So I have a confession to make. I hadn't been to the dentist in 5 years.
Why would any sane individual with a great dental plan stay away.
Plain unadulterated fear.
To be brief - I had a dentist do something accidently 5 years ago that resulted in me becoming deathly ill and I missed a month of work and to this day still have pain every time it rains.
GOING TO THE DENTIST has been on my to-do list for the last 2 years. I decided with the New Year coming - it was smart to get checked out. I chose my new dentist off my insurance plan and by internet reviews. I called the staff at his office to "feel" them out. They were super nice and supportive when I confessed my absence and explained why.
The dentist's staff told me that they would only do what I wanted and if I was uncomfortable, tell them, and they would stop. My staff tells patients that all the time. We never force you to do anything that doesn't feel right. There are always other things we can do to get the results you want.
When I went into the dentist's office, I was greeted politely, and saw the dentist going back and forth hugging patients and bantering with them. I got a good feeling because he was "normal" with his patients. He spoke their language and wasn't stiff or pompous. Old school blues music was playing and I tried to relax.
I was taken back to the chair and was met by the EFDA (assistant to the dentist) who started to clean my teeth. I hadn't had any pain in starting the exam - but she identified some sore spots. Sometimes, when patients come in for their exam, they comment that areas I examine they didn't even know were sore. Places that are sore and stuck in the back are much like cavities. They are areas that are stuck and fixed. As a result, the spine that loves to move and bend, becomes less mobile and that makes the muscles mad.
Eventually, your body, much like a cavity, will deform or erode the bone and make it jaggedy (arthritis).
In this case, I had two bad areas.
And then she started the scraping. Darn, I forgot my earphones! There is not a sound that drives me more nuts that that! Ask my brothers who used to scrap those stone plates with a fork. My hair is on end just thinking about it. Had to do some self-hypnosis to get through that. Deep breaths. Why did I let her do something that clearly made me crazy? I know the benefit of it. Some of our patients do not like the popping from an adjustment - so we use devices like the Arthro-Stim or Activator. I wish dental assistants could come up with that but I knew my teeth needed it.
It was uncomfortable but tolerable and my hygenist was receptive to my pain.
When she was done - she shot some x-rays. Dentists have the ability to "see" cavities, and yet, they still do x-rays. We order x-rays in the office to see things we can't see in the spine. We can generally guess from feeling the motion in your spine or how pliable (squooshy) it is - but ultimately x-rays are a good idea.
So I got those.
The doctor came in - introduced himself and explained what was wrong with me. It turns out I have to go to an endodontist for a root canal for one tooth and the other he would fix within the next 6 months. I am to see him every six months for "maintenance." We recommend wellness in our office because "cavities" can develop with activities, holding kids, or just working at a desk repetitively for hours, day after day.
With a high-five - I was out the door, happy that I went. Who knew you could have a great time at the dentist? I'm sold!
If you haven't been adjusted in a long time, maybe its time. Call us today to make an appointment today. You'll be happy that you did!
BTW - My dentist was Dr. Joseph Spina and staff in Wayne, Pa. They rock! http://drspina.com/
