When I arrived in Seattle, it had been a while since I'd been to the dentist. I have an outrageous fear of the dentist that goes back a generation to the awful stories my told about military dental adventures in the 60s. SHUDDER!! Rather than go to the dentist, I would rather suffer in pain for weeks and tell myself that it is mind over matter. That worked for a while, but once the tears are involuntarily falling down your cheeks for days, its time to bite the bullet.
After an exhaustive online search and many phone calls to find a caring dental practice that had space to see me, I found SSCD. I came in for a consultation and the dental team made me feel at ease. They walked me through each step of what they wanted to do, and made sure I felt comfortable before they acted. Now I'm not talking about anything major, I mean they asked if it would be okay if opened my mouth and they could just look at it without tools. And then could they use the mirror. And then could they touch the tooth. And then....you get the point. By the end, it was clear I needed to come in for surgery the next day. They provided me with a magic prescription to put into "twilight" in addition to nitrous. They gave me careful instructions and made sure I had a loved one with me to take care of driving, etc. All went smoothly. The next day, the dentist called me personally to find out how I was doing and if their painless, memory-less dentistry had worked. Like a charm! Since that first visit to SSCD, I have exclusively seen them for all of my dental needs, and they have worked with me to get my dental fears under control. Even when I had a setback, they literally held me hand to calm me and make sure I was doing okay. I've had two crowns, several fillings and a multitude of cleanings and xrays, and through every single visit, they have taken great care of me. Additionally, I have not had a single problem with their acceptance of my insurance, even after I changed employers and had a carrier that didn't seem to be covered. Apparently, they have applied to that carrier so that my excellent care could continue with them.
I'd also mention that if you have a loved with an intellectual or developmental disability, this is a great place to bring them. They are especially set up to understand the challenges that may come with these dental patients. They have multiple options for sedation to make the person feel comfortable, and they really work with the individual and their care providers to make sure that things go well and that the fear factore is minimal. The lead dentists in this practice have all spent their careers working with special needs patients, and that includes use of ASL for patients who are deaf. What an amazing team of people they have to take care of ALL patients in our community. read more