First and foremost, this is my first time being a patient at Gentle Dentistry, and I am going to be brutally honest with this review. As a first-time patient, I had never been to a dental office for a yearly cleaning and exam since July 2014. I was nervous because I always thought that maybe the dentist or dental hygienist would be brutal and judge my teeth for not keeping them as clean as possible. However, as a first-time patient and knowing a good friend whose relative is a dentist at this dental office, I finally got the courage. I took one of the biggest challenges and steps in my life and booked an appointment with them to check out any signs of damage or underlying conditions I may have had. Once I stepped into the dental office, I had many different and long conversations with the staff members, such as Kelly, Nicki, and Adrian, to slowly get to know the team and what I may expect during my visit. The staff members up at the front desk are some of the most welcoming people I have met in a long time since my last dental visit back in August-September 2023 when I went in for a consultation, X-ray (August 2023) and wisdom teeth extraction (September 2023). However, the staff members over at Gentle Dentistry were welcoming and positive. They told me that everyone is caring and non-judgmental, and they would help me receive the best dental care possible. The people who eased my anxiety the most I will say are Kelly, Adrian, Susie, and Jasmine, whereas Susie and Dr. Tong were my primary care providers for my dental cleaning and consultation. As a first-time patient, I received a special "New Patient Experience" that included a full x-ray of my teeth, a comprehensive exam, and a one-on-one Q&A with my dentist. The experience was not as intimidating as I expected. Everyone would always try to make my care as calming and relaxing as possible by offering me a blanket and a nitrous oxide mask to help ease my stress and anxiety in case I got too anxious. They also allowed me to bring a plushie during my dental cleaning, which was a thoughtful gesture that helped ease my stress and anxiety even more.
During my dental appointment, I received a thorough dental cleaning done by Susie with Jasmine as her dental assistant by her side to suction up the blood, plaque, and tartar off of my teeth as Susie was using a scalar to go under each and every gum and between my teeth to scrape and clean off every gunk under my gums and between my teeth. At first, I expected the cleaning to be painful and uncomfortable because I knew that the scalar would go under my gums and between my teeth, and the feeling would be painful. As it turned out, the cleaning and scraping was not too painful at all, mainly because I was using a nitrous oxide mask to control my breathing and helping me relax during the process, so it did not bother me or I did not pay attention to what Susie and her dental assistant Jasmine did in my mouth. Overall, the dental cleaning was not too painful and brutal as I thought it would turn out, but there were times I could feel the dental scalar digging into my teeth and did not know it would poke at my gums and between my teeth countless times (mainly because of how much plaque and tartar buildup I had in my mouth as it would "hurt" more). I adore Susie so much because she was very thoughtful and mindful that I was nervous for my first every dental cleaning that I have not had in a while, so she was gentle with my cleaning throughout the entire process. As a dental assistant, Jasmine was nice and she would do a one-on-one conversation with me to distract me from being scared or anxious. She told me what to expect during my cleaning and how my teeth turned out, most positively and honestly possible. As for Dr. Tong, I had a great conversation with him after my cleaning with Susie, and he told me what he saw on the X-rays that seemed concerning to him, but also gave me a ton of advice on how to improve my oral hygiene better and discussed many of the treatment options I will have to take to improve my smile and teeth. He also allowed me to express any concerns and ask any questions regarding my dental treatment plan and how often I should visit him to maintain my teeth and improve my oral health in great detail! I would love to have them again as my primary dental care providers every time I make any future follow-ups with them to improve my smile and get a thorough and gentle cleaning done on my teeth, as well as meeting all of the staff members as much as possible because they made my first ever visit with them the best I ever had in a very long time! read more
