Dr. Eric McMahon, an owner at The Smile Lodge, reflected on his facility's decision to pursue accreditation and the survey process.
The Smile Lodge, located in Clifton Park, NY, has served the community for over 20 years, opening its doors in 2000. The staff at The Smile Lodge are committed to the belief that Every Child Deserves to Smile. To ensure that every child has access to excellent dental care, they recruit team members who share their passion. According to Dr. Eric McMahon, "At The Smile Lodge, these are more than just words, they're a way of life, and it's who we are."
What sets The Smile Lodge apart from other pediatric dental practices in the area?
Over the past 20 years, our team has built an excellent foundation of people and processes that allow over 50,000 children in the Capital Region to receive exceptional dental care every year. The truth is that over 80% of dental disease resides in only 20% of the population, and access to care is a challenge for far too many children and families. Regrettably, this underserved portion of our community doesn't have many choices for dental care, and we are committed to changing this unfortunate reality. Our team prides itself on treating every patient with the utmost care, respect, and compassion because we believe they have value and will someday change the world.
What made you decide to seek QUAD A accreditation?
We are committed to doing things above and beyond when it comes to patient safety and care. Many dental offices are not appropriately equipped for safe sedation, and we knew that ours was one of the best when it comes to sedating children.
How was the QUAD A accreditation survey?
We had a very knowledgeable anesthesiologist look over everything we have done in our dental office to comply with the QUAD A standards. All of the standards were made available to us, making the process of preparation for the survey manageable. The survey was not only thorough but educational, we were given helpful feedback as to how to improve throughout the process. It felt more like a helping hand than a slap on the wrist.
What were the key takeaways for your facility after the survey?
Dental sedation is much different from sedation in the medical field, but we share many similarities, and the guidelines were beneficial as they allowed us to streamline our standards of care and make it easily accessible.
How do you feel QUAD A accreditation will elevate your facility?
It will provide a level of care to our patients and families that will make our office stand out as an exceptional facility for pediatric dental sedation.
Monte Jay Goldstein, MD, member of the QUAD A Board of Directors and seasoned Quad A surveyor, remarked, "As the surveyor assigned to The Smile Lodge, I came away impressed with the entire staff's dedication to being the best at what they do. From the onset of the survey process, it was apparent that despite already being leaders in their field, the members of The Smile Lodge team were eager to acquire more knowledge and adhere to the strictest accreditation standards, demonstrating their commitment to providing the safest care for their patients. QUAD A is proud to welcome The Smile Lodge to its newest accreditation program."
Learn more about QUAD A Pediatric Dentistry accreditation.