Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Tooth Truth

I broke a tooth last week. Bummer! (That one day after my car battery inherited a bad cell when I was out in the middle of BF Egypt visiting Curley. This called for a tow and a repair bill over $200.00)
So, this week I decided to call my dentist to make an appointment for tooth repair. I was told politely that Dr. H no longer had her practice in that office and that she had moved it to such and such town. (About 35 miles north of me.) The receptionist refused to give me a number where Dr. H could be reached, or the name of the practice or an address. She wasn't snarky about it, and I gathered that she had been told by her boss not to convey that information. After searching the internet for Dr. H, I located her new practice, new address and new phone number. I called and she could see me today.
She took one look at my tooth and said that I really needed a crown, but she could do a "buildup" and I could do the crown later on. I opted for that choice. So, now the tooth is at least fixed for a while, and I am $386.00 poorer.
Now, I know that I could have chosen to go to a dentist closer to home. Logic tells me that. But, over the course of years, I have had lots and lots of bad experiences with dentists, and Dr. H is the kindest, most gentle dentist I have ever gone to. She's young, vibrant and a wife and mother. She understands my fears and is tolerant of my having her stop what she is doing and letting me take a few deep breaths. She knows my fear of shots, and I sweat she can numb me and it doesn't even hurt. So, I want to stick with her. Besides that, she's just a good Christian person.
Going into her new digs was an experience, too. The place is new, beautifully appointed, and comfortable. The waiting room looks like a living room. The staff were so kind and welcoming, and when I left, they were encouraging me that all is not so bad. (When I am numb, everything seems out of sync.)
So, I will continue to drive the extra miles to a dentist who is willing to "go that extra mile" to make me feel safe and comfortable.

Still numb 4 hours later, but at peace,
JE

4 comments:

Mellodee said...

I have a Dr. H. too! She sounds much like your Dr. H. For those of us who remember the horror of dentist visits of 40 or 50 years ago (Oh Lordy!), going to the dentist now is more like a walk in the park in comparison!! The crummy thing is that when teeth get old they just start falling apart....no matter how well we try to take care of them!!

There is a new thing that reverses the effect of the numbing in about half the time. You might want to check into it with your Dr. H.

Curley said...

I am so glad that you were able to find Dr. H. I really liked her also and was saddened to hear that she is no longer in town.

Jimmie Earl said...

Curley, she was able to go down to only working 3 days a week (TU,W,FR) which gave her more time to spend with her little one. I think that's wonderful because, as we both know, our children grow up way too fast.
She would take you as a patient in a heartbeat, and I would be glad to chauffeur you there and back if you need to go. I have her # and address if you want it.

Dee said...

My husband would drive hours to visit the doctors he has had for ages...but with him getting sicker we had to switch to all new doctors to be close to where we now live...it was helpful that his primary care doctor and heart doctor recommended his new doctors. We still need to find a new dentist...the scariest of them all.