I've lived in Franklin much of my young life, and I have been going to this office since my very…read morefirst tooth cleaning, when the practice belonged to Dr. Walsh (who was amazing). Dr. Smyth has been there just as long and has been working on my teeth for a long time as well.
So the last time I went to the dentist was three years ago. I brush 2-3 times a day, use mouthwash, and floss when I remember. I started feeling this excruciating pain in the bottom left side of my mouth two months ago, and after suffering for a few weeks, finally bit the bullet and made an appointment.
I met with Dr. Abernethy, who I'd never met before. Let me tell you, she is the nicest woman ever. Let's face it, people usually hate dentists, because they're usually hurting you with those little metal hooks when you see them. But Dr. Abernethy was so awesome, try as I might to hate her for scraping my teeth with what looked like an ice pick, I could only feel mildly annoyed.
It turned out, my love for all things chocolate (ooh, that chocolate mousse from La Voile) or just for sugar and carbs for that matter, completely rotted out my teeth. Seriously.
So I scheduled an appointment for a week later to get some fillings. The reception staff are all very friendly and keep things running smoothly. I arrive for the appointment, and she got started :(. All in all, I received three new fillings and she removed and repaired an old one that had broken (thus the horrible pain that sent me to the dentist to begin with). The procedure was fine, I am terrified of needles, especially the huge Novocaine ones, but the doctor and her hygienist (also a sweetheart) talked me through the whole thing. She started drilling (my favorite part) and I was surprised I couldn't feel anything. My previous experience with dentists and fillings have all been negative, I could feel pain the entire time. Not the case here. It was comfortable, Dr. Abernethy made sure I wasn't in pain at all and described to me exactly what she was doing each step of the way.
About an hour later, I emerged with a mouth full of fillings. They healed fine, I had minor discomfort later on when the Novocaine wore off, but nothing severe. I was pretty much up and running immediately after (which again, in my previous experience, getting a filling would have effectively ended my day).
I returned again a week later for them to work on the right side of my mouth. This time, I got four new fillings and she removed and repaired an old silver one. Again, I was impressed at how smooth the procedure went. The doctor told me afterwards that in a few of the teeth, the decay was so extensive she was nearly at the nerve when she was drilling. Still I only felt very very minor discomfort (and strangely, not caused by the drill, caused by the filling material which stung a bit).
I have to go back one more time to get one or two more this week, however will expect the same high quality service as the past two visits.
Dr. Abernethy is almost too nice to be a dentist. I wanted to talk to her during the appointment, but couldn't with my mouth full of tools and whatnot. She is a professional with a sense of humor who is really, really good at fixing teeth.
Also, this office accepts most dental insurance. I personally have Blue Cross-Blue Shield, and while I do expect to have to pay a little bit for all the fillings, I don't imagine it to be too extreme.
