We hope that you’re having a great Memorial Day Weekend and enjoying more than just the mattress sales!
In this month’s newsletter, we’re leaning into “smile season” with many updates that we’re genuinely excited about: we’re officially back in the OR, we’re able to offer root canal and dental implant procedures in-house, and our new Share the Care referral program!
We’re also taking a moment to celebrate the people who keep everything running at the front desk. And because balance is everything, we’re including a fresh, feel-good recipe to round it all out.
In This Issue:
Smile Season is Here!
(Whitening Campaign extended!)
Spring weddings, school graduations, family reunions, and summer vacations are just around the corner. Some of life’s biggest moments, all captured in lots of photos.
It’s the time of year when your smile ends up front and center whether you planned for it or not. A little prep now can make a big difference in how confident you feel when that camera points at you.
Whitening is one of the quickest ways to brighten things up, especially when it’s done professionally so you can see results without the guesswork. Timing also matters: giving your teeth a little breathing room before your event helps minimize any sensitivity, and lets your smile settle into its best look.
Keeping up with routine care plays a big role as well. A checkup ahead of a busy season can help catch small issues before they turn into inconvenient ones. Staying consistent with brushing, flossing, and hydration helps keep everything looking and feeling fresh when you need it most.
If you’ve been thinking about whitening, we offer a couple of options depending on what you’re looking for. Zoom Whitening is great for more noticeable, same-day results, while Opalescence is a gentler approach that works well for more sensitive teeth.
We’re offering $75 off whitening booked through the middle of June, so if something’s coming up—or you just want to feel a little better every time you smile—it’s a pretty easy place to start.
Save the Teeth You Can–In Our Office!
We’re now able to offer two treatments in our office that we had to refer out – root canals and dental implants!
Root Canals
A root canal is needed when the inside of a tooth—called the pulp—becomes inflamed or infected. This can happen from deep decay, repeated dental work, a crack, a chip, or even trauma to the tooth (sometimes without any visible damage). When that infection is left untreated, it can lead to significant pain and even an abscess.
Treatment focuses on saving the tooth instead of extracting it. The inflamed or infected pulp is carefully removed, and the inside of the tooth is cleaned, disinfected, and sealed. Once treated, the tooth is restored so it can continue to function like normal.
Most people are surprised by how manageable the experience actually is. With modern techniques and anesthesia, it’s very similar to a routine filling—and often a huge relief if you’ve been dealing with discomfort.
One of the biggest benefits of root canal treatment is that it allows you to keep your natural tooth. That means maintaining normal chewing, preserving your bite, and avoiding the need for more extensive dental work. With proper care, a tooth that has had a root canal can last for many years—often a lifetime.
After many years’ hiatus, we’re delighted that we can again offer most root canal treatments right here in our office, without having to refer patients to specialists. The treatment is more convenient for you and seamless, from start to finish. No coordinating between multiple providers—just one team you already know and trust.
Extractions and Implants
While the goal is always to save your natural tooth whenever possible, there are situations where an extraction will be necessary. In the past, extracted teeth were replaced with dental bridges, but the ideal solution these days is a dental implant, which replaces a missing tooth with something that looks, feels, and functions very much like a natural one.
Now, when we extract a tooth, we can place a bone graft in the socket, which increases the odds that a dental implant will be successful.
Thus, we’re now able to complete implants, start to finish – extraction, bone graft, implant, implant crown – in our office, without the need to coordinate between multiple providers.
Which one is for you?
If something hasn’t been feeling quite right, it’s worth having it checked sooner rather than later. We’ll walk you through what’s going on and what your options look like, clearly, transparently, and without any surprises.
Caption: Dr. Ellen Hailemelecot (“Dr. H”) treating a patient in our office, assisted by Rodney
Did You Hear? We’re Back In The O.R.!
We’re officially back to treating patients in the operating room! Following Dr. Levy’s legacy of several decades, Dr. H, Annette, Kristy and the whole practice are delighted to be able to offer dental care in the O.R. again. Assistant Practice Manager Samantha worked hard on credentialing Dr. H at Maryland Sedation Dentistry (Pearfection), Frederick Memorial Hospital, and Meritus Medical Center.
Dr. Hailemelecot’s first day at Maryland Sedation Dentistry was a complete success. Soon we’ll be able to treat patients at FHH and MMC as we did last year.
Dentistry under general anesthesia is often associated with patients with special needs, but it’s not limited to that. For patients with dental anxiety, it can completely change the experience by making care feel manageable instead of overwhelming. It’s also a great option for those who would prefer to complete a larger treatment plan all at once.
Being able to bring patients to an OR means we can offer more flexible and supportive care, based on what each patient actually needs and not just what fits into a standard appointment.
If this is something you’ve been waiting for, or something you’ve been curious about, we’re always happy to talk it through and determine if it’s the right fit for you.
Booking is About to Get Easier
Summer has a funny way of sneaking up—and suddenly everyone’s trying to book their cleaning at once.
If your dental visit has been sitting on your mental to-do list, this is your nudge. Our hygiene schedule is already filling up, with many days fully booked and limited availability as we head into the busy summer months. The best appointment times tend to disappear first.
The good news? In a couple of months we’ll be launching a real-time online scheduling option with Dental Intel. That means you’ll be able to see our actual availability and book instantly—no more guessing on dates that are already taken or waiting for a callback.
In the meantime, give us a call or request an appointment to grab one of the remaining spots while you still can.
Celebrating Our Front Desk Team
On May 13 we celebrated National Receptionist Day (and made sure to give our front desk team a well-deserved shoutout on social media), but it felt right to recognize them here too.
Our front desk team does so much more than answer phones and check people in. They’re the calm in the chaos, the friendly voice on the other end of the line, and the reason why so many patients feel at ease before they even make it back to a chair.
They juggle schedules, solve problems on the fly, answer a million questions, and still manage to make everyone feel welcome the moment they walk in.
Oscar and Dani, dental assistants by training, are the ones to make sure that our patients clearly understand why the treatment our doctors recommended is necessary, what it entails, and what it will cost. If you need to schedule treatment that our doctors recommended awhile ago, please ask for Oscar, our treatment plan coordinator.
Chelsea is usually the one to greet our patients upon arrival, answer our emails, and serve as the communication hub. And Abbey, our front desk lead, is the friendly face who has established special connections over the years with many of our patients.
If you’ve ever been greeted with a smile, helped through a scheduling puzzle, or were reassured when things felt a little overwhelming, you’ve experienced the impact they have every single day.
Share the Care You Trust
The best compliment we can receive? When you refer someone to our practice.
We’re excited to introduce our Share the Care program—a simple way to thank you for sharing your experience with the people you care about.
Here’s how it works: when you refer a friend or family member to our office and they come in for a visit, you receive a thank-you—and they do too.
You’ll receive:
- Refer a family member – $5 gift card
- Refer a friend – $10 gift card
- Refer an implant case – $15 gift card
Gift cards are available for Amazon, Walmart, Target, Dunkin’, Starbucks, and Dollar Tree, so you can pick something you’ll actually use.
They’ll receive:
A $35 credit toward any visit
There’s no limit to how many people you can refer. So, if you’ve been telling friends “you have to go there,” now there’s a little extra reason to share!
Recipe of the Month: Roasted Peanut Kale Crunch Salad
Source: https://pinchofyum.com/roasted-peanut-kale-crunch-salad
This salad is so good! Crunchy kale and cabbage, fresh herbs and fresno peppers, chopped peanuts, and a perfect roasted peanut vinaigrette that tucks into all the salad nooks and crannies.
Ingredients
Kale Crunch Salad:
- 4 large stalks kale, stems removed
- half a head of green cabbage
- 2 small fresno peppers, sliced
- 1 cup peanuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
Roasted Peanut Vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup roasted peanut oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (more to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the Roasted Peanut Vinaigrette: Blend all ingredients in a small blender or food processor until smooth. (This is mostly to incorporate the garlic, so if you’d rather, you can grate the garlic into the jar with the other ingredients and shake thoroughly to combine.)
- Prep the Salad: Chop your herbs, peanuts, and fresno peppers.
- Chop the Kale and Cabbage: Using a food processor, pulse the kale and cabbage in batches until it is very finely chopped, stopping before the greens get too mushy. If they release too much water, just give them a gentle squeeze with a paper towel. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Mix and Serve: Toss your kale and cabbage with some of the dressing; massage it together with your hands for a minute to make sure the kale is tender! Add peanuts, peppers, and the rest of the dressing. YUM!