Suitland, MD Drs and Health Practioners

Founded in 1914, the original New York City location of Sterling Optical doled out frames amid the Ford Model Ts and paperboys that swarmed the city's financial district. The original band of eyesight experts weathered years of economic depression by impressing customers with speedy, full-service vision care, later launching a second store near Washington, DC. Today, a century of steady franchise expansion has given rise to almost 200 store locations in 23 states. Most locations continue the tradition of offering one-stop optical services, giving customers access to exams and onsite labs that manufacture glasses in one hour. The spectacle provider has been named one of the nation's leading franchises by Entrepreneur magazine.

An extension of Sterling Optical's nationwide empire of visionary clinics, the Hylan Boulevard location offers eye exams, designer frames, and prescription sunglasses under the direction of optician Renata Nannetti. Her thorough exams result in precise prescriptions, allowing lenses to be ground and fitted into designer frames from the likes of Prada, Bulgari, and Fendi. Contact-lens exams, meanwhile, measure sight spheres for a comfortable contact fit, and include a follow-up appointment to ensure visual acuity and to coach superheroes to quickly change out of the glasses of their alter egos.

Drawn by the holistic lure of chiropractic medicine, Paris native and owner Dr. W. Jean-Luc Sansfaute teamed up with an acupuncturist and a massage therapist to tackle ailments from all holistic fronts.

A wide range of spine-adjusting techniques allows Dr. Sansfaute to address both illness and physical pain, for which he offers immediate relief. Using a "whole-person approach" to wellness, he and his staff search for underlying causes of pain and help patients to adopt healthier lifestyles with nutritional counseling, corrective exercises, and trigger words that make them suddenly crave apples.

Dr. Vu Nguyen and Dr. Sam Masri are the leading men at the center. Both are certified acupuncturists who draw upon the power generated by their high fives for strength. Your visit starts with an initial consultation, where you can discuss your treatment goals for this ancient healing technique. After a comprehensive exam, your pinpointed relief begins. A master acupuncturist will use years of experience to seek and destroy ailments discussed in the earlier consultation, while improving overall wellness. The consolation and exam together take one hour.

DC Dental Spa's dentists and technicians restore teeth's snowy-white pelts with Colgate chairside teeth-whitening treatments that take just over an hour. Layers of pH-activated, 36% hydrogen-peroxide gel wash away stains, working quickly without relying on a UV lamp or the unsteady beams of a whitening flashlight. Technicians slather on gel in three 15-minute sessions, using gingival barriers to prevent splashing it on gums, then using suction and rinsing to remove residue. Afterward, teeth prove notably whiter when posing for family photos or growling at postmen the family dog has befriended.

Take care of your gums. That's one piece of advice from the staff at Universal Smiles DC. Gum problems can spread to the teeth and cause damage to the enamel, which could eventually necessitate extensive restoration or total tooth replacement. Although Dr. Bilal Ahmed specializes in prosthodontics treatments, such as dental implants, veneers, and crowns, he and his team would rather maintain teeth.

To ensure patients stay healthy, when crafting crowns, Dr. Ahmed fuses the porcelain with pure gold because gold is more organic and better accepted by the body and most monarchs than nickel, silver, or mercury. Laser gum treatments reduce the excessive bleeding often found with blade contouring, and digital x-rays cut down on the patient's exposure to radiation.

The staff also looks out for patients’ comfort with cable TV in every operatory. Patients waiting in the reception area sink into the pillowy depths of oversized plush chairs while snacking and sipping bottled water.