When Dr. Elizabeth Mitrani decided to open up her own practice, Englewood Cliffs Dentistry, one of her main objectives was to make sure her patients enjoy a pleasant dental experience by creating an environment where they feel completely comfortable and relaxed from the moment they enter the waiting room until the time they check out.
“For me, the whole point of my office is to create a space where people are comfortable coming and want to come back, while we provide the education aspect and home healthcare routine that will set them up for better visits.”
Acutely aware of the anxiety many people have when it comes to visiting the dentist, Dr. Mitrani has set out to change all that. “I totally understand that people have this dental anxiety, and I really want to change the narrative on what dental visits should be and what I try to create in my office.”
Through careful thought and tremendous effort, Dr. Mitrani has designed the ideal space for her patients, which features a warm reception area and the most up-to-date, digital dental tools and equipment in the industry.
Dr. Mitrani takes digital scans of her patients’ mouths prior to treatment so she can show her patients their teeth in real time on a computer screen. This allows patients the chance to see what the dentist sees and can be used as an educational tool. She also utilizes a digital scanner for crowns, implants and Invisalign cases, allowing for quicker turnaround for treatment.
When patients settle into their chairs, Dr Mitrani sees it as an opportune time to acknowledge any potential anxieties and discuss ways to alleviate them. Oftentimes, she says, a patient simply just wants to know what is going on. “I like to explain things and if a patient knows what is happening it can really help put their fears and anxiety aside.”
She explains that in dentistry, the bigger procedures that often lead to patient anxieties usually start off as preventable issues. “A root canal may have started out as a cavity, had it been caught early enough.” She feels strongly that all it takes sometimes is a little more information on better oral hygiene and home care to prevent problems and get ahead of things.
Practicing dentistry since 2008, Dr. Mitrani began her career in New York City and the Bronx. Hailing from Ridgefield, Connecticut, she attended Binghamton University, where she fondly remembers spending a lot of time in the lab. Armed with a BS in biology and a love for bio-sciences, she gravitated towards healthcare and earned a DDS from Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine.
In 2014, Dr. Mitrani moved with her family to Englewood while still continuing to commute to the city. But it was always in the back of her mind to open her own office, not only out of her own vision and design, but how she envisioned the patient experience should be.
“Now I’m able to really spend the time with each patient … I’m all about the preventive aspect of dentistry, and like to stress to my patients that home health care and education is really the most important thing,”
Dr. Mitrani is also passionate about routines in general. “When something becomes a routine you are more likely to stick with it. And then the outcome is going to be so much more positive.”
That routine includes a regular regimen of flossing, brushing and mouth rinse. She suggests flossing before brushing since, clinically speaking, by flossing first, plaque and bacteria tend to get disrupted and dislodged, making it easier to brush and rinse everything out with a mouthwash.
Recognizing that it can sometimes be challenging to stick to a brushing routine, Dr. Mitrani is quick to stress the importance of it. She cautions that when plaque sits on teeth for seven or eight hours undisturbed, instead of getting easily brushed away during the regular course of brushing, “it will kind of soak in a little bit more and harden, providing more opportunity for the bacteria to set in in your mouth.” Allowing this to happen on a regular basis only leads to bigger problems and necessitates removal through professional tools, like scrapers, that patients have come to loathe. “So I tell my patients, just two minutes of brushing and sticking to that routine will set yourself up for a healthier overall lifestyle.”
She advises patients to use an electric toothbrush that comes with a two-minute timer and sensor—essential components to ensure that each quadrant of the mouth gets the necessary 30 seconds to adequately clean teeth and gums and ensure that patients are not brushing too hard, which can lead to problems like gum recession.
Englewood Cliffs Dentistry is also pleased to offer a variety of cosmetic procedures. “Dental whitening is our most popular cosmetic procedure and it’s a relatively quick and easy way to see an improvement in your smile and the color of your teeth.” The best part is that patients are able to see dramatic results within an hour. She also offers cosmetic bonding and veneers for those looking to repair chipped or broken teeth and Invisalign treatments to help straighten out crooked smiles.
The office is located at 120 Sylvan Avenue, Suite 300 Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 and is open Mondays 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Fridays 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
For more information visit www.englewoodcliffsdentistry.com or call 201-500-8778.
By Jewish Link Staff
