Dallas is a town big enough to hold a bank-full of smarties and swindlers, altruistic geniuses and marketing misfits...all who want your buck - for better and/or worse reasons.
When you try to find a great doctor in a major metro, specifically dentistry, it's easy to feel pulled in multiple directions. At your fingertips are a variety of styles of practice - following are examples of key groups:
Modern Glam
Decor: Contemporary furnishings, indoor fountain, expensive graphics or "art the doctor collected on his most recent trip to the Maldives." A hedge fund office is located next door.
Bedside Manner: Once you get over the movie quality of the dentist's smile, his really expensive bedazzled jeans and obvious workout regimen, who remembers? You forget to mention the awful ache in your incisors. Thank goodness, they find the culprit on the Super Duper X-Ray.
My Question: Does complimentary Botox come with my dental cleaning and exam?
Andy Griffith
Decor: More faux wood paneling than the Brady house, liberal use of brass, carpet is pancake-like in color and texture; everything smells slightly of moth balls and mint. So, it's like your grandmother's, and, therefore, oddly comforting when you think of having your mouth drilled.
Bedside Manner: They focus on actual dental issues - i.e., teeth whitening isn't considered mandatory. Flossing is.
My Question: Can I have a cookie when we're done? I know they're homemade.
Dockers
Decor: Browns, greens and burgundy, English-y hunting prints on the walls, polyester fabric sofas and fake flower arrangements. Kind of 'your parents' home in the 80's.' You can't help but look to see if the arrangements are dusty whilst you fill out your patient information form.
Bedside Manner: Overly tanned receptionist with can’t-miss-it boob job mis-pronounces your non-challenging name. You are annoyed, until you realize she is the dentist's wife. Learning this converts you to fascinated and, yes, once again contemplating the near-term destiny of the natural cup size in your own life.
My Question: I know that I know that I know that these people won't hurt me, but do they have the latest technology and therefore greatest chance of producing results that will cause men to confuse me with Heidi Klum?
I confess that, going through a divorce in 2009, I fell for an 'all hat – no cattle' glam-o-rama dental practice. They had nice branding, and, unlike most in the medical field, had opted for a catchy name, rather than using the lead dentist's first and last. They had invested in a complete marketing campaign. This appealed to my years in advertising. They even had an attractive, 40-ish dentist at the helm, complete with gorgeous wife and children featured prominently in their marketing. It was 'Ed Hardy meets Dallas zip code 75205.' (At a time when both were experiencing a zenith of desirability and premium pricing.)
I wanted these sexy practitioners of the Great Oral Cavity to give me a smile that would cause Christian boys to involuntarily utter "damn!" and women to grimace with unmitigated dental jealousy. I wanted to be asked about my teeth like a girl in a staid law office is questioned about her new pair of Louboutin stilettos. Really - I wanted my smile to cause males to do a swift double-take when passing me on the street - I wanted to spot, out of my peripheral, their girlfriends land Punches That Bruise on these boys, just for oggling me and my beautiful...smile.
Problem is, Grandmaster Flash, aka: the expensive, glossy, billboard riding, mod dentist - never did show! Really - I was there TWO hours the day of my appointment, and he didn't so much as pop in for a howdy-do. Someone mentioned that he was 'in the office' and 'very busy today.' OK, I get that. But I had this deeply etched feeling that had I been a star - a pro athlete, a well-known model, an actor in a current series, or a restauranteur of note - well, I just knew that he would have plopped his well-toned behind onto a swivel seat next to me and chatted about my mighty fine molars. But no...
Instead, I met with a technician or two (one who forgot to apply the essential UV protection glasses until well into my UV-heavy Zoom Whitening treatment - aaack!). She did remember, however, to tell me that this was her first week at this dentist's office, and didn't seem very happy to be there. Or, maybe it was just me. That is, me and my vibe of "I hope I see the dentist sometime soon." Maybe that had her happiness dial turned down. Regardless, my eyes twitched for 2 weeks following the not-so-safely administered Zoom Whitening treatment, and a dental assistant recommended BRACES as a long-term plan to fix my chipped tooth. Okedoke. We're done there. Forever and ever.
So, recently, needing a new dentist, I asked an intelligent, stylish Dallas couple I adore who it is that they go to - goodness, the fail-safe "trusted friends" recommendation idea! Why had I dallied so long?
The three of us were having sushi at Kenichi. And it seemed that their enthusiasm for their dentist had absolutely nothing to do with the deelish sake we were enjoying. They spoke not only of the doctor's greatness, but also of the friendliness of the entire staff, particularly a dental hygienist named Ann Marie. Well, as I'm all about customer service (it's where I most "Type A" - out), I was intrigued. A dentist you actually enjoy going to? The husband handed me his "next appointment reminder" card from the dentist’s office, containing essential contact info. I put it in my purse.
And then I stalled.
I recently had eye surgery. What if I experienced yet another UV light hazard/injury? What if I didn't like the office as much as my friends do? Awkward! What if we found I have a horrendous cavity because I've waited so long between check-ups? Grrrrr.
Then, more recently, I bit down on a roasted (read: not super crunchy) almond, and it hurt. Soon after, even popcorn became an offender. Drat. Popcorn is SOFT. This could mean a drill was in my future, and a root canal if I stalled much longer. And did I mention my teeth's new sensitivity to hot and cold?
I made an appointment.
I cancelled it. Had a bad day with my eyes healing. Freaked out.
Waited three more weeks.
Made another appointment, for the very next day at 730am. I didn’t want to give myself time to chicken out again, nor allow this owie in my mouth an extended opportunity to really kick me in the pants at some nice dinner or on a date.
I'm late to the appointment. By 10 minutes. And I haven't yet had coffee. I am slightly disoriented, and, I realize later in the bathroom mirror, I am puffy. I check in with Linda, the very kind, even-early-in-the-morning receptionist, who also booked my appointment. She asks if I remembered to complete my paperwork online. I had completely forgotten. I can feel the woman seated behind me in the waiting room choke back a slightly triumphant, catty-snarky chortle. Why are some people like that? Can't they get enough satisfaction regarding the challenges others face by shoving their noses a little deeper into the People Magazine on their lap? Must this woman direct her weirdness toward me at such an early hour?
Linda, however, is very forgiving. "No problem," she tells me with a smile, and hands me the info sheet to complete. I plop down on the very comfy sofa and begin to, in sleepy handwriting but with great speed, complete the two-page form. (Snarky is now seated across from me. I console myself with the fact that I think I look better than she does without make-up. We are both fresh-faced at the moment, and I need to silently retaliate. I'm tired, but I will not be beaten.)
Less than 2 minutes after I turn my paperwork into Linda, I'm greeted by Ann Marie, the dental hygienist. She is Super Nice. After a few minutes of chit-chat and reviewing my dental goals for the day, she begins the cleaning. Very soon thereafter, I relax. Ann Marie puts the softest of washcloths over my post-surgery, still sensitive eyes, to shield them from the examination light. The floss she uses in cleaning my teeth is so thick you could pull a boat with it – I tell Ann Marie this, and she laughs – but she doesn’t hurt me with that crazy cleaning rope. Rather, she is gentle and incredibly knowledgeable (she, when I asked her, told me the exact technology and science involved in an x-ray. Super cool.) We both hum to James Taylor piped in on the sound system as she cleans my teeth. She does a Great Job. My teeth feel amazing, and my heart is happy.
I am then escorted by Sandra, a warm-spirited technician, to an examination room. I'm told the dentist will be in to visit with me in just a moment. And he is! We talk about my various dental concerns for a FULL 25 MINUTES! He is brilliant. Kind. A great listener. He doesn't want to drill on me until he's investigated another potential cause for my pain. Can you believe it?
All the while, Sandra, the technician, has been taking notes on the dialogue between the dentist and I, and, specifically, instructions for what is to be done on my next visit. This place is SO organized.
The dentist then bids me goodbye and exits. Sandra tells me how much this doctor is into education, how he doesn't come up with bogus, short-sighted solutions to patient problems the way other dentists often will, and that when something is beyond his scope, he will refer out. I like all of this.
I am led by Sandra to the check out counter. There is Linda. Smiling and ready to go with my info. I pay (they take American Express – I love it – am earning Reward Points for my willingness to relinquish tartar build-up!), and I make my follow-up appointment for next week.
I'm out of there. I say a little prayer to God for the incredibly positive experience. I feel good about my new dentist.
Did I mention the decor? It's fine, but who cares.
My take-homes for finding a great dentist:
- Ask smart folks you know whom it is that they see, and why they like this person.
- Don't let smooth decor and slick marketing fool you. Less is often more, you know. Wait ‘til I tell you about my chiropractor. Another tremendously gifted doc flying under the style radar.
- Commit only to a cleaning and a meeting with the dentist on your first visit. Make sure you really feel comfortable with the dentist before you schedule anything as serious as a cavity filling, root canal or veneers. It's remarkably more difficult to change your mind once they have you sedated, my friend.
- Trust your gut. If you're sitting in the chair and you just don't feel right about the place, the person with their hands in your mouth or anything else – grab your cell phone and tell them you must leave – right now – and go. Really, they'll get over it. Every time you honor your instincts – even when it's a little odd-seeming to others – you win.
- If you have a number of issues to address with the dentist (I had four), make a list to ensure you cover them all. The folks in the office will appreciate your thoroughness, and you will leave feeling more certain that you got your money's worth in time and answers.
If you live in Dallas and want to duplicate my success, see Dr. Dale Greer.
His office can be reached at 972.233.4546.
Photo by George Marks/Retrofile RF/Getty Images
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