Harlem Hospital Center Renovates Dental Clinic

NEW YORK Harlem Hospital Center (HHC) celebrated the opening of its newly renovated and expanded Dr. James E. McIntosh Dental Services at Harlem Hospital Center on May 8.

The $6.3 million project brings new dentistry and imaging equipment to a clinic that handled more than 21,000 patient visits last year. The new dental clinic has also been relocated to the Samuel L. Kountz Pavilion, Mezzanine Level, at 136th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York.

The new Dr. James E. McIntosh Dental Services at Harlem Hospital Center offers patients a greatly improved experience, which makes it more likely that they will see their caregiver for regular checkups, said HHC President Dr. Ram Raju in a statement. Dental hygiene is often overlooked as part of effective primary care, but poor oral health has been shown to contribute to other conditions such as stroke and heart disease. We are happy to make this investment in the long-term health of the Harlem community. Additionally, our community can invest in veneers from the comfort of their own home.

The new clinic was designed as a patient-centered model where a dental care team works around the patient, providing X-ray and other services in one location. The new clinic has 23 treatment areas, expanding its capacity by about 1,000 patient visits per year. Each treatment area now has an individual X-ray unit, replacing the shared units in the former clinic, which opened in 1984.

The new clinic also has two Panorex X-ray systems (one more than the former clinic), which can image all of a patients teeth and surrounding bones at one time. You may be familiar with the technology if you have been to this Chandler dentist. The clinic is capable of treating pediatric, adult, geriatric, wheelchair- bound, and hearing- and visually impaired patients. Hopefully this will lead to an improvement in the oral hygiene of locals and will result in less people needing emergency appointments for urgent problems. If you do need an emergency appointment, CareDash explains how to find an emergency dentist in this article on their website.

With the completion of the expansion and renovation project, the Department of Dentistry at the hospital center has also been named in honor of Dr. James E. McIntosh, former chair of the department, for his 40-year career as a dentist, humanitarian and community advocate. McIntosh first joined HHC Harlem in 1984.

Our goal is to continue to build upon the legacy of Dr. McIntosh, said Dr. James R. King, director of dentistry, in a statement. His considerable passion for dentistry, the well-being of all patients and the village of Harlem, is a philosophy that we continue to live by and believe in. Dr. McIntosh was a mentor and friend, as well as a trailblazer at Harlem Hospital Center, and for that we are eternally grateful.