Burlington Family Dentist That Loves Feedback
One day, a lady called my dental clinic in Burlington on a Saturday asking to be seen right away because of a severe toothache. I saw her that morning, face clenched with pain. One side of her face was swollen. As she was talking, I noticed her teeth were heavily stained by smoking. Her teeth were crooked and her gums were red and swollen. Upon medical history review, she was on antidepressants and a heavy smoker. She was in such immense pain, she had been using Aspirin on the tooth for weeks. Oral examination revealed a few missing and decayed teeth. There was definitely gum disease present with some wriggly teeth. A lower molar was found to have an abscess with swelling. The infection from the tooth and the inflammation in her gums due to gum disease were taxing her body’s immune system. The mediators of the inflammation in her mouth were likely creating secondary reactions in her other body systems.
The tooth abscess was removed on the same visit and the patient was encouraged to stop smoking. In the subsequent following weeks, she was undergoing meticulous teeth cleanings including scaling and root planing. Topical chemotherapy was applied into the swollen gums to help to fight the gum disease-causing germs.
Detailed explanations of the causes of gum disease and demonstrations of daily oral hygiene practices at home were provided with hands-on practice.
The chipped teeth and cavities were also fixed and filled with white composite resin fillings. She then went for a week’s vacation with her partner down south, somewhere warm and sunny.
When I first saw her in her follow up appointment, she gave me a big smile for the first time – showing pink gums and whiter teeth. She then quietly declared, with a spirit of proudness, that she had stopped smoking for about a week. Congratulations to her achievements, her commitment and her will power to quit. That will power all started from feeling well, and feeling confident about yourself. Now she is interested in maintaining the health of her teeth and gums, and eventually making her teeth look straight when she smiles. When I saw her last, her smile radiated with happiness and confidence.
Another patient of mine has been seeing me for a while, back when I was a dental associate at a dental clinic in Burlington. She sought me out after I started my family and cosmetic dental practice. I am so grateful to all of my patients who put their trust and confidence in me as their family dentist. I did some dental treatments on her like a comprehensive examination, X-rays, dental cleaning and prophy, white dental composite resin fillings, cosmetic composite resin bonding to make her canine look like her lateral incisor and her premolar to look like the canine on the same side, and even an extraction of a tooth that had not completely healed after root canal therapy by a therapist. Then one day, she decided to have the crown replaced because she was displeased with the shade, contour and the black line along the edge of the crown at the gum line. At that time, her health was not well enough because of her concussion, knee injury, and her ongoing battle with depression. Nonetheless, I embarked on the task to replace the crown with a temporary crown to achieve the optimal cosmetic result. After many appointments modifying the temporary crown based on her inputs and preferences (guided by my professional knowledge and recommendation), we were finally able to achieve the perfect crown. It wasn’t an easy journey, though. During those appointments, the patient felt very frustrated. She felt her medical conditions had exacerbated and did not talk and smile much at all. I could feel the tension in her during all those appointments. We finally got an acceptable look from the temporary crown I had been modifying. Then a definitive “permanent” crown called e.max made of lithium disilicate was made. After trying it in her mouth, the patient was not happy with the results. My ceramist from the laboratory was so patient, that we actually were able to modify the e.max crown again to achieve the most harmonious cosmetic look. After a few weeks of trying out the e.max crown with a number of adjustments to the crown, she finally felt the crown had met her demands. Her last two appointments with me, I could feel the sense of release in her. She was more energetic and talkative. She smiled a lot more than before and she was full of wellness after she got the e.max cemented.
Those cases taught me the virtue of empathy, listening to the patient and understanding what a patient wants. They taught me to treat a patient like the real person they are – not just another case.
We are a family dentist office in Burlington that employs a holistic wellness approach to your oral health.
If you need caring, expert treatment for a dental emergency or any other dental issues from a family dentist, call Affinity Dental Care at (289)-861-5111 to book an appointment.
