Providing wide range of services with care and compassion
By Liz Nolan, Contributing Writer
Northborough – Incisors, cuspids and molars. Your teeth are important and Family Dental Group of Northborough is ready to help you take care of them at their new location at 318 Main Street, Suite 180 in Northborough.
The husband-wife dentist team of Dr. Nikhil Lavana and Dr. Archana Karkhanis-Lavana opened the Northborough location in June 2019. Their first practice was opened in May 2006 in Paxton followed by Gardner in 2008.
“We practice dentistry passionately,” said Karkhanis-Lavana. “We offer our patients a lot of care and compassion. The practice is patient oriented. The patient has to be comfortable and happy with what we are doing at any given time.”
The practice believes in a holistic approach.
“We use only mercury-free, metal-free tooth colored restorations to fill cavities and mainly metal-free, all ceramic crowns,” she said.
Family Dental Group of Northborough accepts patients of all ages and enjoys taking care of families. The practice has grown since opening due to word of mouth from satisfied patients.
Karkhanis-Lavana recommends that children should start seeing a dentist at age 3 once a year and every six months after age 5.
Regular cleanings are often the thing that people are let go because of busy lives or not being viewed as necessary or important. For some people, attention is only given to their mouth when something is hurting.
Karkhanis-Lavana said that regular dental appointments should be considered an important part of everyone’s health check-up. Day to day teeth care is necessary including brushing and flossing twice a day.
She also recommends fluoride for both kids and adults as it neutralizes acid in the mouth, which for adults is often a result of acid reflux caused by stress and a high anxiety lifestyle.
She acknowledges that dental phobia is real and for some people the idea of going to the dentist creates feelings of apprehension, anxiousness, fear and negativity.
“The office is calming,” Karkhanis-Lavana said. “We use relaxation techniques such as music, sound cancelling headphones, Netflix and a prescription can be prescribed if needed.”
Improved technology and techniques have also helped to make patient’s dentist experiences easier. Same day crowns are offered at the Paxton location and something she hopes to be available in Northborough next year.
One thing that Family Dental Group of Northborough prides itself on is their specializations, which limits the need for patients to be referred out to another office.
“We do root canal treatments, extractions and implant placements which are generally referred out,” said Karkhanis-Lavana. “My husband is a preferred Invisalign provider, which means we can do most orthodontic treatments in-house.”
“Everyone has a beautiful smile and we’ll help to enhance and keep it,” she said.
Family Dental Group of Northborough accepts many insurances including Delta Dental, Blue Cross, Fallon Navicare, United Healthcare, Cigna and Guardian.
Additional information including services and hours can be found at www.lavanafamilydental.com. Patients can expect a timely response to every call after hours and emergency calls. Appointments can be requested online or by calling 508-466-7211.