The many women, past and present, who have worked together with Jane over the years!

We danced the night away to "The Sundries"!

In a recent article in the Chronicle Herald, Dr Hennessy commented that barriers to care are concerning to the dental profession because oral health is absolutely linked to overall health. 

Dental fees are often seen by the public as one of the most significant barriers to accessing care.  Often our profession is blamed for "creating" a health care service that is inaccessible to the public.  However, it is important for patients and the public to understand that dental offices are heath care facilities that have no choice but to be operated as small businesses.

This means that unlike other areas of the health care system, ALL the costs of delivering dental services must be covered by the fees collected from the patients for those services. 
Despite what many people think, the money you pay for a filling or a cleaning is not going directly into the dentist's pocket!  It covers the many costs of running a dental office.

It is often difficult for patients/public to understand the costs of a dental clinic, because so many of these costs are not front and centre.  Of course there are the obvious things such as wages and employee benefits, rent, heat, and power.  But have you ever considered the costs of things such as the dental chairs you sit in (each the cost of a small car), the equipment used for your care, and the dental materials used everyday?  Dental offices are held to high standards of infection control, such that they are, in effect, "mini-hospitals".  The sterilization equipment and infection control processes alone are things that are often taken for granted, yet are a large cost to a dental practice.

I often think that if we were handed an invoice every time we visited our Medical Doctor or the Emergency Room, the public would have a much better handle on the high cost of the provision of health care!  It is an expensive undertaking, and indeed an important one that, as a society, I think we need to be more aware of.  So instead of taking aim at "dentists as bad guy", let's remember that dentists are health care providers, small business owners and employers. 

Are you a caring, energetic Registered Dental Hygienist?  If so, we'd love to meet you!  We are a busy, patient-centred dental practice located in the Annapolis Valley.  We are committed to providing our patients with the highest quality of care, in a kind and respectful manner, in our newly renovated office in the beautiful town of Wolfville, NS.

We are looking for a full time RDH to join our team to cover a maternity leave from June - October 2018.  We can be somewhat flexible with start dates, so 2018 grads should feel free to apply.  Monday-Friday full time hours.

Interested?  Send a resume/questions to us at:  drhennessy@ns.aliantzinc.ca

On a sunny Saturday, 28 October 2017, Wolfville Dentistry took part in the second "AVDS Cares/Henry Schein" dental day.  We were one of five Valley clinics  to take part in a group effort to provide pro bono dentistry services to patients who would not otherwise have been able to afford the care they required. This started as a pilot project at a single location and has grown significantly in only one year! (AVDS Cares Event 2016)

Working with community organizations (food banks, shelters, churches, schools), patients had a no-charge examination ahead of the event with where their various needs were assessed.  Patients were then provided with an appointment for a cleaning and/or treatment.   Volunteer dentists, dental assistants, hygienists, and technicians worked together to provide dental services, transportation, and childcare to make the opportunity as convenient for patients as possible.

We had a mighty group of 14 fantastic volunteers at our location, including 5 dentists, 3 dental assistants, 3 dental hygienists, Dr. Hennessy's son, Rory, and 2 technicians from Henry Schein (co-sponsor of the event).  

Between all 5 clinics involved, the event:

•had 52 volunteers
•saw 71 patients
•did 97 fillings,
•46 extractions,
•2 root canals, and
•48 cleanings
•totaling almost 33 thousand dollars of free dental care!

It was a wonderful event for everyone involved!  We are committed to this seeing this project grow and look forward to having more clinics, volunteers, and patients involved each year!

The Nova Scotia Dental Association launched a campaign this week create public awareness around the status of children's oral health in our province.  

Did you know that:
• 36% of Nova Scotia's kids have dental decay by the age of 6? 
• 28-31% of day-surgery operating room time in NS hospitals is being used for dental procedures? 
• dental decay is 5 times more common than childhood asthma?

Dental decay is a preventable childhood disease that causes undue pain and suffering in children of all ages.    It results in lost sleep, difficulty eating, and missed school time.  Our kids deserve better!

The dentists of Nova Scotia recognize that the province has limited tax dollars to spend on government programs.  That's exactly why we think that it is important to spend the money available for the Children's Oral Health Program, more  wisely.  We would like to see a restructured program that puts the emphasis on PREVENTION, so that we can start to make a dent in this childhood disease! 

Sign on to somethingtosmileabout.ca to pledge your support and help us do better for Nova Scotia's children!

Dr. Hennessy being interviewed by CBC TV  for a piece on the Children's Oral Health Program.

Dr. Erin Hennessy has been named the 127th President of the Nova Scotia Dental Association.  She has worked with the NSDA over the last 8 years as a volunteer on the Governing Council, various committees, and more recently on the NSDA Executive of Table Officers.  She looks forward to what the next year will bring and thanks her family and incredible team of women at the office for supporting her in this exciting role!

For the second year in a row, Wolfville Dentistry has been the recipient of the "Best Dressed Duck" award at the annual Apple Blossom Festival Rotary Corporate Duck Race!  This year's Festival theme was "Traditions" and our duck was dressed for the the local tradition of "Tubing down the Gaspereau River"!  She had a sun visor, a thirst-quenching beverage, and a bathing suit on!  Thanks to our own one-woman creative team, Debbie Usher for another award winning year!!!

After 10 long months of planning (and planning and planning), we're happy to announce that we are finally in our newly renovated location at 189 Dykeland St. in Wolfville!

We're having a party to celebrate this Wednesday, April 12 from 6:30 - 8:30pm.  You don't have to be a patient to come, so grab a friend and come for snacks, drinks, and even prizes! 

We are loving our new and efficient one-level layout, the fresh new colours, and the convenient location. Our patients are also loving the ample parking!  Click here for a before and after tour of the process!

A huge thanks goes out to our neighbours across the foyer at Wolfville Integrated Health Centre.  They were so patient with all our noise, dust, and chaos.  We look forward to a great synergistic relationship!

A project of this scope doesn't happen without an amazing team.  In addition to the incredible women I work with on a daily basis, I also had the following renovation team that patiently put up with my many questions.  These are the best of the best and I highly recommend them to anyone and everyone:

The entire team at Roscoe Construction - General Contractor
Heather Williams - Project Manager Extraordinaire, Roscoe
Mike Dexter - Superb Site Supervisor, Roscoe
Wayne and Gina Isnor - Safe Home Electric (902-681-4357)
Vaughan Gates - Vaughan Gates Plumbing and Heating
Johnny Foster and team - J.M Painting
Rob and Holly Trahan - Aura Custom Cabinet Design
Scott Crowell - LNC Computer Services (902-365-6565)
Doug Avery & Malcom MacNeil - Patterson Dental
Deborah Nicholson - Deborah Nicholson Interiors & Lighting
Michael Gabriel- Michael Gabriel Communications
Lynda MacDonald - Harvest Gallery

This week we welcomed the newest (and cutest) addition to our team!  Meet Bella, a Mini-Dachshund (seriously?) puppy belonging to Erin Wolfe, who our patients will know as "Erin-from-the-front-desk". 

Admittedly, I have become obsessed with this little package of cute...thinking perhaps she could be a therapy dog for our anxious patients...except I'd worry that we'd lose her amongst the dental instruments, she's so tiny!!!