I Love Being a Dentist!

A letter from Dr. Landeros to present and future patients

It’s no secret people tend to have anxiety about visiting a dentist. We have actually touched base with this in two of our past blogs, “Debunking Common Myths & Fears,” and “Linda Guerra Hygienist.” We’re wanting to validate patient’s anxieties because avoiding dental hygiene due to fears might prompt unfortunate and sudden dental emergencies that could be prevented.

We promote a comforting atmosphere so patients feel at ease. It’s important for all of us to ease your jitters so that you can feel confident in both your smile and your experience, leading you to schedule regular dental visits. Recently a person visiting us who hadn’t been to the dentist in 15 years said that her visit with us was totally different from her last one where she felt the dentist had upsold some procedures that weren’t the best fit for her and didn’t really explain any options. She felt like the team didn’t have her best interest in mind. Whereas here she felt respected and calm.

While every dentistry is different and we support local dentists, we’d like for our patients, present and future to know that our staff values them as a whole and we strive to see healthy oral transformations in everyone.

Here are some key promises we offer all of our patients:

  1. Lifelong dental relationship
  2. Being your number one dental advocate
  1. Patient-first care
  1. Avoiding dental hazards at all costs
  2. Offering a comforting and understanding atmosphere

Every week the dental team and I meet to talk about the best treatment options for all of our patients.  We ask ourselves “how can we best help them?” and “how can we make their appointment better, easier, and stress free?” Our hope is that they would feel comfortable enough to bring their entire family here, then we’d get to see their kids grow as well.

My favorite thing about meeting with a patient for the first time is getting to know the patient. Getting to know who they are and what made them who they are tells me a lot more than any dental form or questionnaire and will help me be a better dentist to that patient.

Any time I meet a person that I can sense is anxious or has a phobia of a dental visit I try to talk to them and explain to them that it’s always going to be better than what they may feel it’s going to be. In our first visit we are able to “read” the patient and if best, will sometimes just start by talking to the patient in the chair. We are happy to have first time visits where we don’t even put an instrument into the patient’s mouth if we feel it’s going to help them. We want to take the time to get to know our patients.

Once they’re comfortable, my staff and I strive to be our patient’s primary dental advocate. Everything we do is going to be in efforts to better not only their dental health but overall health. We must have our patient’s best interest in mind and ask ourselves, “is this really the best solution?”

Decidedly, we have had rare instances where a specific treatment option may not be the best for the patient because we take the whole person into account, not just that one tooth. We always choose the treatment that is going to be what’s better for that patient.

It is our priority to avoid any dental emergencies where a patient is experiencing pain and their dental need is an overall health hazard.  We recognize it’s much easier to plan a dental procedure when we have the time and the patient is not symptomatic, not experiencing any discomfort or pain. The patient themselves will find the appointment much more stress free and easy going. I feel that we all make better decisions when we are in a stress-free environment than when we are in pain.  

The ultimate goal that I have for myself as a dentist and to be a person’s dentist would be to see that VFD played a little part in a transformation of a great smile. I think every person has a beautiful smile it’s just how they embrace it. One of the main reasons I learned people don’t want to visit the dentist is the fear of the unknown. They fear that things are going to be bad or they’re going to receive bad news but a lot of the times it’s not as bad as it seems. As bad as we portray it in our heads. But I think the greatest part of what I do is I’m able to see the transition and the overall transformation- which is always better.

There’s a saying that we have heard in the dental field that states, “The mouth is the gateway to our overall health.” And it’s very true. There may be systemic conditions that show first signs through our oral health. So by visiting your dentist regularly it helps maintain overall health, and not just our teeth.

Please visit our call us today. Our doors are open to anyone and everyone. We love our community and we’re here to see you gain that confidence of a self-assured smile.

Sincerely,

Dr. Brenda Landeros

Valley Family Dentistry

THE REESE

202 S 1st St. Ste #102 Harlingen, TX 78550

P: (956) 423 – 0191

E: dentistry@valleyfamilydds.com