Douglas Palaganas or Dr. Doug always had a vision for a patient-centered practice, as opposed to a business-centered practice. He believes apractice should feel primarily like a practice, not like a business. Every patient of Dr. Dougs deserves his personal attention and is not just another mouth on an assembly line, which is, unfortunately, becoming more of the norm across Long Island these days. Dr. Dougs vision is to for his practice to be anything but that!
Dr. Doug Palaganas, a Long Island native, was raised in Syosset, NY, where he graduated from Syosset High School in 1994. Dr. Doug then moved on to receive his BS in Biology from Cornell University in 1998. During the year following graduation, he took a faculty position just south of Buffalo at the Gow School, a private boarding school for boys with dyslexia, many of whom also had ADD/ADHD. This was an experience that gave Dr. Doug a daily, hands-on education dealing with challenged children, a skill which would serve him well in treating all types of patients later as an orthodontist.
Dr. Doug moved back to Long Island to attend the School of Dental Medicine at Stony Brook University, where he graduated in 2003 ranked first in his class and became a member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon, the National Dental Honor Society.
He then spent the next three years in Stony Brooks post-graduate orthodontic residency program, where he received his specialty certificate in 2006 and became a certified Invisalign provider. Dr. Doug has been practicing on Long Island since 2006 and founded Dr. Doug Orthodontics in Rockville Centre in 2013 and co-founded Great Neck Orthodontics with Dr. Janine Ellis in 2014.
Says Dr. Doug: I view continuing education (CE) as an opportunity to grow as a professional. While a certain number of hours are required, I regularly double the annual requirement, and pursue courses related to the advancement of orthodontics and new technology.
CE allows me not only to stay current with the most up-to-date and efficient treatments for my patients, but often provides inspiration for an overall better patient experience. In addition to lecturing at local Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens study clubs, I am also one of the lead organizers of the annual Orthodontic Pearls Conference, providing CE to orthodontists throughout the country.
A resident of Woodbury, Dr. Doug loves spending his time off with his wife Jennifer, a periodontist who he met in dental school, and their 2 children Olivia and Christian. If hes not attending his kids soccer or baseball games, he just might be golfing or at Yankee Stadium or Giants Stadium, as he is a huge New York sports fan!
Supporting and giving back to the Long Island community is an integral part of who Dr. Doug is personally and professionally. He has participated in the Give Kids a Smile program since 2009, providing dental care to underserved children on Long Island. He also participates annually in fundraisers for the Damon-Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, and the Cooleys Anemia Foundation.
We recognize that all our patients are unique and deserve to receive orthodontic care that reflects their individual needs. Our experienced and talented team is committed to working with you and your family to create a comfortable, stress-free, and rewarding orthodontic experience every time you visit our practice.
At Dr. Doug Orthodontics, we have built our practice around a unique practice vision. While orthodontic practices all over our area have been focusing more on the business of orthodontics, instead of the practice of orthodontics. Dr. Doug believes the focus of a truly successful practice needs to be on the patient.
Our focus is not only on personalized, state-of-the-art orthodontic care, but also on providing a top-notch patient/family experience. The patient experience depends on us taking the time to get to know our patients and their families, so we can provide appropriate, individualized care. We want our patients to feel like part of our family. This is not an assembly-line type practice where you see the assistants more than you see the doctor.
We strive to be the best for our patients, because we believe if we are successful at all of the above, our patients will not only refer others to us, but they will be our biggest fans, and will go out of their way to tell their friends and family about our practice!
Dr. Doug Orthodontics was established with the belief that if we are successful at staying committed to our vision, the business of growing our practice will largely take care of itself; and that will allow us to continue to concentrate our time and efforts on our amazing patients and their care!
Got something youre proud of or funny to show or tell Dr. Doug? Take a picture next time youre in the office and well post it on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram page, or even put it up on our waiting room slide show on our TV! We want everyone to know how great our patients are!
It is more important than ever to brush and floss regularly when you have braces to keep your teeth and gums healthy during orthodontic treatment. Patients who do not keep their teeth clean may require more frequent visits to the dentist for a professional cleaning. Adults who have a history of gum disease should also see a periodontist during orthodontic treatment. Watch the two videos below on the proper care of braces during orthodontic treatment.
What can you eat? Lets talk about what you shouldnt eat! For the first day or so, stick to soft foods. Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw vegetables. Before long, youll be able to bite a cucumber again. During orthodontic treatment you will need to avoid certain foods to protect your orthodontic appliances.
When you get your braces on, you may feel some general soreness in your mouth and the teeth may be tender to biting pressure for 3 5 days. Take ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil) as it tends to work better than Tylenol for teeth discomfort due to its anti-inflammatory effects. The lips, cheeks and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the braces. We will supply wax to put on the braces in the irritated areas to lessen the discomfort.
To successfully complete orthodontic treatment, the patient must work together with the orthodontist. The teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if the patient consistently wears the rubber bands or other appliances as prescribed. Lack of cooperation following instructions and damaged appliances lengthen the treatment time so please follow instructions.