The discussion over PPE costs within the dental industry is getting a lot of attention. Dentists and patients alike are expressing their opinions. WOOD TV 8 reporter Justin Kollar spoke with Dr. Riopelle about his decision not to charge Smile patients for PPE.
WOOD TV 8 | Justin Kollar
Smile One CEO Dr. Riopelle recently spoke with WZZM 13 reporter Catherine Behrendt to discuss new safety measures implemented at Smile One’s West Michigan affiliate practices. Smile Safety Assurance™ introduces new safety standards and exclusive UV-C pathogen control technology to create the safest dental practices in the country. Dr. Riopelle discuss the reasoning behind the changes and how patients are responding.
As the healthcare industry continues to adjust and reprioritize services, more and more hospitals are deciding to reduce or eliminate block time for dentistry. With fewer resources and growing demand, pediatric dentistry under general anesthesia is experiencing dangerously long wait times as high as 3 to 6 months. Daydreams Pediatric Center was created to meet this challenge. We’re committed to providing one of the best facilities in the country for pediatric outpatient dental care and are adding additional surgery days to increase capacity and keep patient wait times as low as 1 to 2 weeks.
The typical child that comes to Daydreams is between 3 to 9 years old and will have anywhere from 3 to 20 cavities. It is estimated that 25% of children have dental decay before they even enter kindergarten. Daydreams’ state-of-the-art facility and in-house pediatric team of dentists, anesthesiologists, nurses, and dental assistants allow for each case to be completed in 1 to 2 hours. For families with insurance, the cost is about $500. However most patients use Healthy Kids Dental, which covers 100% of the patient’s cost. By removing the barriers of accessibility and affordability, children are able to receive a second chance at a healthy mouth.
Hosted by Bill Neumann
Smile One Services may be a smaller DSO, with five Michigan locations, but they are the first dental practice in the country to introduce breakthrough UV-C pathogen control technology, working 24/7 to purify the air from harmful viruses, bacteria, and fungi. The UV technology also neutralizes contamination on heavily-used surfaces. In this podcast, this dentist-led DSO’s owner and CEO, Dr. Darren Riopelle, explains their Smile Safety Assurance program and why he considers his practices to be the ‘safest dental practices’ in the country. Watch their video at www.GroupDentistryNow.com under the podcast tab and then listen to this audio only podcast to learn more about their impressive safety protocols which make their patients and team feel safe. Our podcast series brings you dental support and emerging dental group practice analysis, conversation, trends, news and events. Listen to leaders in the DSO and emerging dental group space talk about their challenges, successes, and the future of group dentistry. The Group Dentistry Now Show: The Voice of the DSO Industry has listeners across the North & South America, Australia, Europe, and Asia. If you like our show, tell a friend or a colleague.
For more information about this podcast and a transcript, visit Group Dentistry Now.
As Michigan dentists prepare to reopen across the state, News 8 Reporter Justin Kollar recently visited Smile Cascade to speak with Dr. Darren Riopelle and pediatric dentist Dr. Cristian Brutten about exclusive new UV-C pathogen control technology. The new upgrades, which include air filtration and surface technology, have been introduced at all of Smile’s West Michigan locations as part of its new Smile Safety Assurance™.
Dentists go back to work Friday
Non-essential medical, dental and veterinary procedures are allowed to resume starting today.Dentists offices across the state are ready to accept patients, many have implemented a host of new safety procedures to keep patients and staff safe.Check out all that Smile Dental Partners have done to make the "new normal" safe and enjoyable.
Posted by Justin Kollar on Friday, 29 May 2020
GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (May 21, 2020) – UV Angel, a leader in pathogen control technology, today announced a partnership with Smile One Services, a West Michigan-based dental service organization (DSO), to bring UV Angel Air and UV Angel Adapt pathogen control products to all its affiliate dental practices, including adult, pediatric, and orthodontic office. Smile One Services created Smile Safety Assurance™, becoming the first DSO in the country to add UV-C pathogen control technology to its practices to help create safer and healthier environments.
With dentist offices considered high-risk environments during the current global pandemic, UV Angel’s technology will help make Smile One Services’ affiliate practices cleaner by using patented UV-C light treatment technology to automatically and continuously treat the air and surfaces for harmful viruses, bacteria and fungi.
“We believe rapid deployment of ultraviolet light technology in clinical environments like Smile Dental Partners is critical to help protect both patients and staff,” said Tom Byrne, CEO of UV Angel. “We know the technology is effective at neutralizing harmful pathogens in the environment. As a West Michigan-based company, we are proud to help with this fight right in our own backyard.”
All of Smile One Services’ affiliate practices will be equipped with UV Angel technology, including Daydreams Procedure Center in Grand Rapids and all four Smile Dental Partners in Grand Haven, Grand Rapids, Holland, and North Muskegon. The installation should be completed in four to six weeks. This effort is part of the organization’s new Smile Safety Assurance™ program which includes a thermal imaging AI temperature screening system and cloud-based monitoring and reporting of all practice pathogen control.
“We want our patients to feel comfortable when they walk through our doors,” said Darren Riopelle DDS, founder and CEO of Smile One Services. “We know there’s a lot of anxiety around COVID-19, and it’s important – especially in a health care setting – to provide as many layers of protection as we can for our patients and staff. We believe UV Angel’s technology is an excellent complement to our current cleaning and safety practices to help keep those who visit our practices safe.”
The Smile One Services locations will be equipped with two different types of technology: UV Angel Air and UV Angel Adapt.
With a modern integrated design, UV Angel Air combines standard in-ceiling lighting with a proprietary UV-C air treatment system. Air containing dental aerosols are pulled into the sealed UV-C chamber where it is treated with high-intensity UV-C light. The clean, treated air is then returned to the room, where employees and patients can breathe easier. By lowering the levels of harmful pathogens in the air and on surfaces, the risk of exposure is reduced.
UV Angel Adapt uses an intelligent, automated UV-C light treatment platform to continuously monitor and safely treat high-touch surfaces hundreds of times per day. UV Angel Adapt can be attached to keyboards, touch screens and a wide range of other frequently touched surfaces.
UV Angel products come with a robust data platform that provides users the ability to track key performance indicators, access invaluable data and make well-informed decisions about pathogen and infection control. For more information on UV Angel and its product, please visit uvangel.com.
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More About UV Angel
UV Angel is a pathogen control technology company that uses years of advanced research and development in ultraviolet light to help make the environments around us cleaner and safer by reducing harmful pathogens. Fully automated, patented and proven safe, the company’s UV-C technology monitors and cleans the surfaces we touch and the air we breathe. UV Angel’s technology is complemented by a proprietary data analytics platform that delivers critical insights and strategic advantages to leaders in healthcare, food service, corporate, education and many more industries. Learn more at uvangel.com
More About Smile One Services
Smile One Services is West Michigan’s only multi-specialty Dental Service Organization (DSO). Founded in 2018 by Dr. Darren Riopelle, Smile One Services supports both general and specialty dental practices throughout West Michigan, including Smile Dental Partners (a group of adult, pediatric, and orthodontic specialists) and Daydreams (Michigan’s first pediatric center for general anesthesia dentistry). Smile One’s in-house resource include a call center, insurance specialists, IT, business services, and cloud-based pathogen control monitoring. In 2020, Smile One created Smile Safety Assurance™, becoming the first DSO in the U.S. to add UV-C pathogen control technology to its practices. Learn more at SmileOneServices.com
Smile Dental Partners is excited to introduce our newest West Michigan practice. Smile South Holland (formerly Comfortable Dental Solutions) is located at 205 W. 29th Street and provides comprehensive family dental care.
Smile Dental Partners is West Michigan’s first and only multi-specialty dental practice. In addition to our new practice in South Holland, Smile has practices in Cascade, Grand Haven, and North Muskegon as well.
Dr. Stebbins—supported by Smile’s entire team of dentists—will care for existing patients as well as new patients. Smile looks forward to bringing our fresh and proactive approach to dental care to the Holland community.
We invite you to stop by and see our new home, or to call and schedule a visit. New patients welcome.
In 2018, Smile One Services acquired a new affiliate as part of the Smile Dental Partners group of practices. The practice was renamed Smile North Muskegon in July 2019 was moved up the street to a brand new facility at 1915 Holton Road. The new facility is larger and will allow the family practice to expand including pediatric dentistry (Little Smiles) and orthodontics (Smile Orthodontics).
Smile Dental Partners is West Michigan’s only multi-specialty practice with in-house specialists to care for the entire family from birth through adulthood. We are excited to now provide three convenient locations for this comprehensive dental care in the area.
Author: Valerie Lego
Published: 5:00 PM EDT May 3, 2019 — WZZM 13 On Your Side
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Tooth decay is becoming an epidemic among our children.
“The typical child that comes in to us between 3 to 8, 9 years old and they could have anywhere from 3 to 20 cavities,” said Dr. Darren Riopelle of Smile One who sees it first hand as a pediatric dentist. “It’s a disease. If it’s one tooth, it spreads to all the other teeth.”
Riopelle says about 25% of children have dental decay before they even enter kindergarten. “It’s not uncommon that the entire mouth needs to be restored.” And most of the time that would happen in the hospital at a cost of about $10,000 until now.
Dr. Riopelle and a group of pediatric dentists and anesthesiologists created Daydreams a surgical pediatric dental service located in Grand Rapids where kids can have dental work done painlessly under general anesthesia in a safe environment.
“[The] Average case takes about an hour [or] hour and a half. We can go pretty fast because they’re out and we’ve got trained pediadontists that can do this work. And after that they can go on to our post-op which takes about 15 to 20 minutes and then we bring the parent in and we take them back out,” explains Riopelle.
Daydreams can treat about 36 kids in a day. “We’ve made it very easy to get in here. Easy access and all of the treatment can get taken care of at once.”
Riopelle says they’ve also made it affordable.
“Most of the children that we see are on the state program called Healthy Kids and there is actually no charge to them. We have figured out if we remove the barriers and get the work don’t it really doesn’t cost them anything out of pocket.”
And for those with insurance that cost is about $500 dollars. “It’s taking the level of care that needs to be given to these kids that no one else can deliver.” Which Riopelle says helps to give kids a second chance at healthy mouth.
Smile One Services is proud to introduce the newest member of our affiliate network:
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On March 4, 2019, a new kind of healthcare resource opened its doors in Grand Rapids. Daydreams Pediatric Center is designed for children and dedicated to pediatric dental surgery. The first of its kind in West Michigan, Daydreams is an idea imagined and nurtured by founder Darren Riopelle, DDS.
As a practicing dentist for over past 20 years, Dr. Riopelle noticed a recurring challenge specific to pediatric dentistry. Due to limited resources and growing demand, the wait time for pediatric dental care often averages 1 to 3 months. For dental treatment that requires surgery, the wait time increases to an average of 3 to 6 months.
“The industry needed a new solution,” explains Dr. Riopelle. “We wanted to create something that would be a resource for everyone.”
In 2016, Dr. Riopelle reached out to Anesthesia Practice Consultants (apcpc.net) to explore a possible partnership. The result is a new children’s center dedicated to dental and oral surgery. Daydreams boasts a clinical team that includes operating room experienced pediatric dentists, MD anesthesiologists, licensed dental assistants, and pediatric nurses. The environment is state-of-the-art, equipped with multiple operating rooms and a family-friendly waiting room.
“The spaced was designed to provide a safe environment for surgery that is relaxed and trauma-free for children and their parents,” explains Becka Brooks, Daydreams’ Dental Assistant. “Everything about Daydreams was done with our young patients’ comfort in mind.”
But possibly the most notable accomplishment of Daydreams is its ability to see patients within just 1 to 3 weeks. Parents are able to contact Daydreams directly to inquire about treatment for their child, or pediatric patients may be referred to Daydreams by other healthcare providers. Before treatment, children receive a pre-operative exam to determine if they are candidates for anesthesia. After treatment, documentation is sent to the referring office for the patient’s medical records.
“We want this to be a resource for the healthcare industry,” explains Lindsay Robbins, Daydreams’ Surgical Coordinator. “Dentists, pediatricians, and other healthcare providers can refer there patients to us knowing that they are in expert hands. We work hard to make the process easy and collaborative.”
An open house is being planned for late Spring where the healthcare community will be able to tour the facility and meet the team. Daydreams is open Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
