Our Philosophy of Care Is Simple:
To take the time necessary for each patient so we can  deliver caring, prevention oriented dentistry of the highest functional and esthetic quality in the most comfortable and efficient manner possible.

"Dr. Barry,

           Our sincere appreciation to you for all you have done [for] us with our dental needs.  It never went unnoticed as to how much time and effort it took.  We want to thank you for all you have done and continue to do." 

                                                                                                                                                                                                 Joyce & Carl Gorski

YOUNG CHILDREN AND DENTAL CARE
            While we do see children in our office starting at the age of three, Dr. McArdle generally refers preteens who require invasive treatment such as fillings or extractions to a dental specialist known as a pedodontist. Pedodontists are dentists who have had at least two years of additional training in a specialized, postgraduate dental program specifically aimed at managing the distinct oral health needs of youngsters in this age group. Such a referral does not mean that Dr. McArdle considers your child to be ill behaved, immature or otherwise difficult. Dr. McArdle does this because he feels strongly that your child's early experiences with dental treatment MUST be positive ones if he or she is to grow into adulthood with the proper attitude toward dental care which will allow him or her to enjoy optimal oral health for a lifetime.

Pedodontists are uniquely qualified through their

training to meet the dental needs of young children.

            This belief stems from Dr. McArdle's own childhood experiences with a dentist who did not understand or know how to cope with the fears children have about what they might experience during invasive dentistry. Pedodontists are uniquely qualified through their training to meet the dental needs of young children not only in the technical sense, but also psychologically. Some procedures performed on the primary (baby) teeth are quite unlike their counterparts in the adult dentition. Root canals for baby teeth (known as pulpotomies), maintaining space for the eruption of permanent teeth when primary teeth are lost prematurely and even the design of fillings for baby teeth are very different from the corresponding adult treatments. However, what Dr. McArdle considers to be even more important in the dental care of your child are the psychological aspects of this treatment.

           Almost all young children have a deep-seated sense called the "fear of mutilation" that makes them extremely apprehensive about any procedure done to their bodies. Your child tends to perceive them as mutilating, intrusive, punishing or evidence of abandonment and will anticipate pain even when there is no past experience to justify this. This sense may extend past the preschool years and even approach adolescence in some individuals. Pedodontic training includes an extensive program of study in child psychology that allows the pedodontist to understandingly dispel these fears and allow your child to undergo needed dental care without developing a phobia to it that might prevent him or her from seeking such care in adulthood.

           Dr. McArdle believes that most often first impressions are the most lasting ones and that this is nowhere more true than when it comes to your child's dental care. This is why he sincerely believes that your child's first experience with invasive dental care should be at the hands of the professional most qualified to deliver it, a pedodontist. Of course, if you wish to continue to have your child's routine preventive and diagnostic care rendered here in our office, we will be happy to do so - the choice is yours. However, if you trust Dr. McArdle's judgement, then please take his advice and have your child seen by a pedodontist when he diagnoses him or her with the need for invasive treatment.

Why We Don't Do Managed Care:

IF YOU THINK THE TREATMENT YOU NEED AND THE TREATMENT YOUR DENTAL BENEFITS WILL PAY FOR ARE THE SAME THINGS, THINK AGAIN. THEY ARE BY NO MEANS NECESSARILY THE SAME!

           This office does not participate in dental managed care plans such as dental health maintenance organizations (DMOs, also known as capitation programs) and preferred provider organizations (PPOs). To explain why, let us help you understand how these plans work. After signing a managed care contract, the dentist is required to deliver care according to the terms of the plan. Under one arrangement, the dentist is reimbursed for each patient who signs up for dental care at his or her office from the plan's list. This is called a capitation plan. It does not matter whether these patients visit the doctor's office or not in given year, only that they are enrolled there. Managed care plan standards have nothing to do with the time the doctor spends with each patient or the quality of care he or she provides. They only depend on the number of patients the dentist can possibly manage (there's that word again!) to see. When these patients do need care, the doctor is often severely overworked by the sheer number of patients he or she is obligated to see by the regulations of the contract. This is how corners are cut and mistakes are made! If the dentist should refer patients to the care of a specialist, he or she will often lose their enrollment under the terms of the contract. What kind of dental care do you think you would receive under these circumstances? The answer is minimal at best with a specialty referral being more rare than snow in July.

Managed care rewards the quantity, not the quality, of care.

           A preferred provider organization (PPO) works in much the same way. In this instance the doctor is reimbursed for much, but not all, of the care he or she delivers. However, this is dictated by the plan under the contract. A PPO contract often requires the dentist to provide diagnosis and treatment planning, which are among the most important procedures performed in any dental office, at no charge. Compensation set by the plan regarding treatment that may be reimbursed for is frequently just above the doctor's overhead expenses with respect to many procedures. This places the emphasis on the volume, not the quality, of care. A specialty referral does not lose the doctor any patients in this case, but since most specialists do not participate in these plans a referral comes with either a long wait or a longer drive. Many PPO contracts contain clauses (called "gag rules") that prohibit the doctor from discussing treatments that the plan does not cover. This would be just fine as long as you want your dentist to ignore any problems you may have that aren't covered by your plan, but then your dentist is working for the managed care company and not for you! Managed care companies recruit dentists into these plans declaring that patients with this coverage will refer others into their practices who receive care using the doctor's established approach. This is usually not true because most patients refer family members and co-workers who are in the same plan. Even if it were true, it would make those patients covered under the managed care contract second class citizens to those patients in the dentist's practice who are proceeding with treatment according to the doctor's fundamental principles. The quality of dental care provided is inevitably comprised under either managed care scheme. In fact, many consumer groups have taken to using the term "mangled care" when referring to these types of plans. Dr. McArdle is only interested in providing the absolute best quality of care that he possibly can.

           For this reason and the state of affairs recounted above, it is in your best interest that Dr. McArdle does not participate in any managed care contracts. If you are dissatisfied with your current dental benefits coverage, ask Dr. McArdle about Direct Reimbursement (DR). DR is a superior alternative to conventional dental plans that your employer should know about. If you have questions concerning any of this, please ask Dr. McArdle.