Meet The New Lenox Dentistry Putting A Smile On Families’ Faces

Nelson Ridge Family Dental is the new face of dentistry. Nestled within a spa-like atmosphere in New Lenox, the family dentistry offers a wide range of services — from computer-guided implant placement to advanced oral cancer screenings — and state-of-the-art technology.

The latter includes the CEREC, which allows the practice to scan a tooth and digitally design and deliver a crown in as little as an hour. Dr. Paul Etchison, a Lockport native who is the captain of his own proverbial ship, discusses the Nelson Ridge Family Dental difference.

Patch: Tell us about your background and experience. How did you come to work in the dentistry field?

Etchison: I am originally from Lockport and graduated dental school almost ten years ago now. I was always interested in dentistry and really loved building things with my hands, so it was a great fit for me. If you ask my wife, it has become an obsession. I am so passionate about the field. I am constantly reading dental books, listening to dental podcasts and online lectures and traveling all over the nation learning from the best dentists in the country.

I want to change the way the public perceives the profession as I think dentists have done a real poor job in the past of putting their patients’ feelings and anxieties first. I just recently finished a 250-page book on dental practice management that highlights what we do at the office. My hope is that, one day, patients will no longer tell me how much they hate going to the dentist. My book should be published by late spring or early summer this year.

Patch: How does Nelson Ridge Family Dental maintain a competitive edge amid other area practices?

Etchison: We maintain our competitive edge by providing the most pleasant and genuine dental experience possible. We try extremely hard to make the dental visit the best it can be. Customer service is our biggest priority. We are open early at 7 a.m. and late until 8 p.m., four nights a week, so that our patients do not need to take off work to see us. We also have the most state-of-the-art technology available in dentistry. This allows us to diagnose better and perform procedures more efficiently and with greater clinical accuracy than in the past.

Patch: Tell us about the Nelson Ridge Family Dental team.

Etchison: I can honestly say that I have been more than blessed by having the greatest group of people to work with. My entire team believes in the vision of the practice and taking great care of people while enjoying it, too!

I hope that, every time a new patient steps foot in our practice, they can tell that something is different about it. I take great pride in the fact that, in our five years of being open, we have maintained the same staff. We all work together well and treat each other like family. I am so thankful to have everyone who is on my team.

Patch: Nelson Ridge Family Dental prides itself as a private practice that is accessible to all patients. How do you accomplish this?

Etchison: We are in network for most major PPO insurances. We file all the insurance claims for you so you don’t have to. We try to provide a single dental home by doing most specialist procedures in house and have the most accessible hours in the area. Even for the insurance plans we are not in network with, we still work with them and take care of all of the insurance filings for our many patients who see us as an out-of-network provider.

Patch: Explain the practice’s Gold Standards of Excellence.

Etchison: Our gold standards are a summary of the vision in which guides our day to day practice. Essentially, it says we are going to use the latest technology, the best materials and provide the best dentistry possible while delivering it in a manner that makes the patient feel good, respected and — most of all —valued.

We wouldn’t be able to provide what we provide on the same scale if it weren’t for all of our amazing patients. It also says that we are going to take care of your emergencies promptly and be available for you anytime. For example, Dr. Kathy and I provide our cell phone numbers to everyone so that we can address any dental issues that happen over the weekend or late night. The last part of our gold standards is that we guarantee the satisfaction of our patients. We stand behind everything we provide, and if there is ever a problem, we work hard to make it right for our patients.

Patch: Tell us about some of the services available through the practice.

Etchison: We provide all services that any bread-and-butter dental office would, but some of our highlights are digital x-rays, advanced oral cancer screenings using Velscope technology, same-day crowns utilizing digital impressions and CADCAM technology. We also use Botox, computer-guided implant placement using 3D Cone Beam x-rays and early childhood, adolescent and adult orthodontics as well as Invisalign. We perform many specialist procedures, such as root canals, difficult surgical extractions, dental implants and periodontal surgery.

Patch: Nelson Ridge Dental boasts use of state-of-the-art technology. Describe some of the equipment.

Etchison: Probably my favorite piece of equipment is our CEREC, a technology that allows us to scan a tooth and design and deliver a crown in one visit. We don’t have to use the “goop” to take the impression of the tooth anymore. After we scan and design the crown, we send it to our milling unit, which cuts the custom made crown out of a block of porcelain.

This avoids the patient having to have a temporary crown and return to the office a few weeks later. It really saves the patient a lot of time. For example, we can provide a molar root canal and crown in about a two to two-and-a-half-hour visit start to finish as opposed to one visit for the root canal, one for the temporary crown and then another for the final crown delivery. It’s just where dentistry is now, and I love that we can provide that experience and technology to our patients.

Patch: What are the benefits of owning your own dentistry practice?

Etchison: There are so many benefits to owning my own practice, primarily that it allows my vision of how dentistry should be become a reality. When I was early out of school, working as an associate in someone else’s practice, I constantly tried to implement things that would help us provide better services but was always frustrated that I was limited by the fact that I was not the boss. It’s great to be able to create a vision for how great a dental office can be and then implement those things to provide that.

We, as a team, are constantly having meetings and reevaluating what we do here so that we can improve and evolve as a practice. Another benefit is that it allows me to take time off whenever I want so that I can be the best husband to my wife and father to my two daughters.

Patch: How can Patch readers get in contact with you or otherwise learn more about Nelson Ridge Family Dental?

Etchison: If Patch readers want to learn more, they can go to www.NelsonRidge.com or call our our office at (815) 524-6000.

Photo credit: Nelson Ridge Family Dental