A Letter to our Patients About Changes Due to COVID-19/Coronavirus

To our valued patients: 

In light of all of the recommendations from Governor Tony Evers and the American Dental Association, we will be cancelling all appointments for the month of April. Please note that any and all appointments, whether for a cleaning or with the doctor, scheduled between now and May 1st, will be cancelled.  This will be for yourself and any family members who might be scheduled during this time. 

At the current time, we are planning on re-opening on May 4th and hoping to see patients in a normal fashion once again. We will be starting to call back all patients who had an appointment scheduled during this time during the last week of April to get them rescheduled.

If you have a dental emergency or need to speak with a member of our staff, please call our office. Our staff will be in the office on Mondays or Wednesdays between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to take phone calls and return messages. There will also be an emergency number on our voicemail during times we are not here. In the case of a true dental emergency, please call this number. In some cases we may even ask you to email us a picture of your tooth or mouth. If you aren’t sure if you are suffering a true dental emergency, please click on the link above.

In the case of a dental emergency, we are still here for you and making sure that we see those of you who cannot wait. However all non-essential dental work will need to be rescheduled to after May 4th. We thank you for your understanding and patience at this time and we look forward to seeing you in May! Should there be additional changes in our schedule, or in how soon we can start seeing patients, we will definitely let you know.  In the meantime, stay home and stay healthy.

Be sure to follow us on facebook for up-to-date information and fun tips for keeping health at home! We wish you all health and safety during this time and we can’t wait to serve you all again.

With gratitude,

All of Us at Grand Avenue Dental Care

Is this a dental emergency? How do I know?

During this unprecedented time of 2020 there is a lot of uncertainty about many things. Due to the risk of transmitting and/or contracting COVID-19 or the coronavirus during dental treatment, we are only seeing essential or emergency dental patients at this time. This has raised the question: What is a dental emergency?

The American Dental Association has used information from several health organizations to create this flow chart to help us and our staff establish who we should treat as a dental emergency. We think that this is helpful to share with our patients so that we can ideally all be on the same page.

This flow chart is from the ADA and is recommended for dentists to use when screening patients who need to be seen.

So, with this information in mind, please know that if you have suffered a dental trauma- broken tooth, bleeding tissue, etc, or if you have a dental emergency, you should call us! We have staff here on Mondays and on Wednesdays (from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.) to answer calls and check messages. Dr. Clancy is also on call and we will make sure that those of you with dental emergencies will get the treatment you need, whether that is here in our office, or we need to refer you to a specialist.

If you have any questions, please let us know and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Sharing Smiles Day 2020!

This year we are proud to celebrate our 10th annual Sharing Smiles day! This event is one in which our entire staff volunteers to serve our local community members who are in need of dental work but cannot afford it at this time. And we look forward to it each year!

How can you get involved?

• Spread the word! If you know someone who is in need, tell them about the event. Offer to drive them, if needed.

• Make a donation to the Hartford Food Pantry! Bring in cash or canned donations during any business hour or on March 28th from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Practice Sharing Smiles with us!

We look forward to March 28th and thank you in advance for spreading the word. Remember - you do not need to be a Hartford resident to join us for this day!

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others. -Maya Angelou

I have a toothache! What now?

If you woke up this morning and realized that you are suffering from a toothache, you are not alone. If you woke up today and realized that your tooth still hurts, even after weeks of pain, you are not alone. If you woke up today frustrated with yourself that yet another day has come and gone and you still haven’t scheduled an appointment at the dentist, you are not alone.

Everyday we see patients, sometimes with terrible toothaches, who are coming to a dentist for the first time in years. Often times our patients are embarrassed or ashamed that they haven’t been to a dentist in some time, or they don’t like how their teeth look, or worse yet, they are in miserable pain. At first, a toothache can sound like a small, trivial thing, however a toothache should never be ignored or overlooked. It is almost always a sign of a problem that won’t go away on it’s own and it can truly affect our daily lives. Our teeth are a big part of our emotional responses, such as laughing and smiling, and they help us to talk and communicate with others. In addition, our teeth help us to eat, allowing us to fuel our bodies and nourish our daily lives. A toothache can really wreak havoc with all of this, leaving a person in rough shape!

Ideally, we like to avoid toothaches whenever possible. One way to strive for this is to see your dentist regularly, every 6 months. This allows for a regular ‘check-in’ to see how your at-home care is going, and see if there are any areas of concern. If there are, the idea behind the regular check-up is that we can treat any concerns before they become painful.

However, for many people going to the dentist on a regular basis was just not a developed habit. When a toothache happens to someone who doesn’t have a regular dentist, it can create unnecessary anxiety and more stress, on top of the pain. Don’t let this stress or anxiety hold you up! We encourage everyone to listen to their body and call a dentist at the first sign of pain, discomfort or swelling. Don’t wait!

At Grand Avenue Dental Care we never judge you on how long it has been since you’ve been to a dentist, or on how long you’ve been in pain. You are here now! Which means, that we can help you. Ultimately, we want all of our patients to avoid toothaches and be pain free as much as possible. However, when it does happen, we are here to help. Don’t let a toothache take over, whether you have a dentist or not, call today!

Sharing Smiles - Internationally!

Sharing Smiles is something that we take very seriously. We try to revisit this mission statement every time we make a decision, hire a new employee and serve our patients. In addition to making this a part of our daily culture here in the office, we try to take it outside of our physical doors and out into our community.

Doesn’t it sound nice to live in a world where everyone is practicing Sharing Smiles?! We think so!

For the last 15 years, Dr. Wilk has been participating in the Guatemala Medical Resources Partnership (GMRP) through the local Hartford Rotary Club. For the last 3 years, additional team members have accompanied Dr. Wilk to be a part of this moving mission trip. This year Laura, Holly P. and Dr. Wilk attended and helped see over 500 dental patients in the makeshift dental clinic in Oliveros, Guatemala. They were able to diagnose and treat dental issues, educate patients on at-home care and leave a lasting impression on the people in Oliveros and surrounding communities. They truly practiced Sharing Smiles every day and made a huge IMPACT!

We wanted to thank our teammates for taking our mission internationally, and share with you a little bit about their story and the story of the GMRP. If you are interested in learning more about GMRP, attending a mission trip or donating to the cause, please visit their website here.

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Medical Clinic set-up at school in Oliveros, Guatemala

Inside the dental clinic of the medical mission.

More pictures from the medical mission in Oliveros and Holly and Laura’s time in Antigua!