MEDICAL NEWS
Dr. Lee R. Jones will oversee the expansion of Carilion's dental services in Roanoke.
Carilion Expands Dental Services By Loren M. Blinde Your mouth is a key part of your overall health. Tooth and gum problems serve as an “early warning system” for serious conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even osteoporosis. In addition, some medical conditions can increase the risk of dental problems.
Over one-third of the region’s residents receive no dental care, according to community surveys about health needs. To meet the need for affordable dental care, Carilion is expanding dental services for adults and children. EXPANDED ACCESS
Carilion Clinic Dental Care, on South Jefferson St. in Roanoke, provides dental care for people with complex medical conditions, such as heart problems, cancer, and bleeding disorders. The dentists and dental professionals also serve individuals with physical or developmental
disabilities. The team sees patients in an office equipped with on-site procedural sedation. Patients who need general anesthesia can go next door to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Carilion Clinic Dental Care – Pediatrics, located at Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital, provides comprehensive dental care, including orthodontics, to children from birth to age 21. “Although it is open to any child, the practice fills an important role in providing access for the region’s uninsured and underinsured children,” says Lee R. Jones, D.M.D., chief of Carilion Clinic Dental Care. The expansion will add five treatment rooms, giving the dental office a third more treatment space and the pediatric clinic even more. The expansion will be completed in February. “In our health assessments, we know that more dental awareness and services
are needed in our most vulnerable communities,” says Shirley Holland, Carilion vice president of community outreach. “The expansion of our services will help address this.” TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION
Carilion’s dental residency program, established in 2013 to train the next generation of hospital dentists, will expand to four residents in July. The residency program received a five-year, $2.4 million federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration. “We are using those funds to support our expansion and acquire state-of -theart technology, including a cone beam CT for implant case planning and a system for fabricating one-appointment crowns,” Dr. Jones says. To learn more about Carilion Clinic Dental Care, visit CarilionClinic.org/dentistry. CarilionClinic.org | SPRING 2016 5