I had become shamefully negligent in my regular trips to the dentist. Aside from the embarrassment of not going for so long, I fretted over what a dentist would ultimately find once I finally did go back. I was assigned to Sunset Plaza by my current HMO. I fully expected a frustrating experience with curt receptionists, discourteous hygienists and an uncaring dentist. Because I had an HMO, I didn't expect them to do much more than "examine" my mouth and give me a rundown of the thousands I would have to pay for procedures I would need, given my lack of regular visits--deep cleaning, root canal, extractions, you name it, I thought they'd suggest it.
I was surprisingly mistaken on all accounts.
Everyone (from the receptionist, the hygienists and dental assistants, to Dr. Ghasri) was extremely pleasant and very focused in making me feel relaxed and comfortable. They took a full set of X-rays, which is fair given it had been an extremely long time since I'd seen a dentist. Dr. Ghasri politely talked me through the three cavities, showing them to me on the X-rays and pointing one of them out in my mouth. They didn't attempt to upsell me on unnecessary procedures. They even managed to fill the cavities and give me a thorough cleaning THE SAME DAY so I wouldn't have to make another appointment (another thing they could have attempted to upsell me on but didn't). The receptionist came in and explained to me exactly what my HMO would cover and what my cost would be that day... and it was a lot less than what I had expected. The procedure itself was painless, and Dr. Ghasri was continually asking me if I was okay.
All in all, it was an incredible experience. And yes, I will gladly return in June.
