
Digital x-rays finally meet our Standards of Excellence
Diagnostic, digital x-rays have finally reached the quality that meets my expectations. As a result, starting September 1st, when disease detection x-rays are taken, you’ll be experiencing the next generation of diagnostic and imaging technology providing you with more comfort and assurance. Out of the many systems on the market, only two have met the ADA’s approval for clarity and only one of those has met my perfectionist approval for diagnostic clarity.
New Dental Services
As I was getting my car repaired I observed that I didn’t take it to a clothing store to get it fixed. Now before you make fun of me for that astute observation and very absurd thought that a clothing store could ever have the qualified skill sets to fix a car, it dawned on me that our patients are being tricked into buying their oral hygiene products based on 30 second sound bytes and clerks that have never had a day of hygiene or dental training in their lives. That seemed to have some of the same absurdity as the clothing store fixing the car did.
As a result, my team will assist you in identifying both the retail and professional dental products that are best for you. We will blow away the sales jive of the retail products, qualify the need for professional products if necessary and then help you get the best value and care possible.
Keeping you Informed
Check our website for articles on “Keeping you safe” by process coordinator, Rachel Haining and “Preventing cavities with sealants” by Hygienist, Michele Beres at www.gfdonline.com
Final Thoughts
Brewer mania is sweeping the area. It’s refreshing to have a team that is fighting for a division championship. I’ve noticed though, that the media always gives the score for both teams: Brewers9, Diamondbacks 0; Brewers 12, Cubs 6 and etc. You never see a sportscaster say: Bill Hall was injured today and the Brewers only scored 5 runs against the Pirates; or Ben Sheets sprained a finger on his throwing hand and the Brewers only scored 2 runs against the Diamondbacks. He/She knows that 5 runs or 2 runs mean nothing to us unless we know how many runs the Pirates and Diamondbacks scored. If we only heard the negative stuff about the Brewers and no one ever reported theirs wins and where the Brewers stood in the standings, we would probably not be real excited about them or show much interest. But in our earlier example, if we find out that the Pirates only scored 4 runs and the Diamondbacks 1—that changes our whole perspective from doom and gloom to wow—these guys are tough and can still win during difficult times.
Don’t miss an opportunity to encourage and support our brave military men and women whenever you can. It must be truly discouraging for them to hear the political posturing that stains their work, encourages our enemies and puts them in additional harms way. I just wish the mainstream news media would report the full score like they do in baseball. They only report the negative and never report what our soldiers’ sacrifices have gained. If you dig for the complete story, you’ll find that our military is having outstanding success and the quality of live for the Afghanis and Iraqis are far better than ever before. Yes, if the media were reporting the complete score, I believe we would have a better appreciation for our troops and their families.
I’m so thankful that our brave men and women are taking the fight to the terrorists on their home turf and not in Wisconsin. Their effort to protect our families, homes and economy is something to get excited about. So join me in supporting what they do, encouraging their families, and championing their successes with those that have taken freedom for granted!
Hoping you’re having a great summer and looking forward to a beautiful autumn.
Dr. Lanae Fox