Monday, May 18, 2009

Brazen praise

There are some days you just have to brazenly, unabashedly praise someone. When there is a distinct antithesis and light and darkness are opposed you just gotta love the light, here is my attempt at just that. . .

My recent experience with Dr. Milner and the staff at Fibonacci Smile was a far cry from what you would expect from a typical visit to the dentist. I have a fear of the dentist, obvious from my first step into the office. My palms are sweaty and I have to sit down as quickly as I can before I pass out. I can’t look anyone in the eye with out crying. Needless to say my past experiences have been less than stellar (think concentration camp dentistry). This has caused me to wait too long to get needed work done and to skip cleanings all together causing things to pile up and get worse. What, it won’t just go away?!

When I came in to talk to Dr. Milner about a chipped tooth he carefully examined it and then ushered me into his office for a talk. He calmly reassured me that everything could be fixed and would look wonderful to boot. Then he asked me the hard question. What is the main reason that you have been reluctant to get this work done? Tears began to flow and my deep fear was revealed. He calmly and professionally assured me that I would be fine and would be taught how to take care of my teeth the RIGHT way and I would be given a fresh start.

My first step on my dental journey was to see Kelly the hygienist. But before I even got back for my cleaning and exam I was greeted by Patty’s cheerful smile and sweet reassurance that I would be taken care of and a wonderful paraffin hand dip! Kelly was on heightened alert due to my fears and was ready to put me completely at ease. She offered to let me use the nitrous oxide to calm my nerves. For a cleaning? I had never even thought of it! It was just what I needed. She talked me through everything and offered reassurance that things were not as bad as I had thought initially. When I left I was calm and filled with lots of info on taking care of my teeth and mouth more effectively. She was amazingly receptive to my millions of questions and answered them all easily. As I was leaving she walked me out and gave me a hug and a “have a great day” .

I then had my first big visit with Dr. Milner and Shery. They ushered me into the office. I sat down in the massage chair, for a full back and leg massage. I was given Ibuprofen before they started as a precautionary measure and assured if I needed anything stronger then Dr. Milner would call it in for me. They put a movie on for me, offered me nitrous again and Dr. Milner began. The injection techniques that are used at Fibonacci Smile made a big difference for me as well. Rather than a huge needle akin to those used in WWI they use a thin white unassuming ball point pen shaped injector with a small needle. Dr. Milner was calm, professional and always alert for any slight motion from me that I needed anything. I was asked numerous times if I was alright , if I was holding up ok or if I needed to get up for any reason. Just the thought that I wasn’t just patient number 561 to Dr. Milner was wonderful! A dentist that would rather stop everything to let me take a breather if I needed it! I didn’t know they existed. His smile and obvious love for dentistry put me at ease and I was able to know that he had it all under control and all I had to do was sit back and relax. This wasn’t my last visit but I was no longer trembling when I walked in the door or panicked when I though about the next time. And when I left my smile was *new* and beautiful! What a blessing. I will always recommend Fibonacci Smile to everyone I know in need of dental work or a cleaning or even just a day at the spa.

Thank you for an extra dose of confidence and a winning smile!

Jen Welch