FromMarch’s “Find Moe Life Mascot” Contest

MOUNT OLIVE - The winners from March’s “Find Moe Life Mascot” are Ryan Hanlon; Hackettstown, Jeffrey Zwi- er; Budd Lake, Mary Backer; Flanders and Kathy Titone; Budd Lake. Mr. Moe was hiding in the fol- lowing ads: Entourage, Crown Mortgage, Dr. Rooney, Czig Meister, Dino’s and Expo Realty.

Thanks to everyone who enter and congratulations to our winners!

This is not Schissler’s first contribution to the AVM.

“I have worked on several projects over the past 10 years,” she says. “Some with Home Depot and others on my own. The latest was Washington’s horse.”

As a Mt. Olive resident for 28 years, Schissler says “I am happy to support the community through the work I do at AVM.

“My dad is a veteran of the Korean War,” continues Schissler. “He served for two years prior to getting married and starting a family.” Although she is not a military child, she sympathizes with those who are.

“I have friends that were in the military and had to leave children behind while serving,” she says. “It is important for

Madison Teen Diagnosed with Rare Type of Cancer

BY MARYANNE CHRISTIANO-MISTRETTA STAFF WRITER

AREA - Madison teen, Jake Mocko, was like any other teen, going to high school and appreciating life. He just started driving. He enjoyed babysitting, reading, and painting. Then came the lower back pain, which over-the-counter meds and physical therapy couldn’t relieve him of. It was constant. And it wasn’t getting any better.

After getting an MRI, a very large, slow-growing tumor was discovered on his spine. Though the doctors felt it was benign, the fact that it was growing sideways was causing Jake to limp and scheduled him for a surgery within a few days.

“They didn’t know how he was still walking,” said his mother, Jennifer Mocko. “We went home. I watched his condition. I watched him decline immediately. He had to walk with assistance up and down the stairs. It was so scary.”

The surgery was performed on June 29, 2021, at Morristown Medical Center. Jake was there for 11 days. They removed most of the mass, but pieces wrapped around his spinal cord were unreachable. Jake was left with no mobility in his legs and arms. He was also left with a loss of feeling in his mid-section. He had to learn to use his whole body all over again, since the tumor was located so high in his spinal cord. Jennifer explained, “He had to learn to use his arms all over again, touch his nose, touch his head, pick up utensils. He was making progress. We were seeing some of the nerve activity being restored. We were feeling hopeful. We were told he’d be walking in a few months.”

However, while focusing on helping Jake walk and move his arms again, results came back, along with tissue tests. Jake was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called astrocytoma, a highly aggressive cancer that does not respond to traditional treatments of radiation and chemo. After more testing, they learned his cancer is actually called a grade 4, high grade glioma/glioblastoma.

Jake had been through radiation and chemo. And since August of 2022, Jake has been going to DC once a month for T-cell therapy. That entire summer was spent at Kessler doing rehab with six weeks of radiation, five days a week. According to Jennifer, he had a two-month period where he was waking up multiple times at night with nerve pain, from the radiation.

The Mocko family has been dealing with a lot of grief over the past year. Jennifer and her husband have been going through a divorce and she’s tried to keep a positive attitude for her son. “The first time in the hospital, I was there with him by myself,” she said. “I thought, how I respond right now is going to influence how he’s going to deal with it. He

AREA - Technology is all around us, and touches pretty much every aspect of our daily lives. Dentistry has not been left out of this revolution. One

Dentistry, which is a degree held by only 1% of dentists worldwide. Whether you require a single implant or complex full-mouth rehabilitation, a free consultation with Dr. Goldberg should be considered.

General & Cosmetic Dentistry

Dental Digest: The “Goop-Free” Solution

area that has benefited greatly includes our impression-taking techniques.

Digital Dental Impressions have revamped many areas of dental procedures: traditional crowns, dental implants, invisible braces such as Invisalign and SureSmile, dentures, nightguards, and so much more.

take, as compared to traditional impressions. The turn-around time from laboratories is faster, too, since these scans are sent via email immediately to the laboratory.

light. There is no radiation, and nothing hurts.

embraced it. This is what we have to do. That’s been his attitude all along. Last spring doctors said he’s never going to walk again. He’s taking it in stride. He’s learning to accept this may be his life. But he hasn’t given up. He does physical therapy three times a week, he works out. Moving forward, he wants to be a counselor therapist. We keep our sights on the fact that he’s going to be here, and this is the life he wants.”

Jake is currently a student at County College of Morris (CCM), online, and working part time at the Madison YMCA.

“We are desperate to get Jake a handicapped accessible vehicle to drive,” Jennifer said. “He’s attending CCM online but would like to be ‘in person.’ We currently live up the street from the Madison YMCA where Jake can independently get to work in his power wheelchair. Unfortunately, I am also in the throes of a two-year divorce. Jake’s father wants to sell our family home as soon as possible, which is causing tremendous stress for the kids and I. Jake’s younger sister, Paige, is a freshman at Madison High. To me, it’s important she’ll stay at her school.”

Dr. Goldberg treats entire families, from toddlers to seniors. Services include cleanings, check-ups, fillings, Invisalign, dentures, cosmetics, and more! He and his staff enjoy the long-term relationships they build with their patients.

New Patient Special $149 Cleaning, Exam, Full Set of Films Regularly $362.00

So what’s the big deal about digital dental impressions?

The biggest thing for you, the patient, is that it is goop-free!

Nothing to risk making you gag, no messy materials getting all over your face. Another benefit is the accuracy: final restorations usually fit more accurately. Digital impressions are also faster to

Madison Teen...

While Jennifer is seeking another home in Madison that is within her budget and handicapped accessible, she wakes up every day thinking about how to make Jake’s life the best it can be.

Traditional dental impressions encompass a range of different materials that we place into your mouth using a delivery tray. Digital impressions eliminate both the flowable material and the tray. Instead, a wand that is connected to a computer is utilized. We wave it over your teeth or gums a few times, and that’s it!

Many people think that these impression utilize x-rays or a laser. This is not correct. The entire process uses visible

It is important to note traditional impressions still play a vital role in dentistry, and will likely never go away. Not every situation lends itself to digital impressions.

The world of dental implants has also benefited greatly from digital impressions. Whether we are fabricating a single implant or a full mouth restoration supported on implants, we can utilize the digital impressions for surgical guides, temporary crowns, abutments, and the final teeth. The workflow saves patients time, and the outcome is very predictable. In our office, this is performed on a daily basis.

It is possible to overlay digital impressions on top of each other. This can be a useful tool during complex dental procedures when changes are desired. Maybe you want the es- thetic crowns that are currently being made for you to be raised a little, or you want them narrower. By overlaying a scan of your current teeth or temporary crowns, the technician can easily put these changes into software and voila: the 3-D printers or milling machines can make the adjustments. but the newer digital world is what allows us to provide our patients with amazing smiles!

“We love our home, we’d love to stay in Madison,” Jennifer said. To contribute to Jake’s Go Fund Me, visit: www.gofundme.com/f/help-with-jakestreatment.

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Wear and movement of your teeth can be tracked with digital impressions. If scans are taken on a regular basis of your mouth, you can see these changes and decide if you want to intervene. This can help to protect your teeth for years to come!

In our office we perform many cosmetic, implant, and denture procedures. We have been utilizing digital impressions for years, and could not even imagine going back to older methods. As stated above we still need (and use) traditional impression materials,

About the author: Dr. Ira Goldberg is the owner of Morris County Dental Associates, LLC in Succasunna. He has been practicing dentistry for 28 years. He is well-known in the community for providing outstanding dental care that follows his mantra: “Experience, Compassion, & Quality.” He is a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, a Scholar of the Dawson Academy of Comprehensive Dentistry, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology / Implant Dentistry. He also performs all phases of implant dentistry at his office in Succasunna, NJ. For a free consultation, including a free 3-D scan (if necessary), please call his office at (973) 328-1225 or visit his website at www.MorrisCountyDentist.com

Consultation

New Patient Special FREE Implant, Cosmetic, General

Dr. Goldberg is a leading expert on dental implants. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry, which is a degree held by only 1% of dentists worldwide. Whether you require a single implant or complex full-mouth rehabilitation, a free consultation with Dr. Goldberg should be considered.

General & Cosmetic Dentistry

Dr. Goldberg treats entire families, from toddlers to seniors. Services include cleanings, check-ups, fillings, Invisalign, dentures, cosmetics, and more! He and his staff enjoy the long-term relationships they build with their patients.