Update 7-17: When I first posted this a few yrs ago, I was so happy! Then, I stayed at the practice... & I wish I could give 10 stars! While I haven't been in, in the last few months due to multiple other surgeries, I know my at-home oral health care is terrible (sleeping tons, lots of meds, etc. In all my visits, they've quietly gone about fixing things that shouldn't be getting worse. They never make me feel guilty or shame me.
I continue to take my whole family there & love they embrace technology, with a single, gentle reminder text our checkups are due. My large family can't schedule appointments six months out w/reliability, so I really love it! My boys LOVE going to the dentist! As a once-scared lady who has felt the pain of aversion, I'm thrilled!
I still feel guilty about the day my sedation failed & I was uncharacteristically (& groggily) rude to the staff because they are still so nice! :)
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Original review:
Ah joys of dentist terror. I have it. As a strong woman, I quiver at the thought of a dentist. Part of it is because previous dentists did great damage w/not a lot of fixing. So time passed & I was certain I needed thousands in dental work because of prior bad work & my aversion. I found Chamberlain. I didn't want to go, but I was unable to eat most things due to pain. After consult, not only was I shocked that the plan I'd been looking into wasn't necessary, but my total was far cheaper than I expected. Instead of taking my money for unnecessary things, Dr. C explained why I didn't need it. That meant a LOT to me.
Staff is very caring & sensitive to different aspects I feared. We tried IV sedation but I'm one of the tiny % that it didn't work. I gave them a hard time, fussing, semi-consciously fighting in my "stupor" from meds & they never held that against me. I was so worked up that when sedation failed, I wasn't the nicest person. The staff didn't give up on me. They didn't say "Welp, sorry, can't help you, find another". They worked to find a combination of oral/gas so I could at least try to control myself and "struggle" through it. I rescheduled they took things at MY pace - how refreshing! It wasn't "rush rush" get them in, get them out. They asked me questions to ensure I was calm, out of pain & testing areas they would do the work in. I was weepy, but not in ANY pain for the first 1/2. They continued to take a few seconds break, check on me & give me breaks if I started to get worked up.
About 1/2 done, I was given another oral med to keep nerves in check, gas back on & the instant I felt anything, they were on the case w/more numbing medication, they didn't try to finish quick, they focused on taking pain away. Even w/all this assurance & care, we finished what we needed that morning! In fact, after the worst part of it was over -cutting out old crowns- I think I feel asleep during the procedure on my own anyway. The 2nd half, which included an extraction, I found myself giggling at me. I knew I was going to be in pain, I knew what was going on, but the combo they found for me - I "just didn't care" about anything in the moment... and it made all the difference. As a musician, I fake played the piano on arms of the chair because the combo of meds had me only able to focus on 1 thing at a time, so I began to focus on music and I would forget they were there.
With their dandy mouth opener, that did triple duty as suction and tongue holder, all I had to do was sit. The staff continued to be amazing and professional, but empathetic to me & my unique situation. I finally have a practice to call home & immediately signed up the rest of my brood.
Don't hesitate. This isn't an "average" practice. They are better, greater and they all want to be there. Even after hours, in case I have issues w/major work, no generic subcontracting to some unknown to call for problems to tell you to wait until later. You're their patient, through & through. It shows in how they handle patients from billing to scheduling to cleaning to work done and back home again.