Dr. Stuart Rubin says he always knew he wanted to help people and be a dentist, but it wasn't until he’d practiced in a conventional office for over 15 years that he knew just how he wanted to serve the community.
"Years ago, my father-in-law had a stroke that left him incapacitated and I saw firsthand what it was like for him and how difficult it was for the family to find help for him," said Rubin, a Holmdel resident. "When people become ill, their oral health deteriorates and can begin a downward spiral in their overall health. With the population living longer, we started seeing the need for mobile dental services.”
From his Maplewood-based office, Rubin said that he first began offering this service on Wednesdays nearly 20 years ago, "but it exploded based on the incredible need."
Since launching Dental Home Services in the late 1990s, Rubin, his daughter Lindsay (a fellow dentist and partner in the practice who also trains other dentists in home care dentistry), and their team of associate dentists "visit private homes and over 120 assisted living facilities throughout New Jersey, from Atlantic City north through the rest of the state and into New York, with each of us seeing an average of six patients a day," he said.
While each member of the practice travels an estimated 30,000 miles a year, "we put a lot of time and effort into planning our routes so that we can spend as much time as possible caring for our patients."
Using technology
Offering treatment for everything from emergencies involving infections, broken teeth and denture problems to such standard procedures as X-rays, fillings, cleanings, crowns and bridgework, "We strive to respond quickly to emergency calls for a population in wheelchairs, hospital beds, and who otherwise have difficulty getting out," said Rubin, who's affectionately known as "Dr. Stu" to his patients.
"Happily, technology has really enabled us to do everything that can be done in a traditional office," Rubin said. "For instance, we used to have to lug suitcases with us to run a drill, but now we use an electric-powered drill that can be held in one hand, and our huge traveling X-ray machine has since been replaced by a hand-held model that looks like a hair dryer on steroids and produces images that feed into a digital sensor attached to a laptop computer. Overall, we're always striving to find the latest technology or developing techniques that can help make things easier for patients."
Typically referred by visiting nurses or visiting physicians and traveling in SUVs outfitted with boxes containing all of the tools needed for each procedure being performed, "we find out the patient's issue before we go and then simply bring in the appropriate box with us," he said.
For Ann Fallon, 70, a resident at Sunrise Assisted Living in the Lincroft section of Middletown since 2011, Dental Home Services has been a blessing. Since having a stroke four years ago that left her paralyzed on the left side and unable to drive, "I wanted to get my teeth cleaned but I didn't want to burden my two sons, who are busy with work and their families," the Kearney native said.
"I heard about Dr. Stu through our facility and have been a patient of his for the past three years. He comes right to my apartment with everything he needs on a MediCart and cleans my teeth, checks for cavities, and even made me a beautiful porcelain crown," she said. "Dr. Stu is a very nice guy with a smile to die for and he's an excellent dentist. It's so much more relaxing to be in your own setting and it's a wonderful service."
Getting the job done
Though Lindsay Rubin acknowledges that inclement weather can be a hazard of the job and that most of their patients are disabled seniors with complex medical conditions and/or in hospice care, “we have multiple doctors on the road every day and we're able to do what it takes to get the job done,” she said of their service, one which the team is proud to provide.
"Over half of our patients have Alzheimer's disease or dementia and can be denied services by conventional dentists, some of whom are unable to handle these patients in their office, but we're happy to take care of them," she said. In a further show of their commitment to this population, Dental Home Services has been a longtime sponsor of both the annual Alzheimer's Educational Conference and the Walk to End Alzheimer's Disease, which is held in Point Pleasant each September.
"Improvements to oral health can help reduce hospital admissions and readmissions, especially for patients with diabetes, and it's very rewarding to give people a little bit of comfort if they can't get out or are at the end of their life," said Stuart Rubin, who noted that families often invite him to stay for dinner or write thank-you letters to express their gratitude. "It's incredibly fulfilling to do what we do and we feel so fortunate that we're able to help," he said.
Source:http://www.app.com/story/money/business/main-street/2015/09/10/dental-home-services-brings-dentist-you/71702974/
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