Hi popo, I wanted to send you an update on what you advised me to do a few months back about my mom (who has dementia, and whose dental records we could not find.) Very good outcome.
My niece has just become a licensed Dental Assistant, and in a most wonderful turn of events, she has procured a part-time/temp job situation in one of the most reputable dentists in our county, mostly because she did her internship with them and they liked her. There is a potential that she will go on board there when another DA leaves in May.
Anyway, I made an appointment with this dentist office, and they treated my mom like gold. Of course, my niece was there, and I could tell their office atmosphere is very genial and open. The dentist called me back after x-rays and an initial exam on my mom and explained that she had a filling missing, and it was a massive one at that (about half of her tooth!). He said he could do a crown, but that it was expensive, so the cost had to be weighed. He offered to put in a (ok, here's where I didn't get it all) sort of a temporary filling like thing that would stay in for quite a while. He was also talking to my niece at the time, and they were all "dentisty-talking" and so I relied on my niece for an interpretation. She explained that this "temp" filling like thing would be good for a good while, at least until my mom could save some money to get a crown if she wants. Maybe even up to two years.
The dentist was one of the partners, and the head partner even came by and examined my mom and her x-rays and introduced himself and was very nice. Everyone was just great. We scheduled a cleaning for here in about a week.
The great thing - they refused to charge my mom for the visit. They said that she was my niece's grandmother, so they would not charge her, even for the materials of the super wonderful goop they put in her tooth.
My mom still remembers this, even with her dementia. She mentions it at least once a day.
God bless good, kind dentists!
