Dr. Bhende has been practicing dentistry for over 14 years. He received his BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) degree from India. He went on to do a residency and then practiced in India before coming to the United States. He attended Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine where he graduated with Honors and received his DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine) degree in 1999. He later attended New York University for training in Implant Dentistry. He received a Fellowship from the International Congress of Oral Implantologists (FICOI) in 2003.
In North Carolina, Dr. Bhende has volunteered for the dental bus sponsored by the NC Baptists Association to provide free dental treatment for underprivileged children and adults in Hickory, Lenoir, Newton and Conover areas. He has also volunteered for providing dental treatment for children in need at the Viewmont Baptist Church. He was the past president of the Western Piedmont Dental Society. He has also volunteered for the NCMOM clinic to provide free dental treatment to the needy. Dr. Bhende has also been an integral part of facilitating the NCMOM clinic in Hickory in 2012. Dr. Bhende provides free dental treatment at the Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry (CCM) on a regular basis.
Dr. Bhende also supports causes like the Child fund, WWF, Salvation Army, Cooperative Christian Ministry (CCM), Shriners Circus, UNICEF and Doctors without Borders by making financial contributions on a regular basis.
Dr. Bhende will provide several additional services in the practice. He is proficient in placement and restoration of dental implants. He also does cosmetic dentistry including whitening, veneers, crown and bridge inlays and onlays. If you have loose fitting dentures or partial dentures, he can provide economical implant solutions to improve the fit and enable you to enjoy your meals again. Dr. Bhende also offers Invisalign treatment which involves straightening teeth with clear retainers. If you or someone you know is apprehensive about dental treatment, Dr. Bhende is trained to provide oral Sedation for your comfort.
Apart from a desire to provide quality dental care to the residents of Hickory, EcoDental is also strategically located. Hickory lies partly in each of Catawba, Burke and Caldwell counties. Our dental office is therefore easily accessible from the towns of Newton, Conover, Morganton, Lenoir, Maiden, Taylorsville and Valdese. We can thus provide quality dental health care to residents from Hickory as well as adjoining towns.
EcoDental upholds three core values that stand above the competition, and which were paramount to Dr. Bhende starting his own practice. These are to be Ecological, Economical, and above all Exceptional.
The first focus at EcoDental is to reduce common office supplies and strive for a more efficient green office. EcoDental keeps digital records for patients. A new patient can fill out the intake forms online from the comfort of their home. All X-rays are taken in a digital format. This eliminates the need for processing chemicals that are harmful to the environment. It also reduces the radiation while giving a great x-ray instantly. All our records and most insurance filing are done electronically. The exception would be with the insurance companies that are not set up for an electronic format. We subscribe to an electronic fax service that sends faxes via E-mail which eliminates unnecessary paper printing. We have signed up for electronic statements for banks, credit cards, laboratories, suppliers and most other vendors. We also make our payments electronically to reduce sending paper checks in the mail. We recycle paper, plastic and metal waste in the office. Any sensitive information is shredded and then recycled. We use energy efficient lighting and a more energy efficient use our equipment. The result is an office which produces less than half the waste of other offices. We also use rechargeable batteries wherever possible. We support local businesses and strive to Be Local and Buy Local. This reduces the need for shipping while supporting the local economy. Our office is a smoke free premise. We use reusable bags for grocery shopping. We take the philosophy of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to heart.
EcoDental set out to provide a more economical solution for dental care that could be accessed by anyone. The staff here at EcoDental can provide assistance in setting up payment options for competitively priced services. We offer payment plans through Care Credit. We will also help you to understand insurance benefits and can even help to maximize your insurance benefits.