This blog is different from other our blog posts. It’s not about the latest dental topic, about a high-tech piece of dental equipment, or a lecture on how you should floss or get an annual cleaning. It’s about how we want to be your family dentist.
I had the pleasure of tucking our almost three year old to bed tonight. He was emotional, overtired, and irrational. But it’s bedtime and there is no negotiating. I picked him up, wrapped a blanket around him, and asked if he wanted to be put in his bed or snuggle for a minute. “Snuggle mommy” he says. How can you resist when he is your last? So we did. We sat there rocking for a few quiet moments as he wiped his runny nose, settled down his sobs, and wrapped those sweet, hot hands around my neck.
What does this have to do with dentistry? Why am I sharing these tender but trying moments as a parent? Because we all are either parents of small children, parents of grown children, or have parents ourselves, and life gets hard sometimes. We get wrapped up in those hard times, whether it is taking care of small ones, our aging parents, or just ourselves. We don’t think of what is best for our teeth, we forget, or gosh, we are just plain tired. Life happens.
Recently, our family pediatrician for our three kids decided to stay at home to spend more time with her family. While I completely respect and admire her decision, I can’t help but feel a sense of loss – both of grief and direction. This person, who has been with my children since day 2, has seen them grow from small 6-pound babies to spunky toddlers and elementary school scholars. We saw our pediatrician a lot over those early years. Yet as the kids get older, the checkups get less frequent, and our visits stretch to only once a year. As I held our almost three year old, I was reflecting on what how our upcoming annual visits would be different. A new person, someone who doesn’t know me or my kids. Someone who hasn’t been there from the start. I’m sure it will be fine, but it’s like starting over. I imagine that is what it is like for someone visiting a dental office for the first time. We are new to you, don’t know anything about you, and then we want to know everything about your mouth! Open wide and let us look in!
Our intention as your family dentist is to be here for you and your family. We attempt to bring honesty and compassion together into care that is best for you and your overall health. That’s why we take extra time to get to know you and understand your priorities at your first visit. Our goal is not to rush into things, but to let you know what are the options for the most comprehensive, yet conservative care that is best for your teeth and your overall health.
But we understand that you have a life outside of your mouth too. And we are here for you when your mouth needs help. If it’s an emergency - a throbbing tooth keeping you up at night, or when your kid takes a spill and you are not sure if it’s serious or not - call us! Dr. Farrow is on-call to take your questions or make arrangements to see you if you have a dental emergency.
Most importantly, we hope you feel like you have a dental home for your routine dental care. We strive to be an office and a team that you can trust and cares about you and your family. If there is any way that we can make your experiences in our office more pleasant, please let us know!