SMILE REHAB

REJUVENATION DENTISTRY

NO PAIN DOESN'T MEAN NO PROBLEM!

If you are tempted to skip appointments because you don't feel pain
and can't see anything wrong, think again. What you can't see or feel
can cause the most trouble! These dental problems can be treated,
and often reversed, if spotted early. Here's what we see that you can't.

Doctor Traces Providence's
Jewish History

Judith Doner Berne
Special to the Jewish News

D

r. Jeffrey Zaks is vice
president, clinical deci-
sions for St. John Health
System, a Catholic health care
network that includes Providence
Hospital; but he is informally
known as that hospital's Jewish
historian.
"Thirty-five years — that quali-
fies me as a local historian," said
Zaks, whose specialties are cardi-
ology, cardiovascular disease, and
both general and geriatric internal
medicine.
"Providence has been involved
with Jewish physicians since the
1920s," said Zaks, a Conservative
Jew, who completed his intern-
ship, residency and fellowship at
the hospital after graduating from
Wayne State University School of
Medicine in Detroit in 1973.

• A dental examination can detect deteriora-
tion in fillings, crowns, and restorations.

• Close inspection can reveal periodontal
pockets caused by gum disease, and we
may even identify the early warning signs
of oral cancer.

He remembers his initial inter-
view with the hospital's then-
president, Sister Gertrude. When
he told her that he wanted to be a
doctor "to serve my community,"
she explained that Providence
had a special interest in that, par-
ticularly targeting the poor and
vulnerable.
"In the late 1940s and 1950s,
Jewish physicians weren't wel-
come at some Detroit hospitals,"
Zaks said. "A good number of
Jewish doctors, even back in the
1970s, were having trouble finding
positions. That was never the case
here.
"Jewish physicians have always
been welcome at Providence.
Jewish patients have always
been welcome here. Anybody's
particular faith was never a big
deal. There was always respect for

• We may find new decay under the gum-
line or hidden under existing fillings - two
places you just can't see!

• Your teeth may have hairline
fractures or signs of enamel erosion.

• The onset of gum disease,
called gingivitis in its early phase
often goes undetected by
patients. We can check for any
telltale signs so that you can
take action to prevent its pro-
gression toward periodontitis.

Jewish History on page 34

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Ate,

Rabbi Freedman: "Our rabbis are all

trained to be patient-centered."

with several Jewish members of the
medical staff coming up with oppor-
tunities to improve service to the
Jewish community.
So when it came to funding the eruv
extension, "she was [literally] willing
to go that extra mile," Rabbi Freedman
said.
It also helped that Oakland

County Commissioner Helaine
Zack, D-Huntington Woods,
represented the area where
Warshay lives and Providence is
located.
"I helped bring people to the
table," Zack acknowledged.
"Ida came to me. Part of what
I do is solve problems. I know
the [Oakland County] Road
Commission well. They've been
wonderfully sensitive.
"I loved the meetings," she
said. "Rabbi Wolf educated not
just the road commission but
me."
Indeed Dylan Foukes, OCRC
traffic engineer, said he thought
it was a misspelling when he saw
the request for the eruv exten-
sion come across his desk.
"I've been in the traffic safety
department since 2004," he said.
"Until a year ago, I didn't know
what an eruv was."
His philosophy became: "We're
going to get it worked out with the
hospital and the Orthodox commu-
nity — definitely."

OBERT

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New York, NY
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July 26 • 2007

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