Improving Your Smile with Dr. James R. Benson

At Ashland Dental Associates (1144 Iowa Street), Dr. James R. Benson, DDS, has been enjoying his life's work in Ashland for the last 44 years. After receiving his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry, he moved to Seattle for an internship and realized he wanted to stay in the Pacific Northwest.
"My wife and I consider ourselves lucky to have discovered Ashland," Dr. Benson said. "Everything about this special community was to our liking, and in 1970 Denise and I, and our three children, moved here and opened my dental practice. I also consider myself fortunate to have chosen dentistry as my profession because it is the perfect medium for me to express who I am. Every day I have the opportunity to make someone's life better."

Dr. Benson has four areas of special focus in his practice: periodontal disease, TMJ diagnosis and treatment, smile design, and bioesthetics.

"Periodontal disease affects up to 70% of adults and is the major cause of tooth loss," he said. "It does not have to be this way. We utilize an innovative treatment modality known as 'perio protect,' which is a non-invasive, non-surgical approach to controlling and eliminating causative intra oral bacteria on a daily basis. This modality, along with gentle and thorough regular hygiene visits, has proven very effective."

TMJ, or temporomandibular joint dysfunction, is one of the major causes of headaches and is caused when one's bite position and normal jaw position are in conflict.

"To correct that, what is needed is realignment of the chewing system," Dr. Benson said. "We accomplish this through MAGO Therapy, a removable orthotic that gives the system the correct bite to achieve jaw stabilization. The patients become pain-free and project a more youthful, relaxed appearance."

When it comes to smile design, Dr. Benson believes it must be natural and not contrived.

"We have an end result clearly defined and show patients the proposal through a preview guide," he said. "We do the same with bioesthetics, which is basically age-reversing dentistry. Misalignment of the chewing system causes tooth wear, which makes the mid-face collapse into a more aged appearance. It also results in thinner lips, which make one seem older. With bioesthetic treatment, face height and lips are rejuvenated. Witnessing the health benefits of bioesthetics are a joy to behold, and restoring lasting natural beauty to their smiles and faces is most fulfilling."

For a no fee, face-to-face meeting with Dr. Benson and his staff, call 541-482-1746. You can also visit their website at drjamesrbenson.com.

Green Valley Wellness: One Stop Shop for OMMP Patients

As long time entrepreneurs and advocates of healthy lifestyle choices, Michael Monarch (CEO) and Peter Gross (COO) partnered together in February, after 18 years of friendship, to form Green Valley Wellness, LLC, with the hopes of setting the bar in the Rogue Valley for creating Southern Oregon's premier medical cannabis dispensary. Both Peter and Michael have extensive backgrounds in health and wellness—including a combined 25 years as certified massage therapists.

"We saw a distinct need for the patients of the area to have access to safe medical grade cannabis that is of the highest quality, thoroughly laboratory tested and declared safe by the State of Oregon's new standards according to HB3460," Michael said. "On a business level, we clearly saw the trend and tidal wave of the 'Green Rush' that is currently happening throughout the country."

On June 27, they opened the doors to Green Valley Wellness located at103 North Pacific Hwy in Talent. "Our clients can look forward to a spa-like, upscale ambiance that offers a comfortable and professional experience. And our knowledgeable staff will cater to all the needs of southern Oregon OMMP patients," Michael said. They hope to be the one stop shop for all OMMP cardholders who need access to safe, well-tested medicines of all strengths and varieties to meet the varying medical needs of the whole community.

They carry flowers (often referred to as buds), both indoor and outdoor varieties, as well as a large selection of medibles (cannabis infused foods). "We will offer the best vaporizers available in all price points, which are used for ingesting the healthy cannabinoids without combusting the plant matter & thereby smoking any burning carbon," Michael continued. "We will carry a line of lotions and salves for applying to the skin for direct tissue absorption in that area, without the normal psychoactive effects of ingesting the medicine. These wonderful topicals are showing great effectiveness at reducing inflammation and swelling related to sore muscles or arthritis."

They will also sell clones (cannabis plants under 12" tall) for OMMP cardholding growers to have access to new strains that may better benefit their patients.

Also available are high CBD (Canabidiol) strains of flowers and extracts. "These have little to no psychoactive effects, but many more of the health and wellness benefits than the THC-heavy strains offer," Michael explained. "We aim to live up to the wellness portion of our name by providing an outlet where patients in need can find information about a variety of local health and wellness practitioner services that are available. As well, we plan to carry a line of lifestyle clothing and accessories that meet the needs of our diverse customers, and some non-cannabis herbal supplement products that complement the choice for a healthier lifestyle.
"We are extremely excited to serve the community and be upstanding corporate citizens; and we hope to support and enliven the local economy by employing people and buying as many local flowers, extracts, lotions, medibles and the like from Rogue Valley residents who are creating a thriving cottage industry!"
They offer easy access off of I-5 via exit 21, and are directly across from the RVTD bus stop near Valley View Rd. The store is open seven days a week: Monday through Saturday, 10am-6pm, and Sundays noon to 5pm. Call 541-535-3022 for more information.

Video Games and Skateboards at Zeplinz

When Play N Trade Video Games shut down in 2013, manager Joshua Lewis decided to do something about it. He worked a deal with the former owner and in May 2014 opened Zeplinz Game and Board Shop in the same location at 1632 Ashland Street (in the Ashland Shopping Center next to Señor Sam's).

"Video games and skateboards were passions of mine as a kid," Joshua said. "I have a wide knowledge of games and consoles, and I used to skate throughout high school. I have lived in the valley since 2007 and moved here to be closer to family and to attend SOU, where I'm currently a senior finishing up a bachelor's degree in Business Management."

Zeplinz is a video game and skateboard shop that specializes in console video games from retro to the newest releases.

"We also have a stay n play area where gamers can come and hang out and pay per the hour to play games," Joshua said. "In addition, we carry skateboards, longboards and the necessary components to replace and repair skateboards. We have created a fun-friendly environment where gamers and skaters can hang out and socialize with like-minded people."

Customers can expect a fun, friendly, knowledgeable staff that will do everything to help assist in their gaming and/or skating needs.

"We accept trade-ins of all types of video games from old to new and offer store credit," Joshua said. "Store credit can be used for anything in the store including cold drinks from our Rockstar cooler or snacks from our snack area. We can also resurface scratched discs and CDs. We hold video game tournaments, and you can preorder games to make sure you get them on release day. You can also special order items that we do not have in stock. And we have an old style Pac-Man arcade machine that you can play for free."

For more info, the phone number is 541-488-5400. You can visit them on Facebook at zeplinzashland.

Bombshell Now a Vintage Store

There have been some recent changes at Bombshell, located at 340 A Street, #5, in the Railroad District. Owner Sarah Sherman has converted the store into a vintage clothing & accessory store.

"We currently have the largest selection of vintage in Southern Oregon," Sarah said. "We are also the largest vintage fur dealer in the state. A big part of our business is our online eBay store, but there is about five times the inventory in our store in Ashland. We carry clothing & accessories from the 1920's-1980's. The kinds of accessories we carry are jewelry, handbags, gloves, eyeglasses, hats, shoes, scarves, bolos, buckles and more. We are trying to do something very unique and special here that has not yet been done in Southern Oregon."

Sarah thinks the transition from a clothing-only store to a vintage-only store has been a good one. "The response has been fantastic," she said. "Facebook is a great way to learn more about our store. We blog daily and post photos of new arrivals as well as sales and special events, like our recent Fashion Show at Peerless and our First Friday Art Night parties. You can access our online eBay store through either our Facebook page or our website. Our store name on eBay is AshlandBombshell."
Sarah has lived in Ashland for eleven years, moving here from Orange County, California, after getting a business degree in college and then working at a mortgage company.

"Bombshell is my first time working in retail, but I have been in sales most of my life," Sarah said. "I was born an entrepreneur, and it was always just a matter of finding a business that I could also be passionate about. I have been a lover of vintage clothing, movies and music since I was a little girl, and I believe I found the business I was destined for. I feel very lucky."

For more info, the phone number is 541-261-1236.