NEW DENTAL CENTER

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital worked closely with a local dentist, Dr. David Staples, Dr. David Ness, Dr. Jody Low, Dr. Stephen Peterson and dental consultant Jean McPheters to plan and design the dental center.

The dental center serves low-income, uninsured and underinsured residents living in the hospital’s primary service area. Sliding fees and co-pays are available. Patients’ criteria include living in Dover, Durham, Lee, Madbury, Somersworth, Barrington, Rollinsford, Berwick and So. Berwick, ME; low-income (under 250% of federal poverty level); uninsured or underinsured (cannot afford deductibles or co-pays).

The Latest Treatments and State-of-the-Art Technology Right Here at Home

Thanks to the intensive work of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital’s physicians, physicists and dosimetrists, its Seacoast Cancer Center was the first hospital in northern New England to offer Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy. IMRT is an advanced cancer treatment system that delivers higher, more complex doses of radiation to tumors, including hard to treat tumors near vital organs or other sensitive areas of the body.

IMRT offers greater benefits for patients by more precisely targeting tumors, minimizing the effects of radiation therapy on healthy tissue – improving recovery time and reducing complications. The advantage of IMRT over traditional radiotherapy is “dose sculpting,” the ability to wrap a dose of radiation around a tumor, thereby minimizing or excluding a dose to surrounding healthy tissue. Radiation oncologist, Andrew Brown, M.D., said, “until now, this technology has only been available in certain medical facilities in the country, as it requires experts in physics and dosimetry to develop the protocols and treatment programs. We are very proud of our physics team. They are exceptionally dedicated and highly skilled and have brought the Seacoast Cancer Center to the forefront of this technology.”

The HDR system delivers a precise dose of radiation, prescribed by the physician, automatically through applicators pre-positioned in or near the tumor. The applicator is connected to the HDR machine and monitored by hospital staff in a separate room during the short treatment time. The machine sends the radiation source into the applicator where it remains for a few minutes. After the treatment, the radiation source returns to protective storage in the HDR unit. The applicator is disconnected and removed.

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital invested close to $350,000 for the specialized equipment needed to provide HDR services.