From High
School to Hi Tech Dentistry Download Michelle Drappi's CerecDoctors.com article here
From the January 2012 issues of the Holmdel Journal (see page 28) and The Journal (see page 72).
Michelle Drappi, a 2011 graduate of the Ranney School, Tinton Falls, NJ, was recently honored with the publishing of her article describing her Capstone Project titled, “The Next Generation of CEREC Doctors,” in the 4th quarter 2011 edition of the Cerecdoctors.com, a National publication.
Michelle dedicated a year to the study of dental anatomy and physiology and ambitiously stepped it up a notch to include her interests in CEREC, (ceramic reconstruction), the innovative dental technology for tooth restoration, following the similar devotion of Dental Health Center of Holmdel’s (DHC) primary dentists, Dr. Laura Bridges and Rosanna Santini, Michelle’s mom and aunt respectively.
As Michelle states, “I have known since the age of seven that I want to become a dentist.”
Throughout
her lifetime, Michelle witnessed first-hand Drs. Bridges’ and Santini’s passion
for dentistry as they are lifetime 
students of their field, continuously honing
their expertise in utilizing the best state of the art technologies to
transform people’s lives.
In her article, Michelle describes her educational and clinical experiences learning about the CEREC utilizing CAD (computer aided design) technology. She focused on the use and benefits of CEREC and shadowed Dr. Bridges throughout the process of crafting and applying CEREC restorations. Michelle views CAD, a CEREC keystone, as the future of dentistry and states, “The dentists of tomorrow are born into this new age of technology; therefore it will be naturally much easier for them to grasp these new concepts.”
To read Michelle’s full article, please click here or download a pdf file of the magazine at http://www.cerecdoctors.com/magazine/issues.
Michelle is currently attending Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster PA where she is pursuing a science degree and says that she, like her mom, will “dedicate myself in pursuit of patient centered clinical excellence to improve and transform patients’ lives.”
Dr. Laura Bridges is a Mentor for CerecDoctors.com and a faculty club member of Spear, known as the most innovative education company in the world where she attends advanced dentistry courses six times a year. Although not readily available at many dental practices, DHC’s patients have benefited from its dentists technical expertise applying CEREC restorations since 2008.
DHC Feature Article in the September 2010 issues of the Colts Neck Journal, Holmdel Journal and The Journal (see page 60).
DENTAL
HEALTH CENTER OF HOLMDEL: WHERE TALENT AND TECHNOLOGY CREATE STUNNING SMILES
By
Tony Senk
Download a pdf file of this article
When patients at Dental Health Center of Holmdel talk about the care they receive and the professionalism they experience while having dental work done there, they often smile. Whether they’re smiling because they’re very happy with the work that was done or they are showing off their new attention-grabbing smile that Dr. Laura Bridges and her colleagues, Dr. Rosanna Santini, Dr. Vivian Graham and Dr. Norachai Phisuthikul have created is anybody’s guess. Regardless of why their patients smile so much, the doctors and staff are very happy -- and very confident that those smiles will remain, and that more of them are on the way!
Big bright smiles have been part of the landscape at DHC of Holmdel since Dr. Bridges started the practice back in 1990. Today, Doctors Bridges, Santini, Graham and Phisuthikul offer general dentistry services for adults and children and specialize in aesthetics and advanced restorative dentistry.
To effectively and efficiently complete their dentistry duties, the doctors use the latest state-of-the-art technology. That technology is peppered throughout the examining rooms, the x-ray rooms, and even in the welcoming lobby. Dentally-speaking, the place is a Disneyland-like “Tomorrowland” -- all aimed at helping DHC of Holmdel patients of today!
Clearly, skilled and experienced dentists practicing the latest dental science techniques, using state-of-the-art technology is a one-two punch that’s hard to beat.
Highlighting the technology wonderland that is the DHC of Holmdel dental office is the “CEREC” -- or “CEramic REConstruction” -- technology. CEREC is used to create tooth-like custom crowns, inlays, veneers, and more -- all completed in one patient visit, and all resulting in a natural tooth appearance. DHC of Holmdel is the only dental practice in the area to have this ultra-new technology!
Then there’s the “Picasso diode,” a soft tissue laser for dental and surgery procedures that is also used for tooth whitening. Use of the Picasso diode actually replaces cutting, so there is less trauma to the treated site, thus improving healing and promoting faster recovery time.
Using “digital panorex” technology, the dentists can take a panoramic view of a patient’s teeth and jaw on an x-ray using less radiation. This equipment can help detect problems such as impacted teeth, bone abnormalities, cysts, growths, infections, and fractures -- and all digital x-rays are available immediately and broadcast in the treatment room.
The “global surgical microscope” enables the dentists to see microscopic details that can improve their ability to deliver optimal dental treatment and allows them to minimize the size of the surgical site, thereby reducing patient discomfort and healing time.
The “KCP” -- or “kinetic cavity preparation” -- technology enables the dentists to treat tooth decay without drilling. A microscopically-fine powder is carried to the tooth by a stream of air, gently spraying away tooth decay like a miniature sandblaster.
Oral cancer screening is possible in less than three minutes with “VELScope,” a handheld device that allows dentists and hygienists to detect between normal and abnormal tissue, including pre-cancerous and cancerous growths, which may not be detected under typical white-light examinations.
DHC of Holmdel also offers “invisalign,” featuring removable clear plastic aligners, custom-made for a patient’s teeth, to promote teeth straightening -- with no bands, brackets, or wires!
And, at DHC of Holmdel, patients can even get a dental ID “toothprint” to safeguard their children. Like fingerprints, dental imprints are unique to every person, so bite impressions can serve as an accurate method of identification.
To top it off, there’s the state-of-the-art dental equipment sterilization, an extensive on-premises lab, the use of nitrous oxide to eliminate pain and stress during dental procedures, and televisions in each treatment room -- where the patient controls the remote!
“At Dental Health Center of Holmdel,” said Dr. Bridges, “our patients will always find a warm smile and a caring heart. Our office management team provides caring support to help our patients. That means everything from efficient and personalized appointment scheduling to handling patient questions and concerns with the utmost discretion.”
And staff members like it at DHC of Holmdel, too. A number of them have been there for nearly 20 years!
Like the staff, many patients have been coming to DHC of Holmdel for a long time – some of them representing several generations and many branches of their families, since they’re so happy to spread the good news about their treatment.
“In the end,” said Dr. Bridges, “I think we’ve been successful for so long because we always take into consideration the needs of each patient. We dedicate a great deal of time utilizing the tools we have to detect diseases and evaluate dental situations, and we listen closely to our patients to find out their concerns and priorities.”
Continual learning has always been a priority for Dr. Bridges. “Even today,” she said, “I’m still a student of dentistry. To be a better dentist, you need to be learning all the time.” At a very young age, she started to learn that she was going to grow up to be a dentist. She admitted, smiling, “I’ve always liked teeth!”
Dr. Bridges graduated from the Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Dentistry in 1987. Outside of dentistry, she most loves spending time with her children, Christian, 17, and Michelle, 16. She recently took up flying lessons, and gets a fair amount of exercise playing golf and tennis with her children, and walking with “Tiger,” her 10-year-old Maltese. Dr. Bridges is also a two-time participant in the New York City Marathon.
Hours at DHC of Holmdel are: Monday, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Tuesday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Wednesday, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; and Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to noon.
Dental Health Center of Holmdel is located in suite 200 of the International Suites Building at 146 Route 34 South, at the corner of Route 34 and Schanck Road. Their phone number is (732) 946-4244, and their website is www.dhcholmdel.com. DHC of Holmdel is also on Facebook.