F.A.Q.

A.- What must I do to get an appointment?

B.- What must I do if I make an appointment and may not be able to keep it?

C.- Which are the accepted forms of payments?

D.- Who are we and what do we do?

E.- Which is the vision of the clinic?

F.- What is the reason why the Clinic is so strict in keeping complaisance with all the norms
      established by the World Health Organization. specially the ones about the control
      of infecto-contagious diseases?

G.- What is orthodontics without brackets?

H.- What should I do to have whiter teeth?

A.- What must I do to get an appointment?
If it is your first appointment, you must call our clinic or E- mail us asking for an appointment, stating:
A.1.-Which of our services you are interested in.
A.2.-Name, sex and age of the patient.
A.3.-Address, home telephone, cellular and work number, E- mail, if any.
A.4.-Please. Indicate if you have more than one E-mail.
A.5.-Name and address of the company where the patient works or his representative. 
In the case of first appointments, a previous interview is required in which our specialists will ask diverse questions and respond to your questions to clear away any doubts that you may have regarding the treatment of your particular case.
In the case that you are employed or related to someone who is employed by a company that has an agreement with us, please, indicate so. The reason for this is to honor the treatment agreements of employees and their family members that exist between the affiliated companies and our Group of Associated Specialists. We greatly appreciate that you come to your appointment on time.

B.- What must I do if I make an appointment and may not be able to keep it?
In the case that you may not keep an appointment for any reason, we appreciate your notifying us at least 24 hours in advance by phone or E-mail. This will help us optimize our service to all our patients.

C.- Which are the accepted forms of payments?
The accepted forms of payments are:
C.1.- Cash or debit cards.
C.2.- Verifiable checks.
C.3.- Credit cards:  
C.4.- Self financing or through the banks with which we have financing plans.

D.- Who are we and what do we do?
Lemoine & Asociados is a clinic dedicated to the treatment of malocclusion which means “bad bite” due, for example, to crowded teeth, extra teeth, missing teeth or the jaw being out of alignment. Orthodontics is the name given to the specialty. The clinic has specialists in Oral Surgery, Endodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Oral Pathology, Periodontics and General Dentistry.
 

Who are we?

LEMOINE & Asociados is founded in 2001 when several Doctors, who have Graduate Degrees from Venezuelan Universities and other Universities from abroad, decided to come together and establish the clinic,(its founders have between the two of them more than 20 years of experience in the area of Orthodontics and Oral Surgery), with the intention to share knowledge and technology in order to satisfy public demand for oral hygiene. It is a clinic of simultaneous attention.
Your dental health and your smile are our priorities in an ethical and professional environment.

Our services focus on personalized attention of our patients while keeping our fees competitive.

We work in a comfortable, secure ambience with public parking facilities with security personnel in the same building which is conveniently located in the eastern part of the city allowing easy access from almost everywhere.

An active smile.

Of course, results of any treatment depend largely on the patient. At LEMOINE & Asociados we make sure that the patient plays an active role in obtaining optimal results by being informed of harmful habits.hygiene and the diverse braces that there are. There are no secrets, but constant communication that will make it possible for you to enjoy a healthy and enduring smile.

A smile that makes a difference.

Our personnel is willing to assist and collaborate with you in every step of the way. We dedicate ourselves to treat you in the best possible manner, thus creating an ideal environment for the treatment of the individual cases in order to reach our mutual objective..

E.- Which is the vision of the clinic?

We have become successful offering our services in Orthodontics, Oral Surgery, Prosthodontics and Aesthetic Dentistry, Endodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Oral Pathology, Periodontics and General Dentistry by the acceptance of a very demanding public. We have incurred in strategic alliances in order to cut costs and operate obtaining an acceptable margin of profit. Part of this organizational structure comes from outsourcing the services related to the treatment.

Comparative advantages of our Clinic:
E.1. Complaisance with all sanitary norms established by the World Health Organization WHO.
E.2. Excellent and accessible location.
E.3. Full- time professional care.
E.4. Comfortable and secure work place.
E.5. Twenty years of experience in our field of work
E.6. Use of state of the art technology.
E.7. Several financing options.
E.8. Personalized attention due to the training undergone by our auxiliary personnel.
E.9. Having all of the related services in the Clinic which keeps patients from having to go elsewhere for X-rays, photographical studies, etc.
E.10. English, French and Spanish spoken.

Our most sincere desire is to be able to establish serious and durable relationships with our patients and we would like to start by inviting you to visit the Clinic as well as our web-site www.misonrisa.com in order for you to be informed.

Sincerely,
Dr. Carlos Julio Lemoine
General Director

F.- What is the reason why our dental clinic follows sanitary norms specified in the WHO are enforced so strictly, specially the one about control of contagious diseases?.

From recent years to the present, patients and health professionals have insisted in the control of crossed infections caused by bacteria and viruses in Dental Practice. As a result, more emphasis has been placed on sterilization and disinfection as patients have become increasingly more demanding when it comes to prevention. A Dental Clinic is a place where there is a high probability of crossed infection and, if proper measures are not taken, infections may occur which may go from a simple one to that caused by HIV (Aids). There are microbes which are specifically relevant to the transmission of disease in the practice of Dental Care such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Bacterial infections are not transmitted easily; moreover, if they occur, they are relatively easy to treat. Viral infections are more delicate and must be treated as such; Aids, Herpes, Hepatitis are the most severe and are transmitted mainly by direct contact with blood. Measures must be taken according to the norms established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Council of Dental Therapy of the American Dental Association for disinfection and sterilization. These are physical processes to kill or prevent the propagation of germs. The process by which all microbes are eliminated is sterilization; disinfection, on the other hand, destroys almost all of the pathological forms of life that are deadly such as Aids, Herpes and Hepatitis.

It is vital that in a Dental Clinic extreme hygienic measures be taken to control infectious diseases. For this reason all physical means, which include heat, drying, filtering, radiation and disintegration of cells with ultrasonic waves, should be used. Because of the risks involved in acquiring contagious diseases such as Aids, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis, etc., a parallel system complementary to the mentioned sterilization should be implemented, which removes microscopic residual particles from instruments such as sediments, proteins and blood. The great majority of supplies in the Dental Clinics are disposable, a simple and efficient preventive measure, which generates a sense of safety in patients. The stock of disposable items includes gloves, syringe protectors, drills. lamps and units, saliva ejectors, needles, carpules, etc. which are essential items in the practice of Dental Care to exercise appropriate protection care toward our patients as well for ourselves.

G.- What is orthodontics without brackets?

Orthodontics like other sciences has advanced due to the relentless world-wide research done in order for the procedure to gain widespread acceptance, becoming more attractive and comfortable. Hence, addressing patients doubts and concerns.
Over the years different strategies have been developed for the orthodontic treatment, which range from series of bands to minute brackets adhered directly to the surface of the teeth. A final aesthetic touch was accomplished with the silicone and ceramic braces, which provide a more pleasant look to the orthodontic treatments. In spite of these newer aesthetic treatments, investigators continued to be intrigued with inventing a totally invisible system and it was at U.C.L.A. that Dr. Craven Kurz, prolific inventor, started using his new invisible braces or Lingual Orthodontics. This technique consists on placing all the orthodontic appliances in the inner side of the teeth, while the visible surface of the teeth remains free of orthodontic devices. The use of this alternative treatment is becoming widespread around the world even though certain considerations must be taken into account such as the selection of appropriate patients or that although the treatment appears to be uncomfortable, patients adapt quickly to it. Due to the variations of lingual anatomy of each individual, the brackets of the Lingual Orthodontic system must be custom- made in specialized labs. Brackets must be cemented through an indirect process due to the difficulty in accessing the inner side of the teeth. Even in the case of an extraction, total control of the aesthetic aspect is achieved. It is possible to keep the tooth to be extracted in place well into the advanced stages of the treatment so that when the removal is done, a provisional plastic tooth is placed until the space closes. In the past ten years there has been a certain degree of resistance from dentists due to the fact that the treatment is time- consuming. After this period of time, many cases have been treated successfully; in spite of this resistance, the lingual treatment today is an important part of modern orthodontics because of its innovation in aesthetics, comfort and the preservation of the tooth enamel. Some patients have no choice but to opt for Lingual Orthodontics due to the nature of their work.

H.- What should I do to have whiter teeth?

Some patients ask what can be done to make their teeth look whiter, but they reject having long and expensive invasive procedures. Over the years, the drinking of coffee, tea, juices or the use of tobacco may cause staining of the teeth, a common reason for patients to ask for an appointment.

How are stains removed?

It is possible through oxygenation of the enamel, just like using bleach in your laundry, to preserve its structure leaving it intact. Furthermore, it provides a conservative alternative procedure when compared to the use of prosthesis such as crowns. The procedure implies a complete check up of teeth and gums. Cavities are treated and teeth in bad condition are restored. In addition, the enamel that is to be bleached must be prepared by eliminating teeth calculus by doing a deep prophylaxis and by the application of fluorine. It is necessary to make a model impression to obtain a bleaching gel container that adapts comfortably to the patient which works while the patient sleeps. The Dentist will decide how many nights the procedure needs to be repeated for optimal results, ranging normally from 3 to 8 nights. Occasionally, additional time may be required for more intensive treatments. Finally, we would like to add that this is a safe procedure that can have a lasting effect as indicated by our own experience and research. The treatment could be lost if teeth are frequently exposed to dyeing substances such as tobacco, coffee, sodas, etc. In any case, teeth would be whiter than those not having gone through the treatment.
 

Teeth Whitening guide
• Follow doctors instructions carefully.
• Keep the bleaching kit in a cool place and away from sunlight.
• Keep the bleaching kit out of the reach of children.
• Use the adequate brushing technique before applying the treatment .
• Pour gel into the matrix as instructed.
• Apply treatment before going to bed.
• Remove excess of gel that comes out of the matrix.
• Keep the container in place all night.
• Apply the treatment during the recommended number of days.
• Do not drink coffee, tea or powdered tea; sodas such as Coca-Cola or Pepsi-Cola, ketchup, beets or the
   like.
• Do not smoke during the treatment period.
• Stop the treatment immediately if you notice any irritation or uncomfortable reaction and call your
  doctor.
• Attend your control check-ups.