Open Wide!

Of anyone I know, I've got the worst teeth. And, unfortuantely for me, I've also had the worst experiences with Dentists. Now, I'm not just talking about the pain. After 7 root canals, and 6 crowns, what is a little shot in the mouth and some drilling? I'm talking about shaddy dentists who try to rip you off and who horrible work. Not cool.

In Bryan, we only had one choice of dentist connected with our insurance. He gave me the creeps and charged incredibly high rates for common procedures. Not to mention the uncommon procedures that my mouth required. He gave me a dental plan that included 11 root canals and crowns--at $1,100 a piece. I think not. Money talks, and to me, that price says "Gee, looks like I'll lose all my teeth before I pay that price." I only had a few procedures done by him before we moved and I began the fun hunt for a new dentist.

I asked for recommendations this time. Anybody I trusted I requested who their dentist was. And, once again, our insurance was the limiting factor as all of the good, reccommended dentists where not covered with our plan. I went with one of those big chain dentist companies, and once again, not so good.

I would wait in the waiting room for an average of 3 hours each appointment. They would work up these intense treatment plans which required multiple visits and thousands of dollars. When part of my tooth chipped off while I was pregnant with Josh they told me I would need 2 root canals, 3 crowns, and a bridge. $3,700 dollars, no payment plan available. I told them I would wait.

Then our life spiraled out of control and my little chipped tooth was the least of my problems. When Mike got his job, we were extra careful as we reviewed the dental plans. We were picky and made sure we were happy with our choice. When my crown fell off (one which was put on by doctor #2 only 4 month previous), I was determined to find a good doctor, no matter what. I took recommendations from people I trusted and decided to try Dr. Hansen. My parents doctor, who they loved, wasn't on our insurance (of course), but Dr. Jeff Hansen had been in their stake and had done some work on my Grandfather. He was fabulous.

My first visit was great. He fixed my crown, even though I was only 4 weeks away from delivering, and we set up an appointment to work up a treatment plan after Josh was born. His nurse told me to be prepared...he was conservative with the amount he charged and with the treatments he recommended. Perfect! Just what I needed.

I just got another crown done--this time to fix my chipped tooth--and, surprisingly, that chipped tooth didn't require a bridge. Shocker. And did my treatment plan require 11 root canals and crowns? No siree bob. One crown, to fix the chipped tooth, and one cavity. That's it. Everything else, Dr. Hansen said, "Why fix it when it's not broken." There may be a day when other things will be required...I'm going to plan on it and we've been putting more money away for that time, but as for now, I'm good. And I love it!

So, the point of this LONG post...if you need a dentist, I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Jeff Hansen. He's in Syracuse, but after my experiences, I'll drive an hour to go to a dentist I trust. Let me know if you want his info...He's fabulous!