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Archives for April 2015

Dentist yelled at my daughter

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I took my daughter in for a tooth filling.  She got scared and started to inch away from him.  Rather than give her time or find out what the problem was he just yelled at her to sit still.  I  don’t yell at my daughter. I certainly won’t allow someone else to do it.  We live in a small town and there is only one pediatric dental clinic. There is another one 45 minutes away. I will go to that one if it is necessary, but wondered how important it is for a child to be seen by a pediatric dentist.  Is there a reason for needing one or is a general dentist fine?  I’ll do what is best for her. I just want to know my options.

Rachel E. – Virginia

Rachel,

I admire your dedication to your daughter.  Anyone willing to drive 45 minutes for their child’s filling to be done by the best qualified person is a good mama.

It’s not necessary for you to travel so far away to see a pediatric dentist, especially for such a routine procedure.  A general dentist is perfectly qualified to treat a child.  If there was some special procedure that required additional training, he or she could easily give you a referral to a specialist.

The thing you’ll want to be sure of is that the general dentist you choose enjoys treating children.  One way to check on that is to ask at what age they like to first see children.  If they say eight or nine, that would indicate to me that children aren’t their favorite type of patient. If they say two or three, you know you’ve got a winner.  You’ll also find that families find it very convenient to all go to the same clinic.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentist Dr. Raymond Bolt.

I wish I’d never gone to the dentist

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I just went to the dentist for the first time in years. It wasn’t as bad as I expected, especially because I used sedation, but whew! the amount of work he said I would need is unbelievable. I would have to use up my retirement to fix all of that. I almost wish I had never gone back to the dentist. I was better off living in ignorance.  My mouth felt fine.

Maisie L. – Baltimore

Maise,

I know you’re probably overwhelmed  by the amount of work your teeth need. Before you give up, let me help you understand an affordable way to get all your dental work done. Hopefully your dentist explained to you about phased treatments.

Have him or her list out the work you need, going from most urgent to least.  This way you can do the work as you can afford it, but at the same time you’ll be getting the important stuff done.

I know your mouth feels fine now, but if it is as bad as your dentist says, it won’t feel that way for long.  You’ll end up in pain before you know it.  At least this way, you’re heading it off.  I’m glad that sedation dentistry is working for you. I’d use it again with your other procedures.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentist Dr. Raymond Bolt.