Mead Family Dental

What not to do.

Don't do this*.

Ever.

That is all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*If you already did, and something broke...we can help.  We see most emergencies immediately. Call us at (989) 799-9133 or email me at alan@meadfamilydental.com.

"No offense, but I hate dentists."

I hear this line at least once a week.  Really.  "No offense, but I hate dentists."  How could I take offense at that?  

My usual reply: "Perfect!  I hate patients, too.  Open wide."

I know, I'm making light of the way a lot of people feel about the dentist office.  Perhaps I shouldn't, but I've found that approaching patients with a sense of humor is usually helpful.  

So why would a patient "hate the dentist?"  Some associate the dentist with pain.  If you've ever had an abscessed tooth, who could blame you?  Others may have had a bad experience in the dental office that has been hard to forget.  Some people really don't like the way that anesthetic makes them feel.

Finally, dental care is expensive.  Anything that costs money that you would rather spend in some other way is expensive. Have you ever had someone trying to sell you a new roof or a dry basement try to explain to you how inexpensive their product is?  Dentistry is kind of the same way.  If you came into my office and said, "doc, I've got a bunch of money in my pocket that I don't know what to do with so I thought I'd have a root canal" you'd be the first patient that ever said that to me.

Any of these concerns is 100% legitimate.  So my job is to try to make you hate us less.  I have a few suggestions that might make coming to the dentist a little easier:

• Don't wait until something is broken or something hurts.  By the time it breaks or hurts it's going to cost more to fix (if it can be fixed) and has more potential to hurt.  Regular visits for checkups when you're not having troubles make it a lot easier to catch small problems before they become big problems.
• Dentistry has come a long way!  The way it used to be and the way it is now is a LOT different.  The needles are smaller, our numbing agents are better and our understanding of pain control is much improved!  If you haven't had work done for awhile I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.  I can't guarantee that there will be absolutely no discomfort but we're able to keep pain down to an absolute minimum.
• Tell us!  If you had a previous bad dental experience that information is really important.  If you tell us what happened to you before, we'll make sure we don't do it again.  For instance, I've had a patient tell me that her biggest problem with dentistry in the past was a feeling of claustrophobia because she was leaned back too far.  This is an easy problem to fix but we don't know if you don't tell us!
• Mead's rule.  There is never a time when we're working on you that we can't stop. In my office, the patient is in charge.  If you need me to stop, for any reason, I will.  Just raise your hand or let me know in some way.  Even if it's just to rest your jaw or take a deep breath.  There's nothing so important during dental work that we can't give you a break.  Even if you aren't in control of anything else in your life...you're in control when you're here!

 The goal of this Saginaw dentist is to turn "haters" into "regulars."  We do it by treating you like we'd want to be treated.  We'll greet you with a smile.  You can pick whatever TV channel you might want to watch.  Maybe you'd prefer to surf on your laptop or iPad.  We'll explain what we're going to do before we do it and we'll tell you how much it's going to cost before we start anything.  You're in charge and what you say goes.  I don't know if we can change "I hate dentists" into "I love visiting my dentist" but we're going to try!

Questions or comments about this blog?  Would you like to make an appointment?  Call the office at (989) 799-9133 or email me at alan@meadfamilydental.com.  I always answer my own email!

'Twas the Week Before Christmas

'Twas the week before Christmas with plans winding down.  

Not a dentist was working, it seemed, in our town.

 

The stockings were hung, filled with presents and more,

when Johnny first noticed a new canker sore.  

 

It was sore under his tongue and it hurt when he talked.  

A glass of cold orange juice made him sit up and squawk!  

 

He complained to his wife when she asked “what’s the matter?"  

After screaming and dropping his glass, which then shattered.  

 

The timing was awful with Christmas Eve the next day.  

How would he manage? Christmas was looking quite gray.  

 

She picked up the phone since she knew who to call.  

And she dialed Dr. Mead with no worries at all.  

 

Kathy picked up the phone with her usual cheer,

and let Johnny’s wife know “of course we are here!”  

 

“We’ve got some time open, right now if that works.”  

“Emergency appointments most times.” Oh my, what a perk!  

 

She let Johnny know and she gave him the keys.  

With a “put on your coat! It’s cold out..you’ll freeze!”  

 

He arrived at the office at a quarter past eight.  

Shelly told him, “don’t sit down...there isn’t a wait!”  

 

He walked past Sarah and Kristy and then he acknowledged, 

they were cleaning the teeth of some kids home from college.  

 

Shelly commented on Johnny’s new bright Christmas sweater, 

and told him she was sure we could make him feel better.  

 

Doc popped into the room, with his face full of hope.  

Then he looked at poor Johnny’s tongue with the new scope.  

 

Doc looked up at Johnny, ‘twas a smile that he wore.  

He said, “Johnny, what you’ve got is a plain canker sore.”  

 

“I’ve had them myself, I know what shape your in, 

but you can be sure we’ve got medicine.”  

 

“I know the pain’s big though the lesion is small.  

I’ve got just the thing.” as he grabbed some Debacterol.  

 

In a moment they were done, Johnny felt great relief!  

“I feel better already!” he said in disbelief.  

 

“You guys rescued my Christmas! I thank you so much!”  

Shelly said, “No problem. If you need us, be in touch.”  

 

He felt so elated! His dentist’s office gave him reason!  

They’re open regular hours all holiday season!  

 

We wish you a lovely Christmas and New Year!  

We want you to know that if you need us we’re here!

 

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at Mead Family Dental to all of you!  Enjoy your holiday festivities, but if you need us...we're here!

Murphy's Law, toothaches and hot air balloons

 Murphy's Law states that "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."  The dental corollary of Murphy's Law (a.k.a. Murphy's Law of Toothaches) is "if you're going to have a dental emergency it will happen on the weekend or when you're out of town or both."  

Last Friday I was working at the Midland office and had the opportunity to treat a patient with a toothache. Toothaches are incredibly common and the aforementioned Murphy's Law of Toothaches was in full swing. The patient was visiting the area from Georgia* to participate in a yearly local hot air balloon event in Midland.  He was the "crew captain" and was in charge of setting the balloon up and tracking it from the ground.  And, as Murphy would have it, he had a terrible toothache.  Tyler* told me that he knew he had tooth troubles and had plans to get some work done in the upcoming year.  

But then he took a trip to Michigan...and he didn't realize Murphy had decided to come along for the ride.  

Now I ask you...if you were a hot air balloon pilot would you want your crew chief distracted by a bad toothache?  I know I wouldn't.  

The story actually had a great ending.  We were able to diagnose and treat the offending tooth and Tyler was soon feeling 100% again.  In fact, he was feeling so good that he invited his dentist to go for a balloon ride later that weekend.  And I did.  

What's the moral of this story?  

• First, remember Murphy's Law of Toothaches.  If you've got teeth that you know you need some work...just do it!
• Second, if you do get in trouble on the road you can check out our Dental Referral Network to see if there are any recommended dentists close to where you're travelling.  Otherwise call our emergency line at (989) 488-7665 and I'll do my best to help you find help.
• Finally, I'm happy to treat dental emergencies and I'll never say "I told you so."  

Just remember when you're planning your next trip or vacation to make sure you don't accidentally invite Murphy along for the ride!

*names and places have been changed to protect the "toothachey."