I am pleased to share with you that our office has completed our annual OSHA and Infection Control training.  You can be assured of our compliance with the newest 2003 CDC guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings.

For our guests and dental team, our office utilizes strict infection control and maintains a clean and friendly atmosphere.

How can we provide quality dental care, utilizing the finest materials and latest technology and still make it affordable to our patients? CareCredit is the answer! Offering 3, 6, and 12 month interest free financing, many of our patients are taking advantage of the flexible payments CareCredit allows. Please click the link below to apply today, or call me, Heather, for more information.

www.CareCredit.com

What does the FADG at the end of my name stand for?  FAGD is an acryonym for Fellowship of the Academy of General Dentistry.

What is the Academy of General Dentistry?  The Academy of General Dentistry or the AGD is a professional association for general dentists which I have been actively involved in for over 12 years.  It is the only organization exclusively dedicated to representing the interests and serving needs of general dentists, like myself.

Why is Fellowship important?  A Fellowship is important because dentist’s who have received their FAGD offer his or her patients cutting-edge care.  I completed over 500 hours of continuing education in various disciplines and then passed a rigorous examination.  It was not easy, but was worth it to assure my patients are getting the most exceptional care available.

How many dentists do this?  Only 7% of practicing dentists in the US and Canada have earned this honor.

How long does it take to earn an FAGD?  It varies based on personal availability to take the special courses and exam.  For me, it took 10 years to achieve Fellowship.

I received my Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry (FAGD) at the AGD’s 56th Annual Meeting and Exhibits in Orlando, FL on July 19, 2008. 

I was on of 212 general dentists who recieved the Fellowship Award in Orlando.  There are a total of 14,535 AGD Fellows throughout the US and Canada.

To learn more about the AGD this award, visit www.AGD.org

We are pleased to announce that along with Dr. Tracey Hughes, these colleagues have also been awarded a fellowship from the Academy of General Dentistry:

Bruce R. Clark, Fort Collins

Rhonda Krause, Loveland

Cliff E. Rogge, Longmont

James E. Parfitt, Castle Rock

Daniel J. Zeppelin, Aurora

Dr. Hughes and these dentists have separated themselves from all of their other colleagues by virtue of their commitment to better themselves through advanced continuing education.  These individuals are to be truly commended.

My Team and I are excited to share, we have just completed an exciting venture in advancing our education and skills at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI).  LVI is one of the premier postgraduate dental training centers in the U.S. 

Each year, a select number of dentists around the world, complete this arduous and prestigious training where they perfect the precision skills necessary to make naturally looking, healthy and enduring smiles, and to be called an LVI Dentist.

We had the pleasure of a wonderful patient of ours travelling to Las Vegas with us to transform her smile into what she’d always dreamed.  Sally was wishing for a more youthful, brighter smile and we were able to customize a natural, healthy smile for her in just 2 visits.  See the before and after pictures below of my work and as always, the fun we had…

Our LVI continuum journey continues one step closer to receiving my Fellowship with the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies with our 5th Core Cirriculum which is another patient experience in July/August. 

We are currently undergoing another screening process to find one of our wonderful patients who would qualify for custom designed ceramic restorations to create a healthy, functional, beautiful smile.  If you or someone you know are dreaming of a transformation such as Sally’s, please call our office to schedule a cosmetic consultation.  The patient who qualifies will receive roundtrip transportation and hotel accommodations to LasVegas as well as a 50% courtesy reduction in the overall treatment fees for a new smile.

Have a great day!

Smiles,

Tracey Hughes, DDS, FAGD

Our number one concern at our practice at Boulder Valley Dental is our patient’s safety and well being.  Medical emergencies can happen anywhere, including at the airport, at a grocery store, and at the dental office.  Our team is well trained to recognize medical emergencies early and manage them proficiently.  In addition to Dr. Tracey Hughes having current certification and proficiency in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), our team completes annual training in CPR certification with AED use as well as annual medical emergency training.

Our dental team completed an all day emergency preparedness training course on August 21, 2008 with the following cirriculum:
 Signs/Symptoms and Identification of the main components of a systems approach to medical/dental emergencies such as Cardiac Arrest, Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack), Angina (Chest Pain), Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke), Allergic Reaction and Anaphylaxis, Respiratory Distress, Bronchospasm, Laryngospasm, Syncope (Fainting), and Hypoglycemia. 
 Initiating communications with a 911 dispatcher
 Drafting a 911 script to minimize communication errors when calling EMS / Police /Fire for an office based emergency.
 Use of a Nasopharyngeal Airway, Oropharyngeal Airway, Bag Valve Mask, Esophageal/Tracheal combination tube (Combitube)

 Use of an AED during CPR
 Recognize the need and urgency for an intravenous line and prepare the
intravenous administration set and bag for the Dentist’s use.
 Be able to recognize the cardiac arrest drugs in the Dentists Crash Kit

In the unlikely event you or a family member experiences a medical emergency in our practice, you can be assured  Dr. Hughes’s dental team will manage it with confidence and in a manner we would treat our own family member.

Sincerely,

Tracey R. Hughes, DDS, FAGD