Dr. Swanson at work
Newmarket, NH - A decade after he opened his own practice in Newmarket, Nate Swanson has scripted a green approach to dentistry. He takes pride in aspiring to become the greenest dentist in New Hampshire and New England. In the process, he has created a daily homage to both sustainability and the bottom line.
Swanson has now taken the next step – inspiring the next generation of dentists.
Earlier this year, Swanson sponsored a student from the University of New England in Maine – which has a young but growing dental program – to attend the annual meeting of the N. H. Dental Society. Swanson was then asked by the student to speak to fellow dental students at her school about incorporating sustainability practices in their careers.
“The students were very enthusiastic to hear what I had to share,” said Swanson, a dental school graduate of The Ohio State University who moved to New England from the Midwest in 2000. “The younger generation has grown up with this green, sustainable awareness. Recycling and reducing waste are ingrained habits for them.”
Swanson shared his own philosophy and how it bolsters his practice. “If there’s a green option that’s not ridiculously more expensive, I will take it,” he said. “We have proven that patients appreciate what we are doing and it always improves the overall quality of their care.”
Swanson’s informational outreach at the University of New England had an impact and shortly thereafter, the students formed a Green Dental Club at the school.
Newmarket Dental, the practice Swanson purchased in 2006, continues to thrive. The practice recently hired Dr. Julia Barnard as its third dentist. Newmarket Dental also increased its community outreach. Swanson said he took advantage of bulk purchasing to donate toothbrushes and other dental supplies to churches in Newmarket and Dover for local and international distribution to those in need.
“At my church in Dover we sent care packages overseas,” said Swanson, who was the first staff dentist for Families First Health and Support Center in Portsmouth. He also provided care for Lamprey Health Care and Exeter HealthReach. “It’s great to know that some of these toothbrushes ended up used by children in Zimbabwe.”
It’s no accident that Swanson has a reputation for being one of the greenest dentists in the state. He has taken so many green options that it could qualify as a step-by-step, “how-to” lesson guide in dental sustainability. Swanson explained that he exhaustively researched the products before incorporating them to ensure they met his high eco-friendly standards. In addition to aggressively transitioning to digital records to keep paper use at a minimum –he was an early advocate of having patients use iPads to fill out information forms – he made sustainability a priority by changing the tools of his trade.
Newmarket Dental also replaced traditional toothbrushes with 100 percent recyclable and bio-degradable ones made from recycled Stonyfield yogurt cups. He ditched plastic seat covers in favor of corn-based slip covers. The practice office converted from plastic cups to corn-based cups and made sure floss containers were recyclable. Swanson also added motion-sensing LED lights, a recycled synthetic floor that looks like aged wooden boards and LEED-certified cabinetry in the examination rooms.
And the beat goes on. Newmarket Dental recently added a second digital x-ray sensor for pediatric use which has almost eliminated the need for development chemicals and reduced the need for plastic. The practice also added an ultrasonic cleaner but instead of buying it new, they bought a well-conditioned used unit – which fits in with Swanson’s ethos of maximum recycling and reuse.
Newmarket Dental is a business partner of the Green Alliance, the Portsmouth-based organization that connects scores of regional green businesses with thousands of green-minded consumers. Swanson said there is a growing general awareness in the industry and among patients that going green is an investment in the future on many levels. “I believe that every day we prove that all these steps add up substantially,” Swanson said.
Swanson also had thoughts about recent news stories questioning the scientific need to floss. “We have patients come in and ask us about this. It’s a great misconception. Just because there is no conclusive study, it’s obvious to those of us in the industry that flossing matters a lot,” he explained. “Not flossing increases chances of gum disease and tooth decay. It’s like saying you’re entirely clean if you only wash 60 percent of your body.”
Find out more about Newmarket Dental at newmarketdental.net
Visit the Green Alliance at www.greenalliance.biz