Hi everyone,
I would like to announce the opening of my new dental hygiene practice, near Sihl City, in Zürich. It is called Dental Hygiene Praxis Zürich-Binz.

As an American dental hygienist, I have had the opportunity to live and work in five countries and to discover the big differences of dentistry in them. I realized the key determining factor to dental health is always the existence of professional dental hygiene. The countries, which have this concept in place, for all ages, have far fewer problems than the countries which do not. Additionally, I am a HUGE fan of active preventive and GENTLE care. With proper instruments and a light touch, dentistry should never hurt. For all these reasons and the passion I have for my work, I decided to open my own practice. (I love it!)

I have put a lot of energy into creating a spa-like atmosphere, allowing patients to lie back and relax. Bring your I-Pod and plug into the headphones, or listen to the sounds of nature, as you entrust your care to my hands. If you have a tendency to get cold, there are fluffy white blankets for your use, as well as towels, face and eye shields to keep your business clothes and face clean.

If you have children, please bring them along, as I am a big believer in pro-active trauma prevention. Children, who have the opportunity to observe the comfort of their parents in the dental chair, will welcome their own chance to be treated. I worked for a pediatric dentist in US, and take pleasure in their treatment. I figure it is easier to take time for small children, than to repair traumatized adults...

You will certainly like my intra-oral camera. You have never seen the inside of your mouth on this level, as it zooms into the smallest details and reproduces the images onto a monitor, just in front of the dental chair. It is my conviction, that patients are basically good people, whom we should respect and not scold. If they are involved and informed about the condition of their teeth and gingiva, they will respond.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this introduction.I am always happy to answer your dental questions, either on-line, off-line or in my office. Wish me luck, as my husband says I should be "Mother Theresa" and not a business woman. I hope to prove him wrong.
Susan

Susan Schlessinger
Dental Hygiene Praxis
Zürich-Binz
044 536 6019
www.healthysmile.ch (still in development)
info@healthysmile.ch

Hi and Good Luck to you!
Do you offer ultrasonic cleaning or do you use the classical method ?

Thanks

I wish you all the best for your business venture!

Maybe I missed that bit but do you work together with a dentist when you see there is a problem and could you recommend one who is specialised in treating people who, while not necessarily scared, still feel quite uncomfortable in the dentist chair?

One of my patients recently posted this on the Zimmerberg Yahoo Group. I think it pretty much summarzies the reasons to visit independent hygienists..sorry, if it is more than you wanted, but it was so well written...
Hello,
>
> I would like to assert that going to a hygienist that is not employed
> by your dentist is an excellent idea everyone should consider.
>
> I am not affiliated with the practice below, except that I once
> was a customer.
>
> I had personal experience whereby the independent hygienist below
> showed me on a huge closeup screen how a dentist recently put in an expensive
> crown that did not fit my tooth, leaving a ledge of the old root exposed which would
> have caused serious longterm damage, possibly losing the tooth. I was then
> able to get a refund for the shoddy work to pay for a new, properly fitted
> crown without delay or further damage to the root.
>
> If I had gone to the hygienist employed by the dentist at his
> office, I don’t know that the hygienist would have been as likely to
> point out the shoddy work of her employer.
>
> Also, I found that often dentists will quickly look in your
> mouth and tell you what work that could be done next and could be swayed by
> personal profit.
>
> So for example, they will see some fillings that will be the
> next needing replacing and tell you those should be done now, when in actuality
> they are simply the next to be done but are okay and the lifecycle of that
> filling can be safely extended. I once had a situation where I had to see
> four dentists in a row (because of the way I was moving around countries). Each
> dentist told me “this filling on the right side needs to be redone, but
> the rest are fine” … then the next dentist said “will this
> filling on the left side needs to be done but the rest are fine” and so
> on continually through all four. Each was simply doing the next that could theoretically
> be done and no dentists out of the four gave the same opinion, and each
> continued to find more work to be done even though each asserted that if I just
> did what they said then I would be done for now. These were all very
> reputable dentist, some well know who advertise to the English speaking
> community in Zurich.
>
> I found that an independent hygienist will give a honest thoughts
> on what kind of work a dentist has completed and an independent opinion of the
> general state of your mouth that is not in any way swayed by personal gain.
>
> I also found that a dentist only has about five minutes to look
> into your mouth, grunt a few things at you, answer a quick few questions and
> then will press on to try to do some work. They do not want to spend a huge
> amount of time with you answering questions about your mouth and usually try to
> move you along if you are “wasting” lots of time asking lots of
> questions. A dentist’s schedule does not have a lot of time for answering
> questions, they see doing work as more productive use of time then chatting
> with the patient and doing work on your mouth is more profitable than spending
> lots of time answering questions or explaining what is going on with your mouth.
>
> A personal hygienist typically allocates more time per patient
> on pure preventative dental health than a dentist who is keen to get on with
> actual work/replacements.
>
> So I found that the hygienist below gives you the explanation on
> your mouth that you should have at least once in your life. She has a huge
> screen which you can see and camera (which I’ve never seen in a dentists
> office), looks closely at your mouth, spends time with you, shows you where you
> have old dental work, where you have some staining, shows you which previous
> work was done well / with good materials and which you might want to take a
> look on, shows you were you might be grinding or not taking care in the best
> way, answers lots of questions about your specifics as you are both looking at
> the screen, etc
>
> Afterwards, you feel like you have a real understanding of what’s
> really going on in your mouth, you have an independent thorough thoughts on
> work done and she has spent lots of time answering questions and showing you in
> your personal situation what exactly is going on.
>
> So, I can wholeheartedly recommend Susan Schlessinger in
> particular, and going to an independent hygienist in general.
>
> Hope this is helpful,
>
> Marie
>
>

Hi, I use a variety of methods, including ultrasonic instruments. However, I like to adjust it to the needs of the patient. Some people are quite sensitive and prefer a traditional hand scale, although this is seldom the case, as I use only the finest tips and am quite picky about the technique (guaranteed...no pain..I promise) For polishing, I have a terrific instrument calledl AIR FLOW...which is basically a fine mist of water and polishing powder, to remove the stains, especially deep between the teeth. It is quite agreeable. Hope this answers your questions..k

Oh, about price...an adult session is between 140-160. Fortunately, as an independent, I must not adhere to the SSO tarif system. I spend far too much time, love to explain in detail and do a perfect job...I do not add to the rate, for each 5 minutes. I also have reduced prices for small children, teens and youths. It is important to me, for you to have a great value for your money....I know...strange concept, but I like to help people save their teeth...and their money....longterm! (mother theresa again)

Naturally, if I see a problem, I refer my patients to dentists. Sometimes, I even accompany them to their appointments, as i like to meet the dentist and to see what is being done. Recently, I found and sent a patient of mine to an endodontist (specialist in root canals), as I had found a fistula in his mouth,which is an exit for the infection through the bone. I went with him to check out this specialist, and now am sending more patients to him.

However, this is not to substitute for regular dental examinations. It is meant as a compimentary care, which is valued by some patients. If you are happy with the hygienist at your dentist's office, it may be more convenient to continue there.

PLEASE do ask if the person cleaning your teeth is a "DH" or a "PA". "PAs" are not qualified to clean below your gumline (are cheaper for dentist...) and will long term cost you...FYI...

Hi Kittster
Yes, I can nelp you find a gentle dentist....just let me know where you live...and what your dental needs might be...xx

you get my vote.

I was in the clinic last week and my fangs look and feel great.

no pain, no rushing and above all friendly, helpful and enjoyable experiance.

will be back to keep my fangs in good order that is for sure.

thanks
Pos

Can I just echo the positive feedback of the others on here who have visited Susan. I freak about being in the dentist / dental hygenists' chair but she was great. Her intra-oral camera was also real cool, although a harsh wake up call for me! But overall, she made me feel at ease and it was painless unlike all the horror stories I've heard on here.

Her practice is also conveniently located - Tram 5 or 13 to Laubegg. Highly recommended!

I was at the clinic a couple of weeks ago, couldn't have been more pleased with the experience.

My teeth look a hell of a lot better than they did before, and the couple of hours I spent in the clinic were very pleasant; good chat, and a feeling of being very at ease, Susan was very professional and knowledgable. Even got to hook up my iPod to the stereo to choose a good mouth-maintenance soundtrack.

Welcome and good luck!

I wish you all success!

Thanks everyone,
I am having a great time and the practice is going well. The English Forum, Yahoo Group and word of mouth are certainly the BEST advertisement possible! I appreciate your support.
Kindly,
Susan

Both my husband and I have gone to Susan in the past. She is very gentle and
after having some bad experiences in Germany with a dental hygenist in Germany who was very rough it was a great experience to go to Susan.
Glad to see you have opened up for business again !
Thanks for writing Susan about the opening, we will make an appointment soon

Laurie and Iain

I just got back from a visit with Susan, and I was very impressed by the quality of her work, in particular the special attention she gave to examining and explaining my particular tooth issues. Her cleaning method was effective and much less painful than I am used to, and it was enlightening to get a tour of the inside of my mouth on her video screen.

I wish I could put the pre and post photos of my gnashers on here. The difference is truly amazing, the treatment was utterly painless. Susan was extremely professional and nice to be around. Higly recommend!

any Idea about the cost of filling teeth

happy holidays Susan and family... you're the best!
See you in the new year.

regards
Pos, Wifee and (Ben the aussie also says you're the best)

Hi Susan
Is it easy to get to your praxis from Zurich HB and how long does it take with the tram? Also how long is an adult session?

Ta and seasons greetings!

Sorry guys for the delayed response!

The best story occured when a young American woman came in with a huge swollen cheek. We took a x-ray, did not see an obvious abcess, and sent her to the oral surgeon for further examination. He recommended a root canal (which we wanted to avoid for this beautiful young woman) and sent her back to us. So, at the end of our long day, we planned a root canal...but first...we invited her for take-away Vietnamese food....in our office. The whole episode ended at 11:00 pm with smiles and exhaustion! She is fine now.

Oh, the tram...from Enge takes about 5 minutes with Tram 5 to Laubegg, then 2-3 minute walk.

Hi Susan,

Do you do teeth whitening? Also, my son needs retainers, can you recommend someone?