6 D


LIVING WELL • SMOKE SIGNALS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT


“To provide state-of-the-art services in an area that is underserved, and to provide those services at prices that people can afford.”


B


Top quality services and procedures at affordable prices N O R T H G E O R G I A D E N T U R E S & I M P L A N T S


ig Canoe area residents are very familiar with the benefits of shopping at the North Georgia Premium


Outlet Mall which offers great prices and selection on top-quality clothing, jewelry, kitchen tools, home furnishings, and much more. But great prices and selection on top


quality dental services such as implants, dentures and more? Who knew? North Georgia Dentures & Implants


is located behind the North Georgia Premium Outlet Mall in Dawsonville, at 1078 Lumpkin Campground Road. Dr. Patrick Van Derhei has established the practice there, he says, “to provide state-of-the-art services in an area that is underserved, and to provide those services at prices that people can afford.” Dr. Van Derhei, a prosthodontist, has three associates practicing with him in the Dawsonville clinic: two oral surgeons, Dr. Patel and Dr. Keim and one general dentist, Dr. Askari. Together, the Dawsonville team of dental specialists, along with their fully trained staff, provides conventional removable dentures or partials, and anything associated with dental implants. Employing the same first quality materials and procedures used in high-end Buckhead clinics. Unlike most clinics providing implants and similar oral procedures, North Georgia


new teeth, are made right there on site, the client’s review, adjustment and approval can all be done on the same day. With off-site labs operated by third parties, several days and more can elapse in the process, requiring the client to return to the clinic, sometimes for multiple visits, before the teeth can be permanently installed. The result is that North Georgia Dentures & Implants can provide services with significant savings. Dr. Van Derhei cites an example of a Buckhead clinic procedure costing up to $30,000 that his practice can deliver for $17,000, a savings of more than 40%. Similar savings apply to most procedures offered, he says. “We get a lot of satisfaction by


providing these services at affordable prices,” he says. “It allows people to get the look and feel they deserve to have, where otherwise it might not be possible. That makes everyone feel good.”


North Georgia Dentures North Georgia Dentures & Implants is located behind North Georgia Premium Outlet Mall.


Dentures & Implants operates its own on-site dental laboratory which provides considerable cost-savings to patients.


Not only does the laboratory facility save money, because the actual dental pieces which will become the patient’s


and Implants Address: 1078 Lumpkin Campground Road, Dawsonville, GA 30534 Services: Dentures and Implants Phone: 706-429-9991 Website: dawsonvilledentures.com


APRIL 2012


“Dr. Harris holds the local distinction of being the only doctor making regular hospital rounds on his office patients at Piedmont Mountainside Hospital in Jasper.”


A


Accepting medical challenges facing baby boomers F I R S T M O U N T A I N M E D I C A L


s Dr. J. Michael Harris enters his second year of private practice in nearby Jasper, he is pleasantly


surprised with the reception his new office has received. “We are attracting patients from


Big Canoe and Bent Tree but also from Ellijay and Canton as well. There’s a need here,” he says. With more than 17 years experience in office-based and in-hospital medical care, Dr. Harris opened a solo practice on Church St. in early February of last year. Prior to that, he worked as a


hospital-based physician for three years at Piedmont Mountainside Hospital. Missing the family-like atmosphere present in a private practice, he and wife Traci decided to make the move to their own office last year. The Harris’s are no stranger to


running their own medical practice. The couple had operated a successful small group practice in Sarasota, Florida for ten years prior to moving to Jasper. Traci is a Registered Nurse with extensive experience in medical office management as well. Dr. Harris completed his medical


training at the University of South Florida in Tampa in 1993.


care will be seamless between office care and any local hospital stay they may have. Dr. Harris is an internist who draws


on his past experience in Sarasota with its many retirees making up the bulk of his practice there. “Coming from Sarasota, 75-80% of my patients were older and facing the many medical challenges that come with aging,” he said. “That’s the population I’ve been the most comfortable with most because of my background.” Conveniently located at 640


West Church St. in Jasper, Dr. Harris’ practice does business as “First Mountain Medical, LLC.” Open 8 a.m. –5 p.m. Monday through Friday, most major insurance companies are accepted.


Dr. J. Michael Harris in his office on Church Street in Jasper.


He completed his post-graduate residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of Florida Urban Program in Jacksonville. While owning and operating a


successful practice in Sarasota, Dr. Harris was voted “Doctor of the Year” in 2006. He has also served on numerous hospital committees and served as Chief of Medicine. He is a


diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and a member of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Harris holds the local distinction


of being the only doctor making regular hospital rounds on his office patients at Piedmont Mountainside Hospital in Jasper. Dr. Harris recognizes that his patients take great comfort knowing that their medical


Dr. J. Michael Harris


First Mountain Medical Address: 640 West Church St., Jasper, GA 30143 Services: Adult (12 and over) medical care Phone: 706-253-3737 Website: firstmountainmedical.com


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