How long has it been since your last teeth cleaning? I always seem to forget to follow through on my pre-scheduled appointments. I think the last one was right as COVID shut the world down and I wasn’t entirely comfortable. Then I became a bit preoccupied with being diagnosed with sudden sensorineural hearing loss and Meniere’s Disease, so rescheduling a trip to the dentist wasn’t top of my mind.
Excuses aside, I’m committed to making 2021 the year of self-wellness—in the sense of getting on top of all the preventative health screenings. I think suddenly losing my hearing in my right ear forced me to do as much as I can for my health that is within my control. Something like going to the dentist is certainly manageable, right?
It started with getting text and email reminders from my current dental practice that I was overdue. I ignored them for a while, but when on vacation in May, I received another alert to schedule soon. I thought about it while lying on the beach, but realized I didn’t like that I had seen about 5 different hygienists and dentists at this practice. There really wasn’t anything keeping my loyalty to schedule with them again. So, I searched for other clinics in my hometown while listening to the waves crash. It’s funny, the things you can be productive in while out of office!
I came across Park Dental and already knew they had several locations in the Twin Cities. The website made it super easy to book as a new patient online. I found the office nearest to me and put in my request. The next day, I received a phone call to schedule the specific date and time. A link to some forms to obtain past dental records was also emailed to me. It was an easy and seamless process.
At my appointment, I had some X-rays taken, the dentist saw me and gave me the news of no cavities! I was surprised, as it had been two years since my last visit. We talked through things I keep at bay, like the teeth grinding and TMJ, and some slight tooth sensitivity. The delivery of things I could work on, such as getting an over-the-counter mouth guard and flossing more often, were not lecture-y. I also wasn’t pressured to do a complete jaw reconstruction surgery as I had been in the past by other providers. He met me where I was about these things and gave guidance in a relatable, human way.
My hygienist and I hit it off—and I actually look forward to chatting with her again! We talked about how much vertigo sucks and she was incredibly empathetic. I appreciated how gentle she was in all the scraping and poking at my teeth and gums. The best part? She didn’t give me a hard time for not getting a cleaning sooner. She actually said most people she has seen lately are an average of two years, too. Bonus is that she also put on a little desensitizer which solved the issue of a bit of tooth “cold ouchness” I was concerned about.
I scheduled my regular six-month check-up on the spot and am excited to keep up the routine of this important preventative care at Park Dental. It was a fantastic experience and I highly recommend Minneapolis-St. Paul locals stay on top of their oral health with their care!