For Dr. Corey Mazer, holding his practice to the highest eco-standards is good for his conscience —
and his patients.

DR. COREY MAZER, like most in his profession, is adept at math. It is therefore not lost on the Alpharetta, Georgia, dentist that because the average U.S. practice releases 57,000 gallons of waste water a year through traditional suction-water vacuum systems, according to the Eco Dentistry Association (EDA), dental offices collectively generate an astounding 9 billion gallons of such waste annually. Add to that the disposal of plastics and paper products, as well as the release of amalgams such as mercury, and dentistry’s aggregate environmental impact is substantial.

So when Dr. Mazer expanded Old Milton Dental, his rapidly growing practice — with his associate, Dr. Katie Reid, DMD, and a staff of 20, he serves some 6,000 patients — amid a major Georgia drought, he decided to create a facility in complete harmony with the natural environment. “Community issues definitely made me interested in green design,” he says, “as well as cognizant of the fact that we have the capability to be much more environmentally conscious.”

As a result, Old Milton’s 5,300-square-foot office, which opened in 2008, is not only warm and homey, but emblematic of a green approach to dentistry that permeates every aspect of daily patient care, beginning with the office layout itself. “Our objective was to conform to a level of design called LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design], which provides guidelines for energy and water efficiency,” Dr. Mazer says. The installation of a dry-vac system reduced the practice’s water usage by an average of 10,000 gallons a month. More than three-quarters of the office is lit primarily by natural light, reducing electricity consumption — and the sophisticated lighting system uses minimum outputs during office hours, then shuts off automatically when everyone leaves.

Materials used during construction, including the bamboo flooring (bamboo grows fast and is renewable), were sourced locally. The paints and stains that provide color to Old Milton Dental contain no volatile organic compounds, which have been shown to be harmful if inhaled. This reduces the health risk to patients and staffers alike. The design team also chose fabrics with an eye toward minimizing carbon emissions.

Dr. Mazer credits much of his interest in environmentally responsible design to his mother, Pam, an interior designer who now lives and works in Austin, Texas — a city that’s a national leader in green design, Dr. Mazer notes. His mother spent much of her career with the U.S. State Department, designing ambassadors’ homes and American embassies abroad. “Having her expertise in the family definitely helped guide me in creating a dental office that was as environmentally conscious and eco-friendly as possible,” he says.

The decision to set up shop in Alpharetta, just north of Atlanta, was a personal one for Dr. Mazer and his wife, Cari. The two met at the Medical College of Virginia (he was in dental school; she was studying physical therapy). The couple were looking for a small, family-oriented town near a major city. “We came to visit and fell in love with it,” Dr. Mazer says. “I’ve tried to set up a practice that is conducive to the needs of the area.”

The green technology on offer at Old Milton Dental extends well beyond the office design. Dr. Mazer is especially proud of his MIELE professional-grade sterilizer, which disinfects instrument trays without toxic chemicals; his autoclave steam sterilizer, which efficiently removes blood and debris from instruments; and the practice’s emphasis on digital imaging rather than traditional X-rays, eliminating the use of fixers and foils.

Perhaps Dr. Mazer’s most significant upgrade, though, is the state-of-the-art CAD/CAM system he uses for many of his restorations. The ecological boost provided by the CAD/CAM system is significant: It cuts the use of disposables by half for each procedure (which can now be completed in one visit) and eliminates much of the waste generated by rubber-based impressions. The digital technology also obviates the need to physically transport molds to the California labs that produce so many traditional reconstructions. A side benefit: His patients make fewer visits per procedure, thereby reducing (if unwittingly) their carbon footprints as well.

Materials used in the restorations, meanwhile, are solely composite-or porcelain-based. “An amalgam was a great restoration when it was all we had in dentistry,” Dr. Mazer says. “Now, when you can have a restoration that can be bonded to the tooth and help hold it together, it’s much healthier for the tooth.”

That speaks to one of Old Milton Dental’s principal philosophies: to educate patients about the most effective techniques for maintainingdental health. Yet Dr. Mazer and his staff — through the gleaming green example of their eco-friendly, minimally wasteful practice — can also help their patients keep the planet healthy, too.

PRACTICE PROFILE

OLD MILTON DENTAL ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA  

DR. COREY MAZER, DDS MEDICAL COLLEGE OF VIRGINIA 

PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY: “To be as conservative as possible in accomplishing the best dental result for my patients,” Dr. Mazer says. Conservative in this case means “to conserve” — that is, to protect the environment from unnecessary overconsumption and waste disposal, as well as adhere to sustainable design principles.

EQUIPMENT: MIELE professional-grade sterilizer; CAD/CAM 3D system

MEMBERSHIPS: Dr. Mazer is a member of the American Dental Association, the Georgia Dental Association, the Hinman Dental Society, the Academy of General Dentistry, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and the Academy of Computerized Dentistry.