Open Wide and Say Ahhh....

Oh wait...that is not the dentist. Well, open wide is but saying Ahhhh is not part of the routine in the dental chair.



Today was a routine cleaning with Stefanie at Hillcrest Dental.  I went for YEARS, and I do mean YEARS, without seeing a dentist because I was ashamed of my teeth, I always had a cavity or two or three that needed to be filled, and it just hurt.  It always hurt.  And the dentist always made me feel like I was neglecting my teeth and a bad person because I had bottom teeth that were not straight and the color was more yellowed than white.  

A few years ago I was having pain and some swelling in my jaw and I knew I needed help---dental assistance.  I had heard good things about Jack's dental practice, and I decided to call him to make an appointment.  The particular jaw pain and swelling at that time was not due to my teeth, however.  It was due to shingles which was an entirely different issue.  But he saw me, evaluated my situation, and made a plan to get me back to where I could smile without being ashamed.

Jack is a good guy.  He is a former student plus his family knew our family rather well. I taught with his mother.  His folks had their insurance with Siemens Insurance.  One of his sisters was the president of Student Council soon after I became the advisor. I like Jack and he likes me as well.  He takes good care of me and my teeth.
After the shingles episode and after several visits, my top front teeth were improved, the top right and left side of my mouth had been fixed, and a bridge had been placed on the bottom left so that I could chew comfortably there again.


Plus Stefanie became my hygienist and I really like her.  She and I chat, as much as possible during a cleaning, and she remembers that I used to teach at West Central and Ivy Tech, that we have four, now five, grandchildren, and that I lost weight on Weight Watchers.  She tells me about her boys and her husband.  Today we were chatting about possible Christmas gifts for her boys.

Part of taking care of one's teeth is daily brushing and flossing.  But another essential part is finding a good dental office with a dentist one can trust and a hygienist that is gentle and makes the patient feel comfortable.  Because of Jack, his assistant Andrea, and Stefanie, I have felt like I know how to take care of my teeth much better now.  And I enjoy going to the dentist and having a cleaning and a check by Jack to be sure everything is ok.

Today for the first time, probably in my entire life, I felt no anxiety at all because of my dental appointment.  What a great feeling!

I wish I had decided to visit Dr. Drone several years ago.