
After moving to Portland from Cedar Rapids (and leaving behind a good dentist there) I have been dreading (and postponing) a new dental visit. A friend had referred me to Great Smiles Tigard, and though there were closer dental offices (some even right across the street from my neighborhood), I decided to give Great Smiles a try as my new "family" dentist. I made my appointment a few weeks ago, in person. When I first saw the office, I was impressed: the reception area is comfortable and cozy (gas fireplace and free coffee/tea/hot chocolate). It doesn't feel "clinical" at all. Then, when I first got there for my checkup, yesterday afternoon, I felt that things might not be starting out so well. First, the "new patient" forms seemed a bit hastily thrown together (stapled over some of the fields I would have to fill out), and the receptionist wasn't sure of my insurance covering new full x-rays. However, we were able to connect Great Smiles with my previous dentist (Cedar Rapids Smile Center, also highly recommended). My x-rays from Cedar Rapids were sent electronically, right away, saving us from having to do the full x-rays again. That was it for anything not going smoothly and well. From there on out, this was the most relaxed and comfortable dental experience I've ever had, despite being more than two years between exams. The dental technician is friendly and fun to talk to (and for once the side x-ray bite-thing didn't hurt in my mouth!). Dr. Sepehri's "chair-side" manner manages to be both casual and professional at the same time. The pre-cleaning exam she does (along with lots of "glamour shot" photos of my teeth and mouth) was the most thorough I remember ever having; it included (new to me) a cancer screening as well as checking not only my mouth and teeth, but also my jaw and my neck. I guess technology has gotten better too, because the tools they used to clean my teeth are a huge improvement over what I remember from other dentists; I am used to leaving a dentist with my mouth kind of aching from the teeth-scraping and such, but this time my mouth felt no worse off after leaving than it did before I got there. (Oh, and the "cotton candy" flavor fluoride stuff tastes just like marshmallows, if you like sweet flavors!) At the end of all of it, the receptionist sat with me to set up a follow-up visit to fix up a 30-year-old filling, and I got the requisite "goody bag" of toothbrush, floss, etc. About the highest praise I can give is to say I'm not dreading going to the dentist next time, at all. So yeah: "Whoohoo! As good as it gets!"
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