Florida. Health. Resource.

Phil Leeds

Phil Leeds says he was trying to run a lawn care business on two sore knees.

“It wasn’t going well,” remembers the 69-year-old. “I had sharp pains. Whether I was sitting or standing, either one, it was bad. I had to do something. I was at the point where I just couldn’t function right.”

When Phil mentioned his condition to his primary care practitioner, he was referred to
Mark J. Davis, MD, FAAOS, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with extensive, well-recognized, and prestigious additional fellowship training in knee and hip replacement from Anderson Clinic in Arlington, Virginia. Dr. Davis, who was one of the top ten busiest orthopedic surgeons in the country in 2008 for the Oxford procedure, has also been recognized by Gulfshore Life Magazineas one of the top orthopedic surgeons in southwest Florida. He frequently travels to major cities to participate as a surgeon trainer for the Oxford partial knee replacement, and recently served in Amsterdam as the course chairman for the European launch of the new patient-matched knee replacement system called Signature™ Total Knee by Biomet. Among the 250 surgeons from 19 different countries in attendance, he was the only American surgeon, and he is among only three physicians teaching the Signature procedure in the United States.

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Jerry Mena

Hernias can be simple or complex. There are many different types of hernias – including femoral and umbilical hernias – but by far the most common type is the inguinal, or groin, hernia.

A hernia is essentially a rupture or tear. Hernias typically occur in the abdominal wall cavity, but the areas near the natural openings in the groin (inguinal), below the groin (femoral) or through the navel (umbilical) are among the most common.

Another common type of hernia isincisional, which is to say the hernia is in an area where there has previously been a surgical incision. These types of hernias are fairly common among patients who have had a bowel resection or open gall bladder surgery, and women who have undergone total abdominal hysterectomy. This was the type of hernia from which Jerry suffered [see story below].

One thing is certain about hernias: they do not always resolve, even after a surgical procedure. Unfortunately, there are many hernia sufferers who have had surgery three or four times and are still not better. These people have recurrent hernias, since they occur over and over again.

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Robert Hammond

Robert Hammond says he was experiencing some pain along with a loose tooth.

“The first dentist I consulted gave me some bad news,” remembers the recently retired information technology professional. “He said I had periodontal disease.”

Periodontal disease is an infection of the gums and tissues that support the teeth.

“He said I would need periodontal surgery, but offered the option of a deep periodontal cleaning.

“I admit I wasn’t prepared for the oral surgery he described. While I concede I’m the biggest sissy you would ever meet in your life,” Robert acknowledges with a laugh, “the ramifications of manually cutting away all the bad gum tissue just sounded prehistoric; it didn’t sound right to me.”

Robert says he opted for the extraction of two of his teeth and the periodontal cleaning: “Although it did alleviate some of the infection, it did not resolve my condition. So, I sought out a second opinion, and that dentist more or less gave me the same advice: I needed gum surgery.

“Fortunately, shortly after that, I read an article in Florida Health Care News about Dr. Farag and a gentle laser procedure he performed for periodontal disease.”

Joseph H. Farag, DMD, has a comprehensive dental practice in Port Charlotte.

“I must tell you that once I read about the technique, I was astounded,” remembers Robert. “After doing some intensive research into it, I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Farag to discuss my findings and to learn more about him and who he was.

“I have to say he blew me away.  He answered every single question I had, and stimulated another dozen questions I didn’t even know I had until I spoke with him.”

Dr. Farag describes periodontal disease: “It can be both a chronic and an acute problem. This disease is an inflammatory process. At its initial stage, called gingivitis, it affects only the gums. Patients may experience some red, swollen, tender gums that appear puffy and bleed easily, or they may experience no warning signs at all.”

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Jack Weida

Up until the age of 74, Jack Weida never needed a major medical procedure, and he had only been in the hospital once in his life. Fortunately, when the time came for him to undergo surgery, state-of-the-art robotic technology made his experience so much easier than he would have expected.

The issue at the heart of Jack’s problem, knee pain, had been keeping him from walking properly. “I was doing a lot of limping,” he says, “and I was in quite a bit of pain.” And, after seeing his wife, Carol, come through two full knee replacement surgeries a few years earlier with excellent results, he knew just where to go and who to see for treatment.

“I knew that Dr. Constine was a good doctor since my wife had gone through her complete knee replacements so remarkably well. I felt comfortable with him, I liked him, and I knew he knew what he was doing.”

Complete trust

Ronald M. Constine, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon practicing with Advanced Orthopedic Center with offices in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. And, as Dr. Constine reports, after evaluating Jack, he knew immediately that he would be an excellent candidate for partial knee replacement using the robotic technology.

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Before

It’s not every doctor who gets an opportunity to experience the treatments or procedures that benefit his patients. But for Douglas H. Joyce, DO, FACOS, FACPh, founder of Joyce Vein & Aesthetic Institute, that just isn’t the case.

“We offer a variety of aesthetic treatments at JVAI,” notes Dr. Joyce. “We have had impressive results with hair removal and I began to consider trying this myself.”

The skilled surgeon has pioneered a noninvasive method of vein treatment, but he has also remained on the leading edge of medical aesthetic treatments.

“In 2004, we obtained a medical aesthetic system from a company called Syneron,” he explains. “This system provides a painless method for treating unwanted hair, as well as several other aesthetic treatments.”

Using a technology called elos™,the treatment is an effective way to remove unwanted body hair quickly and painlessly.

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Before

Traditionally, those in need of a crown could expect to visit the dentist twice: once to have impressions made and a temporary crown created and again to have the newly fabricated permanent crown placed.

CEREC 3D’s CAD/CAM dentistry eliminates many of the steps involved in making crowns, limiting the time needed to a single appointment for the patient.

One of the most notable features of the CEREC is that it is a very conservative restoration. Traditional restorations have to be cemented into place, which requires preparing the tooth to provide enough mechanical retention to hold it. Using the older method, dentists would have to grind away much of their patients’ healthy tooth structures. However, with CEREC, they are able to save a good portion of each tooth, and using high-tech adhesive dentistry, they can bond the all-porcelain crowns onto them, which saves a significant portion of good tooth structure.

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June Heileman

June Heileman has learned much since her husband Raymond’s battle with neurosarcoidosis began a few years ago.

Characterized by inflammation and abnormal tissue deposits that occur throughout the nervous system – including the brain and the spinal cord – neurosarcoidosis sometimes goes away on its own in four to six months; other times, it continues on and off for the duration of the patient’s life, possibly causing permanent disability. In Raymond’s case, the disease has debilitated him to the point of being a paraplegic.

As a result, one of Raymond’s most recent problems beyond his underlying illness was a serious bedsore that was categorized as a stage four, meaning it had reached the level of bone. “He’s doing okay now. The nurses were there to help and he has healed tremendously,” June shares.

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Tom and Julie Smith

Tom and Julie Smith, who recently moved to Florida from New Hampshire, were unhappy with the way their teeth looked, so they began to look for the best cosmetic dentist they could find. Julie contacted the office of Dr. Mike Barr in Palm Beach who referred them to Dr. Merrill Grant (see sidebar). Dr. Barr, a fellow member of the Florida Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, was very familiar with the quality of Dr. Grant’s cosmetic dental work and unhesitatingly recommended that Julie see Dr. Grant for her smile makeover.

“We checked out who was the best dentist around, and we heard of Dr. Grant so we decided to go talk to him.”

Tom says that his wife, Julie, went to see Dr. Grant first. The first thing Dr. Grant did was listen to Julie to find out what she wanted and how she wanted her teeth to look. They talked about the dental problems Julie was having and her concerns. “I like to get to know my patients and find out what they want,” says Dr. Grant.

After a thorough and meticulous examination and a review of digital photographs of Julie’s teeth, Dr. Grant studied her x-rays, photographs, and examination results to prepare for her consultation visit. At the consultation visit, Dr. Grant, Julie, and Tom determined what procedures would be performed to meet Julie’s needs and wants.

Before any treatment was begun, Dr. Grant worked with his porcelain artists to create a three-dimensional mock up of how Julie’s final work would look, complete to the last detail. Dr. Grant says, “Everyone is different, and everyone’s treatment must be tailored to their individual wants and needs. I have seen patients who had poorly planned treatment done elsewhere end up worse off than when they started.”

After Julie’s treatment, Tom says, “We were so happy with her results that I decided to have Dr. Grant fix my smile as well.”

“The first thing we did was get Tom’s teeth and gums healthy, then we did his smile makeover.” Dr. Grant adds, “Now, with proper home care and regular cleanings, he can have healthy teeth and gums and a beautiful smile for life.”

Many of Dr. Grant’s patients are confident referring their family and friends for care. Now Tom and Julie Smith know why! Graciously submitted by Julie Williams.

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Angela Clark

Life is so much better than it used to be for Angela Clark.

After struggling to deal with lower back problems, then developing both celiac disease (a digestive disorder characterized by an inability to absorb gluten) and thyroid disease, she finally acquired fibromyalgia as a result of her other conditions.

“I was almost bedridden for a year. I was losing my hair in clumps. Literally, the moment my eyes would open every morning, it felt like every muscle was in pain,” she shares. “I’d have my husband bring me hot packs for an hour, and then I’d kind of crawl around.”

The change came, Angela says, when she returned to the doctor who had originally helped her with her back problems, Jay E. Olsson, DO.

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Jeff Mahan

Jeff Mahan, DDS, recognized that he needed cosmetic dentistry, and it wasn’t just because he wanted a better smile.

“I’d had several crowns made about twenty years ago, and they were beginning to look a little old,” admits the long-time Florida resident. “They weren’t as translucent as the newer crowns can be and some of them were a little chipped. My front teeth were starting to look a little darker in color and had picked up some stains. Additionally, my bottom teeth were showing excessive wear on the edges.

“However, the real motivating issue was the spaces between my crowns. There was so much wear on the right side of my mouth in the posterior, and on the left side, that whenever I would eat anything fibrous, especially chicken or meat, it would pack up in the spaces between my teeth. As soon as I ate anything, I would have to rush off to floss. It was getting to be a real issue.”

Dr. Mahan says his profession as a dentist in Sarasota also impacted his decision to have a more attractive smile.

“When patients visit their dentists, they expect everyone in the office to have nice-looking teeth,” he observes. “Although my teeth looked socially acceptable, I knew they could look much better.”

Once Dr. Mahan made the decision to have new crowns placed, he says he knew just whom he wanted to consult. Clark F. Brown, Jr., DDS, is a comprehensively trained and experienced dentist who has practiced cosmetic, general, and implant dentistry in Melbourne for over thirty years.

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