When I was a small child, I had a butcher of a dentist, so I developed an irrational fear of them, and am extremely picky about the dental care I receive. I don't tolerate pain, and I like to be informed - not treated like a common rube. I have tried several dentists in the area since moving to Phoenix, so when I rate Dr. Ito and his crew 5-stars, that's a pretty serious thing.
I came here because I needed to have a crown replaced after it cracked in half. The staff here is very efficient - friendly but down-to-business, and in the 3 times I've been here, I've never had to wait past the scheduled time of my appointment. Michelle is efficient with paperwork and scheduling, and I've no complaints with the process whatsoever.
The rest of the staff is friendly and informative. I'm not a dentist or a doctor, but I'm also not a moron, so I like it when the hygienist explains what's going on to me, so I'm not surprised by anything, and so I can make my own evaluations of what's happening. Everyone here is very informative, and they let me know what's going on at every step of the process, and why.
As for Dr. Ito himself, he seems like a really nice, friendly guy, which is very strange. Most doctors I've met have some fairly strange personalities. I guess that goes with the territory of poking people with needles and scalpels and drills, but still - weird. Dr. Ito seems perfectly normal. I'm not going to say that he's not a real dentist, because he is, but if you were to pay an actor to pretend to be a dentist, you'd end up with something like Ito.
Finally, the most important part: The actual dental work. Ok, like I said, I'm not a dentist, but here's how you numb someone: You rub a little topical anesthetic on the gums where you're going to stab them with a needle. This is so that when you stab them in the mouth with a needle, it doesn't hurt like hell. Then, once the spot is numb, you pump them full of novocaine - a little first, then a bunch, and then they don't have to endure that exquisite pain of having the nerves in your teeth drilled away. Most dentists can't get this right. Dr. Ito did it perfectly. No pain whatsoever.
Additionally, a lot of dentists use a drill like they're working on a piece of wood or stone, just grinding away at you like hell until inexplicably they determine they've done enough damage and they patch you up. Not so with Dr. Ito. Even with my mouth numbed up, it was obvious that he was very intentional with his actions while using the drill. He's not just grinding a tree stump out - he's removing specific areas for specific reasons. That's a very different feeling from what I experience with most dentists.
Anyway, the joint is clean and quiet, and they have TV's if you want to watch those while you get worked on. I'm always too terrified to pretend to focus on anything else. The people are nice and they talk during their work to distract you a little bit, which is nice.
I'll be returning for regular checkups and maintenance! read more
