I first went to see Dr Chester because I'm new to Bellingham, I had broken part of my molar, and my GP recommended him. Dr. Chester's waiting room and office are not physically that much different than what I've found at other dentists' offices, but visual appearances are where the similarities end. I felt as if I were being welcomed into the comfortable home of long time friends. Margaret and the rest of the staff demonstrated a high level of concern for any sensitivity or fear that I might have felt regarding dentists and dentistry.
Dr. Chester gave me the most thorough dental exam I've ever experienced (and I've been to a LOT of dentists as I've moved around a lot). He took the time to explain exactly what he was doing, and why...being a health care practitioner myself, I really appreciated this. He also presented me with a couple of different treatment plans that balanced what needed to be done with budgetary concerns. He had questions as to whether or not my broken molar was a viable tooth and suggested that we wait several weeks to make a final determination as to whether root canal therapy would be needed prior to restoration. I appreciated his caution -- and the waiting period. And in the end, several weeks later, we were both confident that the tooth was living and could be saved.
So, we went ahead with the repair by crowning the tooth, and this is where I was really impressed by Dr. Chester's skill, not only as a dentist, but as an artist (a combination I've never experienced in a dentist before).
Long story short, in one 2 1/2 hour session, (I take full responsibility for any extended session length, because my mouth has been historically difficult to numb), he completely did the job of prepping my tooth, creating a crown in his office, and installing it. Yes, he has some very high tech equipment, but I think it is the combination of his artistic nature and his knowledge of anatomy which allows him to use this computer assisted design program so well to sculpt the tooth. There was no need to wait the standard two weeks with a temporary crown in my mouth for the final crown, and it was virtually a perfect fit the moment he seated it in place (that's the first time that's ever happened to me).
I would highly recommend Dr. Chester and his crew to anyone!
P.S. It's now been 2 weeks since my crown was installed, and everything is doing great with it. I couldn't be happier and I'm looking forward to the repair/crown of another tooth in the near future. read more