Learn About Michigan Avenue Dental Associates
In The Media
Dr. James was selected by the Consumer Research Council of America as being a member of America’s Top Dentists for 2003-2004. He is also listed in Cambridge's Who's Who in Dentistry.
Meet the Team of Michigan Avenue Dental Associates
Our exceptionally professional and friendly support staff is one of our office's greatest asset. We are excited what we are doing, and we have high standards of quality and integrity. We are motivated to achieve the best results possible for our family of patients. All or our dental assistants and hygienists bring many years of clinical experience and many hours of state of the art training.
Our support staff is divided into two teams. Our business office support team composed of two full time receptionists, a part time insurance coordinator and a full time business office manager. In our clinical treatment area our support staff is comprised of our hygienists, chairside assistants, sterilization manager and full time clinic support manager. The clinic support staff meets briefly each morning to coordinate the staff's responsibilities for the day. Once a week the entire office's staff meets to coordinate the clinical area activities with the front desk's activities in order to provide our patients with optimal care from the time they arrive at our office to the time they leave.
We would like to consider our patient's as part of our away-from-home family and strive to provide them with the same conscientious care as we would provide to members of our immediate families.
Meet the Team
Linda - Office Manager, Financial / Insurance Manager
Shanta - Chairside & Hygiene Clinical Manager
Terry - Hygienist, (RDH)
Megan - Hygienist, (RDH)
Elik - Sterilization Control Manager &OSHA Compliance Officer
Kiki - Chairside & Hygiene Assistant
Natalie - Chairside & Hygiene Assistant
Jennifer - Consultant
Joice - Receptionist
Michigan Avenue Dental Associates's Office Serving Chicago, Illinois
We are celebrating our 100th Anniversary as a Dental Practice!
We are the oldest (since 1911) continuing operating dental group practice in Chicago's downtown and take great pride in the thousands of patients who voluntarily come to our office for their dental care needs.
As a new patient to our office you will be seen by Dr. James. He will perform the initial examination and consult with you concerning your particular needs. Here at our group practice you will enjoy the advantage of treatment by your individual dentist, and the on-site availability of other general dentists or specialists should your dentist seek consultation with another dentist or if you need emergency treatment when your dentist is not available or if your general dentist determines there is a need to refer you for treatment for specialty care.
One hour prior to the doctor seeing his first patient the staff arrives at work and begins their daily ritual of cleaning, disinfecting and sterilizing instruments and the operatories. Our sterilization procedures meet or exceed The Center For Disease Control guidelines. We heat sterilize all handpieces and instruments after each use. And for additional reassurance and vigilance of our sterilization methods we employ an outside independent third party contractor to monitor and test our sterilization equipment weekly.
Dentist's Website
A General and Multi-Specialty Group Practice
Michigan Avenue Dental Associates is a general dental and multi specialty group practice which emphasizes a team approach in providing optimal comprehensive reconstructive dentistry to the adult patient.
Compare Before & After Pictures
A good cosmetic dentist should be happy to show you a portfolio of dental before and after photos from satisfied patients. These pictures can help you gauge the right dentist (and the right dental procedure) for your smile makeover. Learn why you should bother with before and after photos.
Testimonials for Michigan Avenue Dental Associates
While in Chicago recently an associate recommended I go to this office when I told her I had a bad tooth ache and my cheek was beginning to swell up. I'm glad she did. They saw me the same day, stopped the pain, and put in a temporary filling. In later visits to Chicago I went back several times for a root canal and a crown. Great office and great doctors and great staff. Five stars.
from K.J.
After the fourth time the bonding on my front teeth chipped I decided that it was time to find a new dentist. I opted to go to Dr. James simply because he was conveniently located near my office in the loop, was in my insurance network and could take me within two days. I worked in a very image-focused position with a lot of exposure to clients and quite frankly having only 3/4 of your front teeth probably doesn't give off the right image so I was kind of in a rush.Anyway, great experience. He fixed my tooth by smoothing out the chip and evening it out with my other teeth instead of re-bonding it. Also I asked if they could bleach my teeth and he said they would, but they look very white to him so that I should hold out and think about it for a bit before I spent the money. A DENTIST said I should wait on an elective procedure because I didn't necessarily need it. This was cool because it means he cared more about the state of my teeth than taking my money and also it was good for my self-esteem. I dug that because I'm easily flattered.Go, he's great. He's gentle and honest and not half as scary as other dentists I've seen.
from T.S.
Qualifications for Michigan Avenue Dental Associates
A vision of providing the highest quality dental care to his patients is what led Dr. James to develop Michigan Avenue Dental Associates, a dental group practice composed of two subgroups: Michigan Avenue General Dental Associates and Michigan Avenue Dental Specialty Associates.
He started his practice in 1975 when Dr. Kenneth C. Washburn, one of his dental school professors, asked him to be his associate. Since then he not only has maintained his own full-time private practice, but, maintaining the philosophy of his teacher and mentor, he continued to actively pursue his dental education. Successfully fulfilling the rigorous academic requirements of the Academy of General Dentistry, he received the academy’s “Fellowship” (F.A.G.D.) Award in 1987 and in 1991 he received the highest award the Academy bestows, to only a few members annually, the “Mastership” (M.A.G.A.) Award. In 1992 he was honored by the American Society of Osseointegration, a component society of The International Congress of Oral Implantologists with a “Fellowship” Award for his accomplishments in “Dental Implantdontics”.
Concurrently with his continued academic achievements, Dr. James designed and contracted to build in 1987 a new and more efficient dental office where dentists could practice together in an environment of learning and of sharing of knowledge and experience. Ideas and knowledge could more easily be exchanged when practitioners were together in the same office. This group was named, Michigan Avenue Dental Associates. Realizing a continued need for optimal care for his patients and those of his associates, in 1990 he arranged for dental specialist to join the group. This co-group of dental specialists was named, Michigan Avenue Dental Specialty Associates. Dr. James feels honored to treat those patients who walk through the door of the practice, and acknowledges they deserve the highest quality dental care possible.
Dr. James is a native of Evanston, Illinois, where he attended for four years and graduated from Evanston Township High School. He graduated from Drake University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.), and continued his post graduate work at the University of Illinois School of Dentistry at the Medical Center in Chicago, receiving a Bachelor of Science of Dentistry (B.S.D.) degree in 1971 and his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree (D.D.S.) in 1973.
With many years of practical dental experience to draw from Dr. James’ practice focuses mainly on the treatment of difficult and complex reconstructive and cosmetic adult dentistry. During his 34 years of practice he has placed more than 15,000 crowns and preformed more than 10,000 root canals. This is a highly imaginative and creative dentist who has developed through his many years of practice and continuing education many sophisticated skills for restoring oral function and obtains for his patients functional harmony and optimal cosmetic appearance. With more than twenty-five years experience of placing implants, Dr. James has become a highly trained dental implantologist, who views complex implant cases as an exciting challenge. He has also refined his skills over the years in working with cosmetic bonding, porcelain veneers, porcelain restorations, laser dentistry, as well as a wide array of other special cosmetic procedures to obtain for his patients the most optimal, functional and cosmetic results.
Despite being at the helm of a thriving group practice, and his own private practice, this highly energized practitioner made time to raise two children. His daughter, Jennifer attended Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida where she received her Bachelor of Science degree (BS) and further attended Rollins’s graduate business school, the Crummer School of Business, receiving her Master of Business Administration degree (MBA). Matthew, his son, is currently attending Illinois Wesleyan University where he is majoring in physics.
Maintaining an active involvement within the dental community is critical to remaining abreast of the newest advances in dental care, stresses Dr. James. His professional affiliations include membership in the American Dental Association, International Congress of Oral Implantologists, Academy of General Dentistry, Illinois State Dental Society, and Chicago Dental Society. He has had the honor of being the charter President of the American Association of Managed Care Dentistry, President of First-Dent Corporation, a Chicago area dentist-provider owned dental managed care corporation, Administrative Officer in 2001, Executive Officer in 2002 and Commander in 2003 of the Chicago Power Squadron, the local component of the United States Power Squadrons. He is a 32 degree mason and has been a member of the Shriners of North America for 26 years. He recently was selected by the Consumer Research Council of America as being a member of America’s Top Dentists for 2003-2004. More recently Dr. James, his son, Matthew and daughter, Jennifer authored and published a 181 page local marine reference directory entitled: James Marine Reference Directory. The directory is used by the United States Coast Guard, the Chicago Power Squadron, the Chicago Police Marine Units, the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, Commodores of all of the Chicago Yacht Clubs, Harbormasters of the nine Chicago lakefront harbors, the Chicago Yachting Association and hundreds of local recreational boaters.
Dr. James told us he has always believed that academic achievement should be balance with physical activity. Winning the Illinois State High School gymnastic championship back in his high school days, initiated within him a never ending desire to join physical accomplishments with academic accomplishments.
He has continually and progressively participated in paddleball, squash, handball, tennis and racquetball, scuba diving and downhill skiing. He was president of his college ski club and president of the University of Illinois Medical/Dental School Ski Club He very much enjoys boating with his family and friends on his boat ‘VENTURE ON’. He is the founder and a past president of the Chicago River Rats and Other Rodents Club. Presently he enjoys playing and interacting with his children most of all.
He looks forward in continuing to provide to his present patients and future patients, as high a quality of dentistry and personal service as possible. This includes some who have been his patients for 34 years since he started his practice and one in particular who came into his office in 2004 and stated: "Hey doc! Remember that bridge you made for me 31 years ago when I was your patient in dental school? It’s loose."
Procedures Performed by Michigan Avenue Dental Associates
General Dentistry
- Dental Hygiene Services
- Fluoride Treatment
- Sealants
- Dental Exams & Cleanings
- Dental X-Rays
- Home Care
Cosmetic Dentistry
- Smile Makeover
- Dental Implants
- Porcelain Inlays
- Porcelain Onlays
- Composite Fillings
- Porcelain Crowns (Caps)
- Porcelain Fixed Bridges
- Porcelain Veneers
- ZOOM! Tooth Whitening
- Orthodontics
Restorative Dentistry
- Dental Bonding
- Dental Implants
- Inlay Restorations
- Onlay Restorations
- Composite Fillings
- Crowns (Caps)
- Dentures & Partial Dentures
- Fixed Bridges
- Root Canal Therapy
Sedation Dentistry
- Nitrous Oxide
Periodontal Treatment
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Maintenance
