Words cannot begin to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Donaldson and his staff for taking such wonderful care of me. To say that I’m deathly afraid of dentists is a complete understatement.
Having just moved to Ann Arbor from NYC, I was in search of a dental practice for my family. I stumbled across Donaldson & Guenther as I happened to be in the building for another appointment. I was immediately struck by Ann’s professionalism and kindess, not to mention the calmness of the office. I scheduled a cleaning for my husband and reluctantly, one for myself only after being assured by my husband that he didn’t feel a thing.
Surprisingly, I made it through the cleaning and was warmly greeted by Dr. Donaldson who went over what seemed an endless list of dental problems. I listened politely (terrified, honestly), all the while thinking there’s no way I’m ever stepping foot in this office again. I was sure that I could come up with some reason to avoid coming back.
Three months later, much to my dismay, a piece of my tooth chipped off and I thought, oh boy, this is it, my teeth are all about to fall out because I didn’t go back. I went back to see Dr. Donaldson who, again, very professionally explained the work that needed to be done and without judgement, listened to my fears. Dr. Donaldson and his staff showed such a true concern for my health and fears – I trusted them.
The morning of my appointment, I walked in and was greeted by warm smiles and was literally hand held through the entire sedation process. The assistants went over the process with me step by step. Dr. Donaldson went over the dental work with me and explained what and how I would feel. Despite being treated with incredible patience and compassion, I was still extremely anxious. I was given some sedation meds which I was sure wasn’t going to work since I felt fine, not a bit sleepy, wide awake and very aware about everything going around me. The assistants came in and tried to relax me, but my heartrate was sky high, my knees were shaking, and you couldn’t pry my hands apart if you tried! The last thing I remember is hearing one of the assistants telling me everything was going to be all right.
I was told I left the office around noon but I can’t really remember a thing. When I woke up later that evening, my husband told me Dr. Donaldson had called to check on me and offered some tips in the event that I had any discomfort, which I never did.
I have now undergone two dental appointments under sedation and this last appointment, without. Thank you, Dr. Donaldson, and your entire staff for your support and for giving me the confidence to have dental work done without the use of sedation.
-Janice
