Soft spoken perfectionist

Posted byMarySMon 9/14/2009

I was used to seeing the hygienist first before I ever saw the dentist. The hygienist checked my teeth and gums, took xrays, looked at them, then called the dentist. It was 45 minutes before I saw the dentist, who took the hygienist's report about what was wrong, and only then did the dentist look in my mouth. He checked me out for a few minutes and then told me he would be doing a filling or a crown on our next appointment. I saw the dentist for all of ten minutes. But it was quite different at Dr. Burns' office. He first introduced himself and we chatted for a few minutes, then he asked me what I had in mind for him; did I want just a check-up, in other words, I had no complaints. Or did I have a tooth or teeth that were bothering me, and, if so, how were they bothering me? Did I have cold sensitivity or did it hurt to bite on them? After an extensive interview, then he looked in my mouth. Then he ordered xrays, which impressed me. He ordered xrays based on what he saw in my mouth, not just some "routine series". After the xrays, which were digital, another impressive thing, he spent quite a bit of time looking at my teeth and gums, at my bite, checking my jaw joint, and my tongue and throat. He even took photographs of my teeth. Dr. Burns spent more time with me and told me more about my dental situation than any dentist had ever done previously. And I also liked his soft spoken manner. Some dentists I'd seen were more like used car salemen. MM