My daughter had her tonsils removed earlier today. While this is a nerve wracking experience for a parent, it was made worse by the wait. While we were told to be there at 8:30, they didn’t start until after noon. Three and a half hours later…!
My 7 year old had been obedient and did not eat since the prior evening. At this point, she was VERY hungry. Even when they decided to start, they waited. She was given some Versed to make her groggy and to forget when she had the IV started. But by the time the doctor finally came in, the Versed had started to wear off…
All in all, everything went well. She is recovering just fine and seems almost like the normal bubbly child that I love dearly.
But this got me to thinking. I am VERY proud that we see our patients on time. EVERY time. If there is a reservation with us at 9:30, we see you at 9:30! On a bad day, it might be 9:35…
We do this by reserving enough time to allow for the unforseen. This means most appointments are scheduled LONGER than needed, and we DON’T see more than one person at a time.
This DOES create a certain amount of responsiblility on our patients. If we reserved time at 9:30, that doesn’t mean come at 9:45 or 10:00. If you come late, we may need to reschedule and charge a no show fee, or we don’t get as much done as planned. We DON’T go long and affect the person at 10:30, since THEY deserve our time as reserved. We respect YOUR time, so you need to respect OURS.
If you are looking for an office that runs on time and often is done earlier than planned, call 206-241-5533 and see what we can do for YOU…!
When New Orleans Saints cornerback Tracy Porter intercepted Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLIV, you probably didn’t think his mouthguard played much of a role in that game-changing play, much less a major role, did you? Neither did we and, apparently, we were ill-informed.
The Super Bowl hero came to Bristol to educate us on the almost-impossible-to-believe benefits of PPM mouthguards and how they elevate your game to a championship level. According to their website, PPM mouthguards are designed to help “properly align and relax muscles in the face,” which in turn results in improved balance, speed (!) and strength (!!) on the playing field. We know what you’re thinking and, believe us, we felt the same way … until we had the chance to witness the awesome power of this majestic mouthpiece for ourselves.
ESPN Senior Correspondent for Physio-Dental Coordination, Steve Braband, caught up with Tracy and had a chance to borrow his performance-enhancing mouthguard for the day. The results speak for themselves …
Since the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl, there has been a lot of attention to what many Saints players have been wearing, the PPM (now called the Makkar Advantage). Some athletes have opted for a device pushed by UA with similar goals.
But what is the difference?
Both are designed to improve athletic performance, both with balance, range of motion and increase in force generation (bigger bench or longer drives off of the tee).
While I think it is great that UA is trying and agree with much of the research, consider this:
PPM is as thick as your body says it should be, while the UA device is uniformly 2-3mm thick
PPM has specific placement for the teeth, while UA has a smooth surface (no real “home” for the bite)
PPM can reposition the bite more forward for optimum balance, while UA allows the jaw to move around freely
Sophisticated equipment is used for the elite PPM bite, while UA is created arbitrarily
It all comes down to performance. If one device works better for you, then THAT is what you should wear. There is no right answer, so find out for yourself what works best. Dr Timmerman can help.
Dr Timmerman is asked often to simply do 6 anterior veneers, or do a little at a time (2 this year, 2 next year, etc). Depending on the goal, this is usually NOT a good idea. After hundreds of smiles, there has NEVER been a case where a person only shows 6 teeth. When doing veneers, people usually want a whiter smile. As shown in the photo, this is a bad idea.
Porcelain veneers are hand crafted, custom made restorations unique to each case. Even if the same lab is told to create the veneers from the same material, the shades will not match if done “a little at a time”. This is similar to buying carpet for a small area years after the initial install. While the brand is the same, it won’t match. Bolts of fabric are the same. If close counts or is “good enough” then sequenced treatment would work, but most people want the best result for this level of investment.
Experienced dentists that do a lot of cosmetics know that 6 is the magic number. The number NOT to do. Dentists that say otherwise are revealing that they don’t do smile makeovers very often or have no training in veneers.
It all comes down to goals. If you are trying to make your smile the best, then doing 6 and doing a few at a time will NOT do the trick.
If you would like to know what can be done for YOUR smile, call 206-241-5533!
Many people have seen the marketing efforts of companies that make “No Prep” porcelain veneers, or in many cases minimal prep. These CAN be done very well and look nice, but many clinicians use this material or technique in ways that it was not designed.
When choosing a dentist, be sure to ask for examples of THEIR work and not that of the company. All too often, Dr Timmerman is replacing OTHER dentists attempts at a cosmetic upgrade.
Be sure THIS doesn’t happen to you!
Call 206-241-5533 to see what can be done for YOU!
For those keeping score, Dr Timmerman is heading back to Belgium this week. After having restored the smile of Mrs Globe Begium 2008, Ms Seka Dobric, Dr Timmerman was asked to share his talents to the people of Belgium. To achieve this, he has been asked to take several exams to show his abilities.
It appears, at least to a certain degree, somewhat political. Although the universities in Ghent and Leuven have endorsed his skills, the government may not.
No matter what the final score ends up, Dr Timmerman has enjoyed the experience of meeting new people and cultures.
Mrs Belgium Globe Seka Dobric After Seattle Cosmetic Dentist Lance Timmerman restored her smile
