East Providence, RI Health and Fitness

At Cranston Cosmetic Dentistry & Dental Associates of Rhode Island, Les Prasad, DDS, works to keep grins beautiful and healthy with services ranging from teeth-whitening treatments and veneers to implants and dentures. The doctor and his crew undergo continuing education to keep up with changing technologies including intraoral cameras and Invisalign straighteners. In the reception area, goldenrod light blooms across framed artwork and walnut-hued leather sofas, and a TV helps guests pass the time or practice their favorite news anchor's smile.

Most artisans begin training in their craft at a very young age, and Dr. Christopher Napolitano was no different. He began his apprenticeship in transforming smiles in high school, when he crafted dental prostheses at his father's lab every summer, gathering the experience and predilection for the color white that would spur him through dental school.

Today, Doctors Napolitano and Merchanthouse lead a staff through restorative and cosmetic treatments to repair and enhance pearlies in treatment rooms fitted with cable televisions and iPod docks. Digital x-rays in those rooms expose patients to less radiation than conventional machines and enable the dentists to discover hidden problems almost instantaneously. Beyond cleanings and preventative care, the crew performs restorative procedures that leave teeth healthy and appealing in case the mayor forgets the scissors at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Getting the mind, body, and spirit to work in tandem can be a difficult task. That's why so many people turn to Dharma Healing Center's owner, Sandi Anderson, and her team for help. Using traditional Chinese medicine, yoga practices, whole-food nutrition, and bodywork including zen shiatsu massage, the healing center sets clients down a path toward healing. Treatments employ 100% organic oils and creams.

Opus Acupuncture believes in treating patients holistically, applying their expertise in Oriental medicine to assuage ailments without medications or surgery. Educating their patients about their health is important to them—a staff member sits down with each to discuss options, goals, and the intricacies of the stock market before beginning treatment plans. During acupuncture sessions, thin needles are inserted along the body's energy pathways in order to encourage blood flow and reduce tension.

When patients enter Coastal Medical of East Greenwich, they might think they're in the wrong place for a checkup. Rather than the barren walls and bland colors of a standard doctor's office, the practice channels a zen, spa-like ambiance: gleaming white furniture and oriental rugs offset sage-green walls, where framed art brushes windows that gaze upon the natural world and beyond. In this serene environment, a team of doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and renowned Operation players merge their diverse specialties to uplift patients' outer appearances and inner health. Together, they provide internal-medicine care along with specialty services such as cardiac care, nutrition services, and laser and electrolysis hair removal.

Fitness trainer Paul Dexter knows that actions speak louder than words. That’s why the former Bally’s Total Fitness director became nationally ranked as a natural bodybuilder, proving he had the goods to transform his body and the bodies of others. To give his clients a more personal experience, Paul left Bally’s and teamed up with his wife Laura to open Dexter Training Concepts.

Along with a team of certified trainers, Paul and Laura lead personal-training sessions that approach fitness using a three-pronged philosophy: strength training, cardio exercise, and nutrition. They put these fitness pillars into practice inside a 5,000-square-foot gym, which holds training sessions as well as yoga, Pilates, cardio-kickboxing, boot-camp, and aerobics classes. Free weights and machines occupy most of the gym floor, a juice bar fuels athletes in between sessions, and an onsite licensed massage therapist soothes aching muscles with practiced strokes and whispered sweet nothings.