Monthly Archives: January 2012

There are a lot of cosmetic dentists around Boston. And while they might all have a professional looking office and be confident in their own abilities, make sure you’re choosing your Boston dentist by factors that really matter.

1. What kind of specialized training does he have? A dentist may have attended the most expensive school in the country. All that means for sure is that he had to charge more to pay off student loans. Find out what procedures a dentist does better than anyone else? A dental implants Boston specialist may not be the best person to give you porcelaine veneers. Can he talk intelligently about all modern dental options? Have this interview before he ever puts his hands in your mouth.
2. Does she have experience doing the job right? It’s not enough to know a dentist has been doing a procedure for twenty years. The next question is how happy are her patients afterward? Look for reviews of every Boston dentist you’re considering. Does she have happy patient testimonials on her website? Will she give you references?
3. Does he look you in the eye as well as the mouth? A potential negative consequence of a cosmetic dentist specializing too narrowly is tunnel vision. He may forget the tooth he is filling is attached to your mouth. If your dentist declares what you need without spending any significant time looking in your mouth or talking with you, think twice before letting him drill. It says a lot about a person if he spends time to find out what you need and recommend someone else to do it.
4. Can you get all your work done under one roof? Although specialists are wonderful, there is great convenience in being able to have all your work done at the same practice. Dental history and insurance information are so much easier to handle if your dentists work in the same practice, so look for practices that have multiple specialties and dentists you like. It’s a tall order to find an office with top tier dental implants Boston specialists, general dental care specialists, and orthodontics all together, but it’s something to shoot for.

Dental Partners of Boston
Dr. Sergio Guzman
800 Boylston Street, 2nd Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02199
Phone: (617) 259-1100

Researchers in Utah have found a significant correlation between DUI Utah incidents and large sales at department stores throughout the state. But the nature of the relationship is unclear.

This study was conducted by comparing a twenty-year count of DUI arrests with a survey of dates of advertized storewide sales from various department stores. The study showed that DUI numbers increase during some of the biggest sales of the year. Utah DUI attorneys confirm this trend. When Kmart has an Independence Day celebration sale, DUIs spike. When Macy’s has a Halloween clearance, DUI incidents rise. When Target has a Christmas Eve blowout, DUI arrests skyrocket.

Many experts say the correlation is explained by the fact that drunken people are notoriously unskilled at browsing sale ads while driving. Most people are fairly good at multitasking when sober, but after a few drinks, the ability to multitask decreases significantly, scientists say.

Utah DUI attorneys suggest the reason is more likely Utah patrolmen, angry about having to work during these sales, are more likely to lash out and arrest innocent people out of spite.

Yet another explanation is that department store managers have gotten really good at anticipating surges in DUI Utah arrests. They then cut their prices to offset lost sales due to customers’ lawyer fees. Store managers have not been forthcoming about how they learn to predict DUI trends.

One thing is clear — this trend needs to be nipped in the bud. Besides the obvious inherent danger in impeded driving, DUI lawyers say they’re tired of being bothered while shopping. One solution may be to have designated readers to relate sale prices to drivers who have had a few drinks. Another idea is to have sale nights set aside especially for police officers. New Years Eve has been proposed as a time for this.

David Rosenbloom
7620 Royal Street Suite 202A
Park City, Utah 84060
Phone: 435-649-9300

Basement egress window wells are required safety features in all new homes built in the United States. But they can also be integral parts of your interior design. Here are some considerations when designing rooms around your egress windows.

Today’s building codes require that all basement rooms being used as bedrooms have windows large enough for a person to escape through in the event of a fire of other emergency. A window well for a basement room also needs to allow for easy exit. These requirements not only apply to new homes, but to any home where an existing room is converted into a bedroom.

Fortunately, there are great design possibilities with these building specifications. Larger windows allow more natural light, which can transform a dark and constricting basement room into a much more pleasant space. Lighter colored walls will reflect more of the natural sunlight around the room. Arrange furniture and decor to take the greatest advantage of this light for function as well as aesthetics. Place reading chairs and central art work where they will be bathed in light from the window.

The minimum size requirements for basement egress window wells can noticeably add to the perceived space in a room. For both safety and design, never allow clutter to block you window. Let the flow of the room extend easily into the well. Looking into a wall directly outside your window may not be quite as breathtaking as a beautiful sunset, but you can still make it pleasing to the eye. Pick out attractive stone or finish for your window well surfaces. Grow plants in the well that won’t hinder movement such as ivy or morning glory.

Far from being restricting, large egress windows and wells for your basement bedrooms can add a great deal of character and flexibility to your home. In fact, if you have the space, consider making both windows and wells as larger than required to maximize their effect.

Rockwell Window Wells
801-375-7400

Let’s be honest. If it’s your baby, everyone knows you think he or she is the most beautiful child ever born. So can we dispense with the same old cliché baby photography props and backdrops everyone uses to emphasize the kid’s cuteness?

I’m talking about the bug, angel, flower, old-fashion bonnet, and naked bum pictures that are standard fare for babies and only embarrass them when they’re old enough to know better. Putting a cute baby with other cute things doesn’t make your baby cuter, that’s what we call overkill. And if your baby isn’t that cute, no amount of hearts, flowers, or pixies on photography backdrop stands is going to change that.

If you want to emphasize your baby’s cute (or comical) factor, do it with irony. No one expects to see a newborn in black leather biker gear, or a cocktail dress and lipstick. The less likely you are to wear any of this stuff yourself, the cuter and more fun it will be.

The key is to play on your baby’s strengths. If he has thick hair, gel it up, slick it back, put him in a tux and a mustache, and give him a rose to chew on (dethorned, of course). If she’s totally bald put her in a princess dress and give her a long blond wig — not to wear but to play with. You’ve got the scandalous truth about Rapunzel.

If your baby is really fat, it wouldn’t be hard to turn him into Jabba the Hutt. Just make a tail out of fabric and find a Star Wars poster big enough to use on photography backdrop stands.

Good baby photography props make the baby picture. Use these tips to make your baby look cute in a fun and unique way that they will be proud to show their friends when they get older.

PepperLu
3822 West 1987 South
Salt Lake City, Utah 84104
(801) 785-9880

As a center for the original Orlando Solar Bears, I played hard and physical. And I had the scars and missing teeth to prove it. When I quit playing hockey, I didn’t want to constantly look like I just finished a brawl. So I decided it was time to see an Orlando cosmetic dentist.

You may think I’m exaggerating, but I had the kind of deformed smile dental Orlando specialists only expect to see at Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights. I had missing teeth and some chipped teeth that had, as a result, started to die. They were jagged, discolored, and misaligned.

I have to admit, I wasn’t looking forward to having anyone look into my mouth. That’s part of the reason I hadn’t gone for several years before. But I could get away with it when I was a hockey player. People expected me to have messed up teeth. Now I wanted to change my image, and if that meant going to the dentist, that’s what I’d do.

I’m not going to lie to you. It was a tough process. I needed a root canal, another tooth had to be pulled, and I got a couple of dental implants plus a bridge. The process was long and it wasn’t cheap. I think I put the kids of that Orlando cosmetic dentist through college.

But I can also say, now that it’s all done, it was totally worth it. My teeth look better now than they did before I chipped my first tooth. When it comes to my level of overhauled smile dental work, Orlando dentists are world class. Not many people have teeth as bad as a hockey player who didn’t take the best care of them. I think I am a bit of an expert on the matter.

Dr. Elena Puig
Dynamic Smile Design
1600 Hillcrest St
Orlando, FL 32803
PH: (407) 895-5600

You may think this is a terrible time to put your dental business on the market. But the economy hasn’t stopped everyone from getting cavities filled. Selling a dental practice in this economy doesn’t mean losing your retirement. You just need to make your clinic irresistible to buyers.
Here are some tips on how to sell a dental practice no matter what the economy is like.

• Offer a Fair Deal
  There’s a temptation in a slow economy to either cut your losses and take what you can get quickly or try to reinterpret the state of the economy for your buyers as evidence your practice is their only refuge. Don’t let the economy drive you to panic. Make your business something you’d want to buy, price it for what it’s worth, and radiate confidence. When it comes to business investment, most people know the economy will ebb and flow and they will get what they pay for.
• Build Up Your Customer Base
  You might be hoping to ease into retirement by slowly reducing your patient list. But this can also reduce the income you report as well as the earning potential you pass on to your successor. If you can stick it out for a while longer you can justify a significantly higher asking price. Use patient retention tactics that will be easy for someone else to continue, such as emailed teeth cleaning reminders. Make reciprocal referral alliances with noncompeting medical offices you can pass on.
• Prepare a Smooth Transition
  Buyers generally don’t want a fixer-upper business. If they think they’ll have to hike prices, revamp the charting system, and rebuild clientele off the bat, they may prefer to start from scratch. You can set your buyer up for patient retention by giving shining endorsements to current patients, take your name off the practice well before you list it so the new owner can maintain brand recognition. Coach your staff to be helpful and pleasant during the switch. Let buyers know you’re taking these steps when they first inquire. Depending on how much time you have, there are a lot of things you can do to prepare for selling a dental practice to make the transition go well.
• Wow Them with Financial Data
  There is a lot of information your buyer’s lender will want to see before approving a transaction, including tax returns, financial statements, current year-to-date production/collection reports, fee schedule, copy of your lease, staff roster with tenure, wage rate, benefits, etc. If you have this ready when you list, the negotiating will go much smoother. You can go a step further and add other documents such as current procedure mix, annual days worked, unpaid accounts receivable, financial policies, insurance payer detail, office hours, staff vacation time accrued, and details about contributions to your pension/profit sharing. Format this data like a corporate stock report, using graphs to highlight the most impressive numbers, and make it easy to read.
• Make Your Practice Look Nice
  Although decorating your office may not add much to the appraised value, it could change how your buyer feels about it and that could influence the selling price. So do some interior designing and landscaping. One of the most essential things you can learn about how to sell a dental practice, or anything else, is the importance of perceived value. If you’re business has a professional and inviting feel, a buyer may be less likely to question whether your practice is worth your asking price.

ADS Administrative Office
1621 Ivanhoe Street
Denver, CO 80220
888-ADS-4237

We’ve all noticed our gas and electricity bills creep up over the years. Unfortunately, we can count on this to continue. But with energy efficient Amsco windows, Utah weather extremes will be a lot less costly.

As demand for energy increases and resources become more strained, utility costs will only continue to rise. One option to deal with this is to find ways of providing our own energy. While Utah is rich natural resources, initial costs of implementing energy harvesting mechanisms are prohibitive for individuals. Another option would be to get by with less energy — use less electric light, drive less, find other ways of reacting to heat and cold besides adjusting the thermostat. These may be effective ideas to a point.

The third option is to find ways to waste less of our energy. I’m talking about the energy that simply escapes through our windows and doors. Inefficiency can soak up as much as 40 percent of energy costs for an average Utah household. Replacing drafty, inefficient windows in Utah is one of the best things we can do to reduce our energy costs.

Utah is a hard place for energy costs because we have both incomfortable cold during the winter and incomfortable heat during the summer. The propencity of weather to change frequently also puts a strain on our energy regulating systems. The new energy efficient Amsco windows Utah builders are now using create a much tighter barrier to maintain consistant temperature regardless of the weather.

Though there may be a significant initial investment to install replacement windows, Utah homeowners will notice much lower utility bills starting immediately. New windows in Utah generally pay for themselves in just a few years.

You may not be able to provide much of your own energy, reducing your consumption may be an option to reduce your energy costs. But above all, stop paying to pump it out your windows and doors.

Valley Glass
2660 S. Industrial Drive
Ogden, UT 84401
(801) 399-5625

I’m not usually into shopping for interior design projects. I generally let my wife take the lead on that. But when she showed me some of the granite and onyx countertop options she was looking at, I got kind of fascinated.

From a geological perspective it’s really interesting to look up close at a cross section of igneous or sedimentary stone. You can see millions of years of history in a slab of polished granite. Considering the natural forces it took to create that piece of stone make one feel small. And it’s equal amazing to me that we’ve been able find a way the turn it into a granite countertop.

After several hours of looking at pictures of stone slabs online, I took my wife to a Utah granite countertops dealer where we could look at their inventory and pick out our own slab. Every piece of granite, marble, and onyx was unique and beautiful. I was persuaded that we needed an onyx countertop when our salesman back lit one of the slabs and it gave the stone a pleasant warm glow. But since onyx is such a soft stone, it is much easier to damage and takes more effort to maintain. My wife overruled that idea.

That’s ok. There were lots of other great options. We were really tempted by the quartz stone countertops they showed us. This is a mixture of natural stone and resin that is very low maintenance and is very impact resistant. Visually, the countertop quartz slabs they showed us were beautiful. You wouldn’t guess it was a man made pattern if you didn’t know. They also had slate, soapstone, and travertine countertops.

In the end we settled on a nice slab of dark granite with a fine grain structure. Granite is low maintenance, much like the quartz stone countertops, and the all-natural million-year history thing was important to me.

Once we picked our slab, the stone dealer sent someone out to measure our counters. Then we used a computer program to map exactly what parts of our slab were to be used where. The whole process was fun and easy. When they came to install our granite countertop, they came early, tore out the old counters, and had the new ones finished in time to start making dinner. Getting stone countertops was the best idea I ever had.

Bedrock Quartz
5996 Dannon Way
West Jordan, UT 84081
Ph: (801) 282-3322