PITTSTON, PA--(Marketwired - December 06, 2016) - An oasis of calm in Manhattan. A day by the ocean in Dana Point, California. A walk through history in Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania. A sun-warmed glimpse of Pineapple Grove in Delray Beach, Florida.

Mid-winter vacation escapes? Only for those who consider a dental appointment a respite from reality -- or those patients who visit the award-winning dental practices of the 2017 Incisal Edge Design Competition as sponsored by Herman Miller.

Pablo Picasso once described the process of making art as "washing the dust of daily life off our souls." Dr. Carlos J. Huerta, as much as an artist with dentistry as Picasso was with paint or clay, uses artwork to "elevate the overall patient experience and ease anxiety," as he puts it.

The 1,239 -square-foot Manhattan practice, The Dental Boutique, certainly delivers. Bottom line: In the heart of bustling New York City, Dr. Huerta's office is an oasis of calm.

"Patients enjoy the same elements we enjoy," Dr. Huerta says of himself and his staff: the relaxation, the comfort and the art. The 39-year-old practitioner, who recently earned national recognition for outstanding dental practice design, is among dental and architectural professionals featured in the Incisal Edge winter edition as winners of the magazine's fourth annual design competition, sponsored by Herman Miller.

Annually, Incisal Edge, the leading lifestyle magazine for dental professionals, offers an opportunity for national recognition in outstanding practice design. The magazine's team canvasses doctors, architects, designers, and students for nominations across four categories, then turns it all over to the blue-ribbon panel of judges. This year's competition ran from July 25 through September 9.

Award-winning dental practices for 2017 include:

• New Construction Practice (Tie) - The Dental Boutique, New York, and Dr. Carlos J. Huerta
• New Construction Practice (Tie) - Dana Point Endodontics, Dana Point, California, and Dr. Daniel Boehne
• Repurposed Practice - Green Valley Dental, Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, and Drs. A.J. Giesa and Lisa M. Ciabattoni
• Specialty Practice - Young Dentistry, Delray Beach, Florida, and Dr. Marcie Young
• Design of the Future - Los Rocas Dentistry, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and Mandy Welman, Monica Wilder and Josh Diehl

Design of the Future category winners received a $3,000 purse. Four existing dental practices received an Aeron Chair valued at $3,000 provided by Herman Miller, a professional photo session for their practice and a plaque; all winners are profiled in the Incisal Edge winter issue.

To be inspired both aesthetically and dentally, view the winning practices in Incisal Edge magazine at: Incisal Edge, Winter 2017. Published by Benco Dental, Incisal Edge celebrates dentists' achievements both inside the operatory and during their hard-earned downtime. For additional information regarding the magazine, visit: http://www.incisaledgemagazine.com/

The competition's juried panel from the dental and architectural worlds included: Tristan Hamilton, DDS, M. ARCH.; Joyce Bassett, DDS, FAACD, FAGD, Phyllis Marshall-Rice, LEED AP, EDAC, and David Bishop, DDS. View their insightful commentary regarding this year's entries, and gain motivation from previous year's winners at: IEDesignContest.com

About Benco Dental
Benco Dental, headquartered in Northeastern Pennsylvania, is the largest privately-owned dental distributor in the United States, offering a full array of supplies, equipment and services to dentists across the nation. Founded in 1930 by Benjamin Cohen, the company has remained family-owned and focused on its unique mission to "deliver success, smile after smile."

Within the past 86 years, the company has grown from a single downtown location to a national network of more than 65 regional locations, five distribution centers, and three design showrooms. Those design showrooms, one at the company's Pa. headquarters, one in Southern California, and one in Texas, feature North America's largest selection of dental equipment and technology, as well as a hands-on dental design experience, to assist dentists in the planning and construction of a new office.

In addition to offering the market's broadest choice of equipment and supplies, Benco features a suite of innovative material management tools like Painless^®, its industry-leading on-line inventory management system, and BluChips^®, dentistry's original and most rewarding frequent buyer club. Through alliances with selected Success Services, Benco also offers practice coaching, continuing education, equipment financing, and wealth management services.

Benco, which has been named one of the top 20 Great Places to Work^® in Health Care in 2016, and Pennsylvania's Best Places to Work^® for 12 of the past 14 years, is proud to feature a highly skilled team of more than 400 professionally trained sales representatives and over 300 factory-trained service technicians. For more information, visit benco.com or call 1.800.GO.BENCO.

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