Dr. Seymour, Dr. White and Kim returned to Leroy Elementary for the third year.  Unfortunately, we forgot the camera, so we don't have to neat pictures that we normally have.  However, it was once again a huge success.  More kids were able to get visual exams than any other year.  And as always, they were thrilled with their goodie bags.  

From September 30th to October 4, Drs. Seymour and White attended multiple continuing education courses to bring even better quality care to their patients.  They learned about new technologies that they are looking to bring to the office and had some eye opening facts brought to their attention.  For example, did you know that the fastest growing oral cancer population is found to be females ages 17-26 with no risk factors!!! 

Earlier this month, NQD received notice that the Kamphouse family was raising pigs for the fair and since everything seems to be better with bacon, NQD couldn't pass up the opportunity.  Great pig, Justin!  We look forward to more pigs in the future!

Tomorrow is Kid's Day at the Northern District Fair - sponsored by Northern Quality Dental.  The Midway opens at 2 p.m. and the Kid's Day Special is an armband for $8 - good from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. OR Ride All Day for $18.00.  Visit www.northerndistrictfair.org for more information.

Dr. Seymour, Dr. White and Kim Fulmerhouser visited the second grade classrooms at Leroy Elementary.  The kids all enjoyed the mini-movie featuring Geena the Giraffe about brushing, healthy snacks and cavities.  Dr. White discussed what dentists do to help keep teeth healthy, as well as the importance of visiting the dentist every 6 months.  For the students that brought in signed permission slips, Drs. Seymour and White performed visual oral exams to detect suspicious areas, large cavities and note the overall oral hygiene.    While the exams were being performed, Kim discussed proper brushing and flossing techniques.  Dr. White also brought in a "real tooth" with a "real cavity hole" in it that had been sterilized so the children could see first-hand what can happen if they don't brush and floss every day.  Most of the kids were excited to see the tooth - only a few thought it was too gross!  They closed the program by drawing names and awarding a boy and girl from each class a new power toothbrush!   In the end though, everyone was a winner and received a goody bag with toothbrush, floss aid and toothpaste. Hope everyone saw the great article in the Cadillac News on April 1st!
   

March is National Reading Month, which got started March 2nd with National Reading Day in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday.  To celebrate, Mrs. Melissa Scheible has "guest readers" come in to her classroom.  Last year, Dr. White read and dressed this kid's up like dentists, but since she was just there a few weeks ago for Kid's Dental Health Month, she decided to let the kids choose on of their favorites.  She read Princess Pigsty by Cornelia Funk, which is not only a real fun book, but also teaches some valuable lessons.

February is Kid's Dental Health Month.  Mrs. Melissa Scheible of St. Mary's School in Big Rapids asked Dr. White to do a presentation for her first grade class.  Dr. White dressed the kids up to be dentists for the day.  She also taught the kids how to brush, how often to brush, and the parts of the tooth.  She closed her presentation by reading a story about loose teeth for the children.  Mrs. Scheible captured some of the fun from the morning so you can enjoy below.    

While their husbands were away over Valentine's Day weekend, Dr. White and Michelle attended the Michigan Jaycee Year-End Convention that was held in Big Rapids.  They took a very exciting class from Erika Oliver, who discusses how to be optimisitic leaders.  You can learn more about her on her website at www.erikaoliver.com. 

To become better communicators, Michelle and Jennifer attended classes provided by the Cadillac Jaycees organization, which Michelle (Director of Newsletter), Jennifer (Treasurer) and Dr. Ben are all members.  As of now, Dr. White still belongs to the Big Rapids Jaycees and was recently voted the treasurer.  Michelle and Jennifer learned about their own personalities and how to better communicate with people that have differing personalities.

With the growing demand for implant, Northern Quality Dental has realized the benefits to offer grafting at the time of extraction to ensure predictable implant placement and restoration, and in the long term, more affordable for the patient.  You can learn more by visiting our services page.

If you are current patient, you have probably noticed the new technology in the rooms.  Every room now has a computer with Digital Radiography and Intral Oral Cameras.  We are very excited to offer these services to our patients so that you can better understand the treatment plans presented to you.  As an excellent bonus, with digital radiography, the radiation exposure is minimal compared to that of tradtional film, so it is safer for our patients.  Since the radiographs "develop" instantaneously, waiting for films is also eliminated.  The patients that have experienced this new technology have had nothing but great feedback for us.

NQD celebrates one year with Dr. Seymour.  It has been a great year, we have gained some new staff and getting to know the patients has made our first year a memorable one.  We look forward to many more!

NQD strives to use up to date techniques and technologies.  The entire staff spent the day in Traverse City learning about some new esthetic techniques and materials.  Dr. Ross Nash from the Nash Institute was the speaker.

Through out the month of October, the Big Rapids Jaycees presents the Haunted Jail sponsored by NQD on weekends in October.  Dr. White "performs" in this theatrical experience most nights.  Learn more at www.haunted-jail.com

NQD now offers CareCredit for our patients who find they need a little longer to pay for the quality treatment they need and deserve.  Most patients are very excited to learn about some of their interest free options as well.  

The new operatory is functioning and Dr. White is currently working most every Wednesday and Thursday.  Her schedule is filling up fast so don't hesitate to call if you would like to see a dentist soon.

Earlier in the month, Drs. Seymour and White were invited by the Kamphouse family to the Northern District Fair to see the animals they raised for 4-H.  They were so impressed with Megan's Reserve Champion Goat (Amus), they bid and won!  Well Done, Megan!  Justin's goat was also great, but unfortunately, one goat was plenty!

Though our office space is small, we are going to squeeze one more dentist in at NQD.  We would like to try to handle emergencies for our patients in a more timely manner than we currently do.  Dr. White currently practices in White Cloud, but we are breaking ground to "remodel" the middle operatory to accomodate Dr. White at least one day a week.

Many thanks to the great staff and kids that made NQD feel so welcome on a recent visit to LeRoy Elementary School! Dr. Seymour, Kim and Dr. White visited with the Preschool classes, read to them and talked about the importance of brushing and receiving dental care when the time is right. All the children were made "honorary dentists" for the day and were equipped with their very own masks and gloves, as well as being given a toothbrush, toothpaste and some floss. The kids seemed to have a good time and so did we. We took some pictures of the fun for everyone to enjoy below!  You can click on the thumbnails below to see a larger image.