I'm not one to write positive reviews for businesses that provide what they are expected to…read moreprovide. In my opinion, that just doesn't warrant a written review. However, in this instance, my experience with the staff of Iowa Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons in West Des Moines deserves high praise, in this format, for their exceptional standard of customer service. Actually, customer service is an inadequate term. Customer care is more precise.
For starters, when I broke my tooth on a popcorn seed, my dentist referred me to an oral surgeon on Ingersoll in Des Moines. And they were ... awful. They are cold. They are rude. They are all about the money. And they don't hide it. I left there $175 poorer (for the privilege of a brief audience with a surgeon who dictated what he would and would not do), and petrified to return. That's when I turned to Iowa Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons.
The receptionist who answered my call at Iowa Oral was kind, calming, supportive, knowledgable and above all, patient. She (I wish I knew her name) played a key role in guiding me through the process of selecting a surgeon and scheduling the procedure. When that call ended, I felt so much better about my circumstances. The worry was gone. My mini crises would soon be behind me.
I met my surgeon for the first time, Dr. Brooke Sunstrum, on the day of my procedure; a tooth extraction. From moment one I knew I was in the right place and in the best possible hands. Dr. Sunstrum, without sounding like a Hallmark greeting card, is the embodiment of sunshine. When she enters a room, she fills it with vivaciousness. She is personality plus. She is caring. She is knowledgable. She is skilled. And she has a bedside manner I've not seen in other medical professionals (with the exception of my dentist, Dr. Chris Cowherd, who is also the best of the best).
I have a medical condition (my heart) that makes surgery sedation risky. Dr. Sunstrum, who was aware of this, took every precaution possible. She and her team had me hooked up to heart monitors, machines that took my blood pressure every minute or so, an IV drip and a device that constantly checked my blood oxygen. And ... she was ever present with her stethoscope. Before I went under, I thought back to the words the receptionist had said to me: "I would trust Dr. Sunstrum with my family."
The outstanding level of care didn't stop there. When I "came to" in the recovery room, I was met with a team of nurses and doctors who were aware of my return to consciousness the moment I was aware. They could not have been nicer or more attentive, going so far as to tease me when I stretched my arms outward to test my mobility. "Are you seeing things?" a male surgeon jokingly asked, which made me laugh. My procedure was officially behind me. And it felt good to laugh. Much to my amazement, I was pain free. Dr. Sunstrum saw to that.
Once home, and hours after surgery, I was slightly uncomfortable at best. I followed Dr. Sunstrum's instructions for pain management and wound care, and am now healed (almost) and without a single complication.
Before I sign off, I want to tell you why I wrote this review. The evening of the surgery, I received a call from Dr. Sunstrum. She called to check on me. She wanted to make sure I was okay and did I need anything. I was completely taken aback.
I can't tell you how many times I have left word with Unity Point doctors, asking for a conversation, only to be ignored or handed off to a nurse.
I was and am beyond appreciative and touched by Dr. Sunstrum's genuine care for her patient (me). And I will do everything I can to convince my dentist to refer his patients to Iowa Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons' star surgeon.
